The prospect of going to Brazil for the 2027 World Cup occupies the minds of the Republic of Ireland players and they're not afraid to admit it.
There was despondency in the aftermath of Ireland’s 2-1 loss to France in their opening qualifier on Tuesday night, but the nature of the defeat seems to have steeled their resolve.
The Girls in Green are guaranteed a place in the play-offs even if they finish bottom of the group, a safety net they earned by beating Belgium over two legs in last October’s Nations League promotion/relegation showdown.
There’s a deep hunger to return to a major tournament.
"Yeah, we want to be back," said midfielder Marissa Sheva ahead of tomorrow night’s World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands in Utrecht.
"We want to go to Brazil more than anything. That’s our goal. We talk about it every day."
They’ll get another chance to bloody the nose of a powerhouse when they square up to the Oranje at Stadion Galgenwaard, an attractive ground with steep stands and a capacity of just under 24,000.
The Dutch drew 2-2 against Poland in their opener so they can be got at, however this is going to be another huge test for Carla Ward’s side.
"We have to be switched on for 90 minutes when the game-plan is to let them have the ball and try to keep them from the areas they are dangerous in," Sheva added.
"We did that (against France) for the first 60 or 70 minutes, so there’s a lot to be proud of there. Honestly, I’m proud of the whole performance. The goals we conceded are little mistakes that can be cleaned up easily. Those goals we conceded are atypical from us, but just little things to tidy up heading into (the Dutch game).
"The fact that we were up 1-0 against France and we are frustrated to not come out with a result just shows the growth of this group. We fully came into this game thinking and knowing that we could win, and on any given day we can. There’s just been a lot of growth in the past year."
Sheva is a player who’s really flourished under Ward. The 28-year-old Sunderland midfielder looks much more comfortable when used centrally, where her stamina and tidiness in possession are maximised.
"It takes a lot of buy-in from the players," she added when expanding on her belief that the team is moving in the right direction.
"Carla and the staff come in with their game-plan. In the few short days that we have leading up to the first game we need total buy-in, and I think that we’ve had that from the second she came in.
"We are just riding some momentum. We are so excited to be in League A, to show what we are capable of, and you saw that tonight. We are just buying into Carla’s game-plan.
"We know we can compete in League A. We are going to take this and learn from it. I’m excited for the Netherlands on Saturday."
Watch Netherlands v Republic of Ireland in World Cup qualifying on Saturday from 7.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport. Listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1.
