The Republic of Ireland booked their place in the final round of Women’s World Cup qualifying play-offs with a 4-0 win over Kazakhstan in Cork, completing a 12-0 aggregate victory and setting up a decisive tie against Poland.
The second leg was always likely to be a comfortable night for Carla Ward’s side after an 8-0 win in Astana on Friday, and another four goals followed in Cork, including a powerful strike from captain Katie McCabe. McCabe was restored to the starting line-up after serving a one-game suspension in the first leg.
The result leaves the Republic of Ireland two matches away from the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, and McCabe was already looking beyond the final whistle towards November’s play-off final. “Two games and we’re going to Brazil, but full focus over the next six weeks,” the 31-year-old told RTE Sport. “We need to lock in and be ready.”
Poland stand between the Republic of Ireland and back-to-back appearances at the finals. They came through their own play-off against Belgium on penalties after a 3-3 draw across the two legs, and McCabe acknowledged the threat they carry, largely through Barcelona striker Ewa Pajor. The Republic of Ireland beat Poland twice during qualifying in April, but McCabe expects a different contest this time. “For us, we’ve played both teams recently and it’s going to be different come November,” she said. “We know there’s a World Cup place at stake so we need to be ready. It’s an exciting one.”
Ward’s side have built steadily since a shock 4-0 home defeat by Slovenia in only her second game in charge in February 2025. They responded by beating Belgium in a promotion/relegation play-off to win promotion to League A of the Nations League, then defeated the Netherlands and drew with France to remain in the top tier. “We’ve put ourselves in a really good position. The opponents we’ve faced, top-10 opponents, the girls have done brilliantly,” McCabe said. “Once Carla came in it’s a transition period and it takes a bit of time to find our feet. We learnt our lesson with that heavy defeat by Slovenia and we’ve built and grown. We’ve tried to gather as much momentum as possible.”
McCabe also credited her summer move to Chelsea, which followed the end of her contract at Arsenal, with improving her form. “The time had come for me to start a new chapter. Ever since I’ve come in to work with Sonia [Bompastor, Chelsea manager] and the girls it has been brilliant,” she said. “I’m enjoying my football again and I’m just taking it game-by-game, but for me the most important thing is being in the best position to qualify for the World Cup.”
Having helped the Republic of Ireland reach a first major tournament at the 2023 World Cup in Australia, McCabe said the squad understands what is required to get there again. “We’ve had some highs and lows over the years. It’s going to be really important and we’ll stick together going into November,” she added. “We’ll be doing everything we can to get over the line and get this country to the World Cup again.”