Ireland to face Belgium in October playoffs for spot in Nations League A

Belgium stand between the Republic of Ireland and a place in the top division of the women’s Nations League after the sides were drawn against each other on Friday for October’s two-leg promotion/relegation playoff.

The prize for the winners is a substantial one, as not only will they play in League A next time around, they will also have a less complex qualification path to the 2027 World Cup.

Ireland missed out on automatic promotion from League B when they were beaten on goal difference to top spot in their group by Slovenia, while the Belgians, having been drawn in a formidable League A group with Spain and England, the reigning world and European champions, respectively, finished third.

They held off the challenge of Portugal for that spot, their shock 3-2 win over England, four days after they’d lost 5-0 to them in Bristol, their decisive result.

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If rankings mean anything, and they usually don’t, then this was the best possible draw for Ireland, with Belgium at 20th, just six places higher in the world list. The other nations in the pot were Denmark (12th), Iceland (13th) and Austria (18th).

“We now know our opponents for this playoff and our preparation for those two games starts now,” said Ireland head coach Carla Ward. “We know that Belgium are a very good team with a strong history in women’s football, so this will be a difficult challenge for us but one that we are excited to take on.

“We are building day by day, game by game. We have a fantastic team spirit, a brilliant support staff and a group of players who are ready to take that next step in their progression.”

“We want to reach League A to play against top-ranked teams and be in the best position possible going into the 2027 World Cup qualifiers next year.”

The nations last met in a friendly in Brussels in 2021, the Belgians winning by a single goal. There have, though, been wholesale changes on both sides, player and manager wise, since then.

Unlike Ireland, Belgium qualified for this summer’s European Championships by beating Greece and Ukraine in the playoffs. It will be their third successive appearance in the tournament, their best effort in 2022 when they reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to Sweden. They have, though, never qualified for the World Cup.

About two thirds of the Belgian squad, managed by Icelander Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir, play their football outside their homeland, five of them in Italy and four in the English WSL, including Courtney Brosnan and Heather Payne’s Everton team-mate Justine Vanhaevermaet. Their star turn is Inter Milan striker Tessa Wullaert, who has a fairly remarkable 90 international goals in just over 140 appearances.

Ireland, who play the United States twice later this month in friendlies in Colorado and Ohio, will play the first leg of the playoff at home, Belgium playing most of their home games in Leuven. The ties are set provisionally for October 24th and 28th.

Promotion to League A guarantees at least a 2027 World Cup qualifying playoff, but while League B sides can still make it to the tournament, the process is so tortuous Katie McCabe wasn’t wrong when she described it as “nuts”.