Northern Ireland begin their play-off journey with a match against Portugal, with hopes of securing a place at the World Cup in Brazil. The first leg takes place on Friday at Inver Park, with kick-off scheduled for 19:30 British time.
The squad entered training on Monday, with manager Michael McArdle facing a number of injuries affecting the squad. Despite this, five new faces appear in the squad. Among them is Rebecca Holloway, a defender for Birmingham City, who qualified for Euro 2022. That Euro 2022 was the first major tournament for Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland are one of the lowest-ranked European teams in the play-offs, while Portugal stand 28 places higher on the FIFA world rankings. Portugal handed Northern Ireland two defeats in the Euro 2025 qualifiers. In one of those matches, in 2024, Portugal won narrowly, 2-1 at home, while they won 4-0 away.
If they defeat Portugal, Northern Ireland will face either Croatia or Iceland in the next round. If they pass that tie, they are likely to face a continental play-off to reach Brazil.
The squad followed the performance of the Northern Ireland men's team, which drew 0-0 with Georgia. Michael O'Neill's side remained at the top of Group E in the Nations League, collecting eight points from four matches without conceding a goal.
Natalie Johnson is also in the Northern Ireland squad, a defender for Norwich City. Her club status further strengthens the team's defensive line, which will have to cope with the Portuguese attack.
