The Ireland women's team face Finland in a huge World Cup qualifier this week. Sitting just a point ahead of Finland, it's a vital game ahead of the upcoming World Cup, which could see Ireland seal a play-off place. Here's all the information you need to know ahead of the clash, including how to watch Ireland v Finland.
When is the Ireland women's team playing?
Kick off between Ireland and Finland at Tallaght Stadium is at 7pm on Thursday the 1st of September.
How to watch the Ireland v Finland qualifier
Coverage starts at 6:30pm live on RTÉ 2 and RTÉ Player.
Form Guide
A win for Vera Pauw's side tomorrow will see them guarantee second place and a playoff spot for the 2023 Women's FIFA World Cup. The Ireland women's team are sitting in second place on 11 points after three wins and two draws from their six games. Sitting just a point below them are Finland.
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The sides last met in Helsinki back in October where goals from Megan Connolly and Denise O'Sullivan sealed a huge win for the Girls in Green. After narrowly losing to Sweden in their first game, Ireland are undefeated in their past five games.
26 October 2021; Denise O'Sullivan of Republic of Ireland in action against Eveliina Summanen of Finland during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 qualifying group A match between Finland and Republic of Ireland at Helsinki Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
In their last World Cup qualifying game, the Ireland women's team beat Georgia 9-0 away from home.
Speaking ahead of Thursday's game, Vera Pauw said that winning against Finland is "crucial" for the Ireland women's team's playoff hopes.
Pauw said:
We have Finland, we have Slovakia, hopefully we have a play-off, hopefully we have the World Cup. We’re in the middle of a qualification campaign, maybe you feel it’s the end, but to me it’s the middle.
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Everyone’s experience is like that, it is the middle. There is at least, in my feeling, we need to win this next game, then we have the game against Slovakia and then hopefully we have play-offs in October, and then we might need to go in February to New Zealand. First this game, that is crucial, if we lose this game, it can just blow up.
After narrowly missing out on a place in the European Championships, the Ireland women's team know that they must perform on Thursday to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
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