Ireland Squad Announced for Upcoming World Cup Qualifiers

omidbasir- Courtney Brosnan, Megan Connolly, and Leanne Kiernan have been reinstated to the Republic of Ireland squad for the upcoming 2027 Women’s World Cup qualifiers against France and the Netherlands.

The trio—Brosnan, the Everton goalkeeper; Connolly, a midfielder for Lazio; and Kiernan, currently on loan at Nottingham Forest from Liverpool—were unavailable for the Nations League play-off victory over Belgium in October due to injury.

The 23-player squad will once again be captained by Arsenal’s Katie McCabe, who celebrated her 100th cap during the play-off against Belgium.

The Republic of Ireland will host France at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin on March 3, followed by a trip to Utrecht to face the Netherlands four days later.

Head coach Ward aims to replicate the achievements of her predecessor, Vera Pauw, by leading the Republic of Ireland to the finals in Brazil next year. Under Pauw’s guidance, the Irish team qualified for the tournament for the first time, although they were eliminated after finishing at the bottom of their group.

Following a dramatic 5-4 aggregate win over Belgium that secured promotion to the top tier of the Nations League, the Republic of Ireland also secured a 3-2 victory against Hungary in a closed-door friendly held in Marbella.

Notably, Jess Ziu of West Ham and Heather Payne of Leicester City are among those not included in the current squad.

**Goalkeepers:** Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Sophie Whitehouse (Charlton Athletic), Grace Moloney (Sunderland)
**Defenders:** Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Anna Patten (Aston Villa), Caitlin Hayes (Brighton & Hove Albion), Hayley Nolan (Crystal Palace), Aoife Mannion (Newcastle United), Jessie Stapleton (Nottingham Forest – loan), Chloe Mustaki (Nottingham Forest)
**Midfielders:** Denise O’Sullivan (Liverpool), Tyler Toland (Durham), Megan Connolly (Lazio), Marissa Sheva (Sunderland), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Ruesha Littlejohn (Crystal Palace), Jamie Finn (Sunderland)
**Attackers:** Saoirse Noonan (Celtic), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace), Leanne Kiernan (Nottingham Forest – loan), Emily Murphy (Newcastle United), Kyra Carusa (Kansas City Current – loan), Amber Barrett (Strasbourg)