u/flex_tape_salesman

Where do you think she'll end up? I'd like to see her hit the ground running in a top league as she has already shown she can be prolific.

We have drawn Kazakhstan in the first round of the World Cup qualifiers.
Away in the first leg, whole round taking place over the week of 7-13 October.

Should we beat them, we will play the winner of Belgium v Poland in the second round in the fortnight of 26 November-5 December. Second leg at home again should we be there.

How does everyone think it will go? I feel like on paper Israel and kosovo are weaker than us and for kosovo especially a couple of injuries to the wrong players would decimate them as they seem to lack depth.

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Two streaky sides that are hard to rate, kosovos most impressive players are their striker pairing, muric in goals and Hajdari a centre back for hoffenheim. Vojvoda and Rexhbecaj also play in the top 5 leagues. I think we will beat them at home and a draw away wouldn't be an awful result. If our midfield and attack performs, our defence should be able to keep their two dangerous forwards quiet.

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Israel seem to have more depth. Gloukh for ajax, manor Solomon and khalaili of union st gillois are their most impressive players at club level. Neutral venues make this a tough one and I am not 100% sure if they are as up for a match against us as our players will be.

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Austria look strong but quite a few of their players are old and I reckon we could take them in Dublin.

Usually don't even mind Houghton but hes impossible to listen to this evening

Just copied some of the FAI's statement.

>In recent months, the Association has been in communication with the Palestinian Football Association regarding the fulfilment of the fixtures and they have shared the following statement: “The Palestinian Football Association expresses its appreciation for the principled positions taken by the Football Association of Ireland in support of the rights of the Palestinian people and Palestinian athletes. The Palestinian Football Association also affirms its respect for the decision made by the Football Association of Ireland within the framework of its sporting and international obligations, in a manner that enables it to continue fulfilling its noble mission of serving football and promoting the values of justice, solidarity, and mutual respect.”

>The Association is deeply conscious of the suffering and devastation being endured by civilians in Gaza and continues to reflect the sentiment of the motion that was proposed and voted in favour of by members of the FAI General Assembly in November 2025. This motion was to issue a formal request to the UEFA Executive Committee for the immediate suspension of the Israel Football Association from UEFA competitions for a breach of UEFA statutes.

*On the punishment:*

If the Association opted not to fulfil the fixtures, the immediate result would be:

- The forfeiture of six points (which could lead to relegation to League C in the UEFA Nations League and weaken our qualifying potential for UEFA EURO 2028)

- A direct impact on Ireland’s UEFA and FIFA rankings (which would affect future qualification to UEFA European Championships and FIFA World Cups).

- The converse of these impacts would apply for Israel (which would increase their prospects of promotion in the UEFA Nations League and qualification to UEFA EURO 2028)

Beyond the sporting implications, there would be broader consequences for Irish football, such as reduced capacity to support clubs and leagues through critical services such as safeguarding, educational programmes, and player development opportunities. Also, the impact on Ireland international teams could result in the withdrawal of underage teams and a reduction in the level of support and services provided to players & staff.

I'm buzzing for it. I think our womens side has been a shining light mostly in recent years and I think the growth of womens football in Ireland can really give football as a whole an edge.