The 2023 Women's World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand in just three days' time.
Samantha Libreri takes you through what you need to know about the tournament.
A run down on the facts and figures
This is the ninth Women’s World Cup and it is taking place in Australia and New Zealand from 20 July until 20 August.
There are 32 countries taking part, which is the largest number ever.
Eight countries are playing at the tournament for the first time, including Ireland, Haiti, Morocco, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, Vietnam and Zambia.
Ireland narrowly missed out on qualifying for the last Women’s European Championship making this their first major tournament. So this is effectively the women’s team Euro 88 or Italia 90.
Will Ireland have much support?
It is estimated that around 4,000 fans from Ireland are travelling to the tournament.
But there’s also a huge number of Irish people, particularly young Irish people living in Australia right now.
Ireland is playing the opening game in Australia against the hosts who are known as the Matildas.
That game had been due to take place in a stadium with a capacity of just over 40,000.
But such was the demand for tickets the match was moved to a stadium with a capacity of more than 80,000.
The match has been sold out for some time but it has been difficult for those involved to get a read on who has bought the tickets.
While there’s huge interest in the team in Australia it is possible that thousands, even tens of thousands of those tickets, could have been bought by Irish fans out there.
The only way we will know for sure is on Thursday when we can see how many green white and orange and GAA county jerseys are on show in Stadium Australia.
So what are our chances against Australia?
Playing the opening game in Australia, against the host nation, in front of the largest crowd they’ve ever played in front of is already a big ask for Ireland.
Australia is also a strong and tough opponent.
Ireland is ranked 22nd in the world while the Matildas are ranked tenth.
This is their eighth appearance at a World Cup and our first.
They've made it to the quarter-finals three times and in the last Olympics, they had their best-ever performance finishing fourth.
Then add into the mix that they also have a women’s football superstar on their team Sam Kerr.
She’s their all-time leading goal scorer and is widely regarded as one of the best forwards in the world.
The game takes place on Thursday at 11am Irish time where Ireland carries the hopes of a nation and the dreams of every female football player that has worn the green jersey before them, that their defensive play can stave off the very real threat that Australia poses.
What about the second game. Will that be any easier?
After playing the hosts, Ireland fly back to their base in Brisbane before then having to jet off again to the other side of Australia where they will take on Canada on 26 July.
This game kicks off in Perth at 1pm Irish time. The Canadians are the current Olympic champions, in fact, they’ve medalled in the last three Olympic games.
They’ve also made the World Cup semi-finals before where they came fourth.
Also in their armoury is Christine Sinclair, one of the world’s all-time leading goal scorers, who has appeared at five world cups, four Olympics and has been shortlisted for FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year seven times.
Canada has been involved in a long-running pay dispute and played in recent tournaments under protest.
They said they wanted this settled before the World Cup and there is no sign that it has been.
So it could either act as a distraction or strengthen their resolve, but either way, they’re possibly the toughest opposition we will face.
What about the third game in Group B against Nigeria?
This has the possibility of being the most unpredictable of the ties.
Partly because of the makeup of the Nigerian squad but also because they too are embroiled in a pay dispute that has escalated as they departed for Australia.
Nigeria is Africa’s most successful women’s football team. They’ve been to every single Women’s World Cup and they’ve reached the quarter-finals.
They’ve also won the African Cup of Nations a record 11 times.
Their performance is regarded as unpredictable because the team haven’t had much time playing together but that have some accomplished and extremely athletic players.
However just before the tournament began they were told they wouldn’t be getting match bonuses and there were reports from inside their camp that some players are considering boycotting their opening World Cup game.
In two recent podcasts, the Nigerian coach Randy Waldrum also criticised the Niergian football federation accusing them of not paying wages, low standards, interfering in selection and staffing, chaotic travel arrangements and cancelling a pre-tournament camp.
In response, they accused him of "shooting his mouth off" to make up for his own "glaring deficiencies".
All that makes this one the most unpredictable of fixtures. It takes place on 31 July at 11am Irish time in Brisbane which is Ireland’s base and is a city with a significant Irish population and roots so the support of the crowd could be significant here.
So how do the team feel about it all?
Ireland’s Captain Katie McCabe has said that as this is Ireland’s first World Cup there's no pressure on them but that they will do everything they can to get out of the group stages.
Getting to a World Cup is the pinnacle of any footballer's career.
A record crowd of 7,633 attended their farewell friendly against France before they departed but playing in front of 83,500 fans in Stadium Australia will be a significant step up from that and also a career high for this team.
And their appearance comes at a time when there has never been more interest in women’s football globally.
The success of this team has also been attributed to a rise in the number of girls playing grassroots football in Ireland.
Katie McCabe, who played on boys' teams until she was in her teens, said growing up she had no female footballers to look up to and her favourite player was Damien Duff.
So regardless of their performance at the World Cup, the legacy of this team will be the inspiration they’ve provided to a new generation of players, who may one day be central to securing Ireland’s place in future tournaments.
The journey to Australia is a long one and so has the journey of this team but there’s been many twists and turns along the way.
It's 50 years this year since Ireland first fielded an international women’s team.
Their progress and performances received little attention until 2017 when the players threatened to strike because of their treatment, including having to change out of their tracksuits in airport toilets after international duty because they had to return them to the FAI.
That now famous press conference in Liberty Hall where their lawyer Stuart Gilhooly said the women’s team were being treated like "the dirt off the FAI’s shoe" was a turning point for this team.
Vera Pauw was appointed manager in 2019, in 2021 they achieved pay parity with the men’s team and in 2022 narrowly missed out on going to the Euros.
Their ticket to Australia came in a playoff with Scotland in Hampden Park last October where goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan saved a penalty.
Then Donegal woman Amber Barret scored the winning goal dedicating it to the victims of the Creeslough explosion which had happened just a few days before and from which the country was still reeling.
But their historic success was slightly overshadowed when a live stream from their locker room celebrations after that game showed some of the team singing "Oh ah up the Ra".
Vera Paw and the players swiftly apologised, the public seemed to move on quickly and the players learned a valuable lesson about the scrutiny and responsibility that comes with being in the public eye and Irish sporting heroes.
Earlier this year, Vera Pauw was sanctioned by the US National Women’s Soccer League following allegations of player mistreatment when she was a coach at Houston Dash in Texas.
She has always vigorously denied any wrongdoing but in the past fortnight, those allegations re-emerged in an investigation by The Athletic.
Vera Pauw doubled down on her defence by saying that female coaches were being held to a different standard than male ones.
She also made claimed she had received a death threat at the club.
In their farewell friendly against France there was concern when Katie McCabe limped off the pitch but a scan showed no damage and the team began flying to Australia the following day.
But no sooner had she and the team tried to bring the focus back on their football when they got to their base in Brisbane, their behind-closed-doors friendly against Colombia was abandoned after 23 minutes after a tackle on Denise O'Sullivan because of what the FAI described as an overly physical performance.
With three days to go to the biggest game of their lives, the team will be hoping that no more drama unfolds before they take to the field for their World Cup debut.
