Ireland brace for France in Tallaght as World Cup qualifying begins

“When France and Netherlands are on it, they can be completely unplayable," said Ireland head coach Carla Ward. “But when they’re not, there’s areas to exploit."

Ireland face France in Tallaght before travelling to Utrecht to face the Netherlands on Saturday. Pic: ©INPHO/James Crombie

Brazil’s Maracanã Stadium next year will seem a long way from Tallaght tonight when Ireland and France begin their World Cup qualification campaign with contrasting expectations.

Twenty places separating the nations in Fifa’s rankings goes some way to explaining the respective outlooks.