google-site-verification: googlec7193c3de77668c9.html

Northern Ireland women: Who could Michael McArdle’s side face in World Cup play-off?

Advertisements

World ranking: 25th World Cup qualifying group: First in Group B4 Last World Cup: 2019

It would be fitting if Northern Ireland were paired with Scotland for their play-off semi-final given boss McArdle’s roots and his previous work in their association.

The 46-year-old Glaswegian, who was appointed as Tanya Oxtoby’s permanent successor in March, is still based in Scotland after taking on his first full-time senior management role with NI.

He served as the head of women’s elite football for the SFA and led the Scotland Under-23s team and the senior side for a four-game interim spell last year before Melissa Andreatta was appointed.

Under the Australian Andreatta, the Scots finished top of Group B4, winning four of their six games and drawing the other two to earn promotion to League A.

Scotland are aiming to reach a second World Cup after featuring at the 2019 tournament and were prolific in the group phase, scoring 24 goals as they thrashed Israel and Luxembourg twice.

Captain Caroline Weir, who has swapped Real Madrid for Lyon, is their obvious threat as she found the net 10 times in six games, but they have plenty of other experienced operators.


BBC News

Views: 1

See also  Cheltenham Festival: Capacity and price of pint to be reduced

Check Also

Domestic abuse: The harrowing dark side of England’s World Cup exit

The Crown Prosecution Service sees first-hand the impact that domestic abuse has on victims. It …

Aston Villa: How Johan Manzambi can spearhead new era

While Newcastle were hopeful of landing one of their top targets, their interest was always …

World Cup 2026: More games and more controversy – how the World Cup played out

Hydration breaks were, Fifa said, introduced to benefit player welfare, and sporting integrity meant they …

Leave a Reply

Available for Amazon Prime