After their brilliant victory over France at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Ireland can look forward to a playoff semi-final en route to EURO 2025.
Eileen Gleeson's side finally got their year up and running with a superb performance in defeating the EURO 2022 semi-finalists 3-1 in Cork on Tuesday night.
That result was good news for Ireland's seeding for the playoff - but the format is somewhat convoluted.
We've broken down all the questions you might have about the playoff format for EURO 2025, and what Ireland will need to do to qualify for the tournament in Switzerland next summer.
READ HERE: Denise O'Sullivan Calls For More Ireland Games In Cork
READ HERE: Ireland WNT Player Ratings As Hometown Hero Inspires Memorable Win v France
How Irish WNT can reach EURO 2025 explained
How do the EURO 2025 playoffs work?
The EURO 2025 playoff route is complex. The qualifying groups were based off the Nations League format, with teams split into leagues A, B, and C. Each league was split into smaller groups.
In the first round of the EURO 2025 playoffs, the third- and fourth-placed teams from League A will be seeded against the five group winners and three best second-placed teams from League C in Path 1.
Path 2 of the first round will see the 12 best-ranked teams in League B face off. In both path 1 and path 2, the ties are two-legged, with the seeded team having home advantage for the second leg.
The second round of the playoffs will then see the eight winners of Path 1 and the six winners of Path 2 meet for a shot at playing at EURO 2025. Once again, the ties are two-legged.
Are Ireland seeded for the playoffs?
16 July 2024; Julie-Ann Russell of Republic of Ireland and her daughter Rosie in the team huddle after the 2025 UEFA Women's European Championship qualifying group A match between Republic of Ireland and France at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Ireland's memorable win over France on Tuesday night ensured that they finished ranked 15th of the 16 teams in the League A qualifying path. This was crucial to ensure that they remain seeded throughout the playoff path, should they progress from the first round.
Eight teams from League A have progressed to the first round of the playoffs but, with only seven ties in round two, one League A team risks being unseeded.
Crucially, the winner of Ireland's first-round playoff game is now guaranteed to be seeded in the second round, ensuring that the Girls in Green cannot face a League A team (bar 16th seed Poland) in the playoff final - should they reach it.
Who can Ireland play in the first round?
Ireland have eight prospective opponents in the first round: Slovenia, Romania, Belarus, Greece, Albania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, and Georgia. In terms of world rankings, the toughest test there is Slovenia (ranked 40th, 15 places behind Ireland).
The first round of the playoffs will take place between October 23rd and 29th. Ireland will be away from home in the first leg.
If they win, who can they play in the second round?
11 October 2022; Amber Barrett of Republic of Ireland, bottom, celebrates with her teammates after scoring their side's first goal during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Play-off match between Scotland and Republic of Ireland at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland. Photo by Mick O'Shea/Sportsfile
Should Ireland progress from their first-round playoff, they will play one of the unseeded teams in the final.
That team could be the winner of Poland's round one game - otherwise, it will be a League B team. The League B teams taking part in the playoffs are Portugal, Scotland, Wales, Serbia, Ukraine, Northern Ireland (all seeded), Turkey, Croatia, Hungary, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Slovakia, and Azerbaijan (all unseeded).
The second round of the playoffs will take place between November 27th and December 3rd. Once again, Ireland will be away from home in their prospective first leg.
When is the draw made for the EURO 2025 playoffs?
The draw for both rounds of the EURO 2025 playoffs will be held on Friday in Nyon, Switzerland. It will be streamed on UEFA.com, getting underway at 12pm Irish time.
Summary: What do Ireland need to do to qualify for EURO 2025?
Ireland will need to win two rounds of two-legged playoffs to reach next summer's finals.
In round one, they will need to beat one of Slovenia, Romania, Belarus, Greece, Albania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, or Georgia to progress.
Should they progress, in round two they will need to beat one of the seven unseeded teams (either the winner of Poland's playoff, or one of the six League B semi-final winners).
If they win in round two, we can look forward to a first ever European Championship for the Ireland women's team.
When does EURO 2025 take place?
EURO 2025 takes place in Switzerland next summer. 16 teams will take part.
St. Jakob's Park in Basel will host the opening game on July 2nd 2025. The final takes place at the same venue on July 27th.
SEE ALSO: Magic Cork Reception Helped Ireland Find Their Spark At Last
