Northern Ireland begin their Women’s World Cup play-off campaign on Friday when they host Portugal at Inver Park in the first leg of a two-legged tie (19:30 BST). Michael McArdle’s side are chasing a first World Cup appearance, with next year’s tournament being staged in Brazil. The squad has been hit by a spate of injuries and includes five new faces, but the group carries a quiet confidence into what will be, for some players, the biggest games of their careers.
The route is demanding. As one of the lowest-ranked European sides in the play-offs, Northern Ireland must first overcome Portugal. The winners will then face Croatia or Iceland in the next round, and if they advance through that tie they will likely face an inter-continental play-off to reach Brazil. Portugal are 28 places higher in the Fifa world rankings and inflicted two defeats on Northern Ireland in Euro 2025 qualifying.
Norwich City defender Natalie Johnson, who has 13 caps, said the prospect of a World Cup in Brazil is a powerful motivation. ‘When you’re growing up, Brazil is the place to be, it’s the home of football. It really doesn’t get much better than that,’ she said. ‘The fact that we are at this point and that it could be a reality, you don’t need much more motivation than that. There’s a lot on the line, but we are taking it one game at a time and I think if you look at it that way, nothing is impossible. Obviously there is that dream at the end of it, but we’re focused on the game in front of us.’
Johnson believes the games against Portugal are winnable. ‘We have a lot of experience in this team and the young players coming in bring their own individual experience and they really add to the squad. It’s a good balance and we are going in to get something out of this,’ she said. ‘Any Portugal side is going to be very technical and we’re expecting a very fast-paced game. We’re going to have to be at our best to face that, quick football, and that’s what we’re working towards. On paper it might look like there is a big gap between the teams, but at the end of the day, it is a game of football and I think particularly on our home pitch it will be a much more level playing field.’
Birmingham City defender Rebecca Holloway is one of the few survivors from the squad that qualified for Euro 2022, Northern Ireland’s first major tournament, and one of nine players in the current group involved in the two Euro 2025 qualifying defeats. She said the scale of change in the squad is exciting. ‘It feels like a long time ago in a way, especially when you look at how much the squad has changed, but I think that’s also what is very exciting,’ she said. ‘It’s like a new generation coming through and I think it’s also important that we have some experienced players here to help those new faces. We’re excited to see what they can do and encourage them to play with confidence and freedom and do what they are good at. We’re slowly closing the gap on Portugal and the so-called bigger nations. They had a narrow 2-1 win over us at home in 2024 after a 4-0 away defeat, I think that shows that we are getting closer.’
McArdle’s side have also taken inspiration from Northern Ireland’s men’s team. After assembling in camp on Monday, the squad watched Michael O’Neill’s side draw 0-0 with Georgia, a result that kept them top of their Nations League group with eight points from four games without conceding a goal. The players saw a younger generation playing with no fear and hope to adopt the same attitude on Friday.