NI and Republic of Ireland learn World Cup route

Northern Ireland will face Portugal in the 2027 Women's World Cup play-offs, a challenging draw announced on October 25, 2024. The Republic of Ireland has been drawn against Kazakhstan in the same qualification pathway. These play-off matches are scheduled to take place in February 2025. The draw involved 16 teams vying for the remaining three qualification spots for the tournament, which will be co-hosted by Brazil and Morocco. Northern Ireland's path to the World Cup is considered particularly difficult given Portugal's strong performance in recent tournaments. The Republic of Ireland will be looking to secure their place in their first-ever senior World Cup. The play-off structure includes a preliminary round and a final round, with teams needing to win two matches to qualify.