The Republic of Ireland Women’s World Cup 2023 squad will be the first ever Republic of Ireland team to participate at a Women's World cup.
Ireland achieved this feat thanks to a 1-0 win over Scotland in a play-off final for one of the last UEFA spots at the tournament.
The Republic of Ireland demonstrated their readiness to compete at the tournament through two tightly-fought matches against current World Cup holder, the United States. Ireland lost both matches but caused the Americans issues, with manager Vera Pauw able to take a lot of positives from the games.
One positive had been the recent addition of Manchester United defender Aoife Mannion. Mannion had previously represented England at youth level but, following two ACL injuries, had never made a senior appearance so switched her eligibility. She is a very accomplished centre-back who will be an important addition to the Republic of Ireland squad – though a late-season knee injury means she is not featured in the preliminary squad, and will be monitored ahead of the final squad submission.
Katie McCabe will also have an important role to play for Ireland at the World Cup. McCabe is their most high-profile player with more than 150 appearances for Arsenal to her name. She is well-known for scoring spectacular goals, often allowing her teams to create something out of nothing.
One boost is the return of Leanne Kiernan. Twenty-four-year-old Kiernan had an impressive season in the Women's Championship last year with many excited to see how she adjusted to the WSL, until she picked up an ankle injury in Liverpool's opening game against Chelsea. Having had surgery, Kiernan is now back in the mix.
The selection of Sinead Farrelly for the World Cup is set to be one of the stories of the tournament. Farrelly initially retired from football in 2016, in part due to the abuse she later revealed she had experienced from disgraced coach Paul Riley. However, she restarted playing for NY/NJ Gotham and received her first-ever senior international cap (having originally played for the USA at youth level) in April.
Ireland are in World Cup Group B with Australia, Nigeria and Canada, their first World Cup fixture is against Costa Rica on July 21 and below is their 31-player provisional team, ahead of announcing their final World Cup squad by July 9.
Republic of Ireland Women's World Cup 2023 squad
Republic of Ireland Women's World Cup 2023 squad: Preliminary squad
- GK: Courtney Brosnan (Everton)
- GK: Grace Moloney (Reading)
- GK: Megan Walsh (Brighton)
- GK: Sophie Whitehouse (Lewes)
- DF: Áine O'Gorman (Shamrock Rovers)
- DF: Niamh Fahey (Liverpool)
- DF: Louise Quinn (Birmingham City)
- DF: Diane Caldwell (Reading)
- DF: Megan Campbell (Liverpool)
- DF: Harriet Scott (Birmingham City)
- DF: Claire O'Riordan (Celtic)
- DF: Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City)
- DF: Hayley Nolan (London City Lionesses)
- DF: Tara O'Hanlon (Peamount United)
- MF: Denise O'Sullivan (North Carolina Courage)
- MF: Katie McCabe (Arsenal)
- MF: Ruesha Littlejohn (Aston Villa)
- MF: Megan Connolly (Brighton)
- MF: Ciara Grant (Hearts)
- MF: Jamie Finn (Birmingham City)
- MF: Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City)
- MF: Roma McLaughlin (Fortuna Hjørring)
- MF: Lily Agg (London City Lionesses)
- MF: Sinead Farrelly (NY/NJ Gotham)
- FW: Amber Barratt (Turbine Potsdam)
- FW: Heather Payne (Florida State)
- FW: Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool)
- FW: Kyra Carusa (London City Lionesses)
- FW: Abbie Larkin (Shamrock Rovers)
- FW: Saoirse Noonan (Durham)
- FW: Marissa Sheva (Washington Spirit)
Republic of Ireland manager
Who is the Republic of Ireland's manager?
Vera Pauw was appointed head coach of the Republic of Ireland women's team in 2019, having previously coached a whole host of international sides including Scotland, the Netherlands, and South Africa. The Dutch manager became the first ever coach to lead the Republic of Ireland to an international tournament following their qualification for the World Cup. However, Pauw is not without controversy having been accused of controlling her players' eating habits whilst in charge at the Houston Dash. As a result she is currently banned from coaching in the NWSL.
When will the final Republic of Ireland squad be announced?
The Republic of Ireland are due to play two friendlies against Zambia and France on June 22 and July 6, before they confirm their final World Cup squad on July 9.
How many players are the Republic of Ireland allowed to take to the World Cup 2023?
Vera Pauw certainly seems to have a lot of options on her hands, having taken 28 players to the United States in the most recent international break. However, she will be forced to cut the squad down to just 23 players for the World Cup.
