The Women's World Cup is finally here. In just over 24 hours, the Republic of Ireland will take their rightful place in history.
Walking out to a sold-out crowd of over 80,000 fans in Sydney’s Accor Stadium, against co-hosts Australia, Ireland will begin their historic journey on the biggest stage possible.
A tournament of firsts is upon us. The World Cup, women’s or men's, has never before been held in Oceania, with two nations in Australia and New Zealand hosting jointly.
An extended total of 32 nations will participate, improving upon the previous 24 and there will be eight debutants including Ireland.
We will have a leading nation across women’s sports in the shape of the USA vowing to win their third consecutive World Cup title, while there is a new European champion, England, looking to complete the double in major tournaments, as well as many other nations ready to show the quality that women’s football across the world has to offer.
A new champion even? Who knows what’s in store. For Ireland, this is just the beginning. A nation that has been uplifted by the spirit of what they’ve seen in the past, and by the excitement of what the future has to hold.
But here in the present this team has a tough yet exciting group to tackle. Group B is full of strong, successful and talented teams.
First on Thursday, Australia are a host ranked inside the top ten in the world, boasting stars such as Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord, and Hayley Raso to name a few. And they will be feeling the pressure of a nation expecting them to perform and lift silverware on home soil. They are a team which I feel could be an outside contender for the overall title.
The opening game is the one everyone has been waiting for from an Irish and Australian perspective. With the Matiladas having so many formations they could choose from against Ireland, I think it’s definitely going to be a great opening to the tournament.
Will Australia play a 4-4-2 to bring balance and strength up top? Will they have Ellie Carpenter and Stephanie Catley as full-backs to counter our potential threat on the wings?
Or will they play a different style, possibly 4-2-3-1, leaving Kerr alone up top to allow the freedom for more attacking players on the pitch like Raso, Foord and Cortnee Vine?
Ireland would potentially have an overload through the middle. It leaves the opportunity for dominance in that area of the pitch in an attacking sense. Denise O’Sullivan is our most technical player with the quality to bring team-mates into the game. Her match-up with Katrina Gorry will be a fascinating watch and something I think Australia will be wary of.
For Ireland, the obvious name that comes to mind is Katie McCabe. Her presence and quality left foot is sure to give Australia some worries. With Heather Payne on the other side, our threat on the counter will be quick and explosive. It's a tactic I’m sure Ireland will be hoping to make the most of.
I think the game will be won on the wings. With Marissa Sheva and Sinead Farrelly playing in front of our wing-backs, they will have a big task to help contain the pacy wingers of Australia, while also then having to create our opportunities when in possession.
A strong and tenacious Kyra Carusa, whose hold-up play is one of her biggest strengths, will allow Ireland the time to get up the pitch in support. From set-pieces, both attacking and defending, Louise Quinn and Niamh Fahey will play important roles. Courtney Brosnan in goal is an amazing leader, who only conceded four goals in qualifying. She will have a tough task but it's one I know she’s going to relish.
Ireland have quality all over the pitch and from recent good performances against top opposition I’m really excited to see them grow throughout the tournament.
The toughest test on Thursday may be the crowd and occasion rather than the opponent themselves. But regardless, I’ve no doubt that they’ll do our country proud.
With a six-day turnaround between games, the team then travel to Perth to play another well-known footballing nation in Canada. The seventh-ranked team in the world and reigning Olympic champions have been quietly working towards this tournament, although missing out on important prep due to disputes with their federation, Canada are a strong outfit who will undoubtedly be looking to get to the knockouts early.
'We as a nation are not known for taking part. This team is not satisfied. The narrative is changing'
Lastly to finish the group stages off, the team travel back to base camp in Brisbane to face Nigeria. Steeped in history at this tournament, they have qualified a total of eight times already. They are a very physical team, with flare, quality and world-class players, including Asisat Oshoala, the Barcelona player that Ireland will have to pay very close attention to.
So how will we fare? A tough run of three group games awaits and hopefully more thereafter. Thankfully, it’s nothing we are new to. We faced many top opponents in qualifying games and many underdog performances showing our quality to get results. Drive, passion, talent and a togetherness has gotten us through to the biggest stage of all.
As a team we already know the history created and the achievements made which will lead to so much opportunity back home for generations to come. But we as a nation are not known for taking part. This team is not satisfied. The narrative is changing. Women’s football in Ireland is showing up on the map and it’s here to stay.
No matter what lies ahead we as a nation are ready to support our team, a group of women who have lifted and inspired a nation.
With the tricolour of Ireland flying proudly and Amhrán na bhFiann echoing on the biggest stage of all, this is our time, from 20 July 2023 and long into the future.
Come On You Girls In Green.
Watch Republic of Ireland v Australia in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player on Thursday at 11am, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app or listen to live commentary on 2fm
Watch every game from the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup live on RTÉ, with comprehensive coverage of the Republic of Ireland across television, radio and digital
