Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Ireland WNT head coach Carla Ward at training in Istanbul this morning.Ryan Byrne/INPHO FreeIreland WNT Carla Ward: Türkiye a 'must-win' as Ireland chase Nations League promotion Katie McCabe available for selection after Champions League success with Arsenal. 4.08pm, 29 May 2025 Share options CARLA WARD INSISTS Ireland are targeting automatic Nations League promotion — but contesting the play-offs wouldn’t be the end of the world. The Ireland head coach stressed tomorrow’s penultimate group game away to Türkiye is must-win in the race for top spot but “if we finish second, that’s okay,” with another shot at promotion to League A available in the play-offs in October. Slovenia are the Group B2 leaders, having stunned Ireland 4-0 in Koper in February. They face Greece tomorrow evening, before a potential shootout at Páirc Uí Chaoimh next Tuesday, where Ireland may need to better the four-goal win. The group winners secure promotion, and in turn, improve their 2027 World Cup qualification hopes, while the runners-up face a third-placed League A team in a two-legged play-off in October. Advertisement “First and foremost, we have to go and win tomorrow night and that sets us up for the final day in Cork against Slovenia,” Ward told FAI TV in Istanbul today. “Hopefully Greece can get something from Slovenia. If they don’t, then the first bite of the cherry would be to try and beat Slovenia by five because it goes on head to head. “If we don’t and we finish second then we’ve got to second bite it with the play-offs in October. That’s huge, and it’s an understanding that if we finish second, that’s okay. We have to then make sure that we get the job done in October.” Ireland scraped past Türkiye in the group opener, beating them 1-0 at Tallaght Stadium in Ward’s first game in charge. The former Aston Villa manager echoed her “must-win game” stance in a separate interview with RTÉ, and confirmed that Champions League winner Katie McCabe is available for selection tomorrow [KO 6pm Irish time, RTÉ 2]. 'She's a professional, she's fit, she's ready... Maybe there is a question mark on her calf' Carla Ward gives an update on Katie McCabe after the Ireland captain's Champions League exertions pic.twitter.com/31fYWKtp2N— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) May 29, 2025 The Irish captain helped Arsenal end an 18-year wait for European glory against defending champions Barcelona on Saturday, and was a late arrival to camp after celebrations in London. McCabe has been managing an ongoing calf issue, but is “fit and ready” “Listen, Katie’s a pro,” Ward told RTÉ’s Tony O’Donoghue. “You never want anyone to not celebrate such a massive, massive win. An important moment in her career, so it was about her enjoying those celebrations, but she’s a professional, she’s fit, she’s ready. “Maybe there is a question mark on her calf at the moment, towards the end of that final. “But she said to me straight away, ‘I’m ready, I want to play,’ so of course she’s available for selection.” An important two games ahead… 🎙️💬 pic.twitter.com/wT82s0pqn2— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) May 29, 2025 Ward also reflected on her tenure to date in the in-house FAI video. “Good. It’s difficult when you come in and it’s a new staff, new system, new way of doing things. The players have adapted brilliantly, as have the staff. Related Reads 'I am loving what I am doing' - Ireland boss Carla Ward recently turned down WSL job 'Exciting' Adelaide United attacker Erin Healy earns first Ireland international call-up “It’s been quite a together, tight-knit group, but (there’s) an understanding now we’re at the business end and focus needs to be at the highest, because these next games are the two that will ultimately put us, hopefully, in a position to get to where we need to be.” Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Carla Ward: Türkiye a 'must-win' as Ireland chase Nations League promotion”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Carla Ward: Türkiye a 'must-win' as Ireland chase Nations League promotion”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... 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