Northern Ireland's Women's Team Aims for World Cup Success

With silverware fresh in their hands, many of the Northern Ireland players will arrive for international duty with a confidence that only success brings. In recent weeks, ten members of Michael McArdle's 23-strong squad have either won league titles or secured promotion with their clubs. Now they will aim to transfer that success to the international stage as Northern Ireland look to build momentum. NI have already secured a World Cup play-off spot with two games to go in League B Group 2, but there is still plenty at stake against Turkey and Switzerland.

Northern Ireland come into this window buoyed by two positive results against Malta in April. However, with several players involved in title triumphs that will live long in the memory, the side will have even greater belief. Rebecca McKenna, Rebecca Holloway and Simone Magill, who missed most of the season through pregnancy but has since given birth, won promotion to the Women's Super League (WSL) with Birmingham City, while Ellie Mason was part of the Charlton Athletic squad who were the victors in the play-off to book a spot in the WSL.

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At Hearts, Joely Andrews, Lauren Wade and Keri Halliday, who spent the second half of the season on loan at Motherwell, won the Scottish Premiership title for the first time in the club's history. Burnley secured promotion to Women's Super League 2 after an unbeaten league season with Brenna McPartlan, Danielle Maxwell and Louise McDaniel picking up a winner's medal. Plenty of the players based in Northern Ireland have enjoyed recent success as well. Nadene Caldwell, Aimee Kerr and Mia Moore were all part of the Glentoran squad who lifted the Women's Premiership trophy last season and have recently begun their defense of the title.

McArdle believes the squad's success at club level can have a positive impact when they pull on a green shirt for Northern Ireland. "We've got some very highly-confident players coming into camp with their achievements throughout the season. So, it's great for them individually," McArdle said. "For some players, that promotion to WSL or WSL2 or wherever they go in their own individual journey... that could be great for them at that point in time. For others, it might not be what they need. So, it's really just the individual context. But certainly, with those players coming into camp on a high, it'll be great for us."

Forward Wade was part of the Northern Ireland squad who made history at the Euros in 2022. Now, at club level, she helped Hearts win their first league title and secure European football. "It was an amazing feeling what has happened with Hearts and now coming into an international window, it is nice to have that positivity and wind behind us," Wade told BBC Sport NI. "You quickly have to shift that mentality and it is all about international football." Wade believes the "spirits will be high" ahead of the final two group games, when NI travel to face Turkey on Friday (18:00 BST) before hosting group leaders Switzerland. There is plenty on the line for the side, who know they must register positive results to avoid relegation to League C of the Nations League and will be aiming to leapfrog Friday's opponents and finish in second spot.