The 42

THE IRELAND WOMEN’S team will play Belgium at the play-off stage of the Uefa Nations League.

The two-legged promotion-relegation clash will take place in October after today’s draw with a place in League A on the line.

Ireland will be at home for the first leg and travel to Belgium for the second leg, with venue and ticket details yet to be announced.

Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Slovenia, thanks to a Saoirse Noonan header, saw Ireland progress to the play-offs as they fell short of the four-goal victory needed to seal to spot and secure automatic promotion.

Ireland have played Belgium six times – winning their first ever meeting in 1980 – and they last came up against each other in an international friendly in April 2021 in Brussels.

“We now know our opponents for this play-off and our preparation for those two games starts now,” said head coach Carla Ward.

Ireland head coach Carla Ward Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO

“We know that Belgium are a very good team with a strong history in women’s football, so this will be a difficult challenge for us but one that we are excited to take on.

“Having won five of our six group games in the Nations League and ended with a very good performance against Slovenia, we are building day by day, game by game. We have a fantastic team spirit, a brilliant support staff and a group of players who are ready to take that next step in their progression.

“Next up are two games against the United States, which will help as part of our preparation but the Play-Off is our next target. We want to reach League A to play against top-ranked teams and be in the best position possible going into the 2027 FIFA World Cup qualifiers next year.”

Written by Fintan O’Toole and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.