The “realistic aim” is to finish no worse than third place — and the Ireland head coach is not ruling out second.
Meanwhile, Ward says her “opinion might be different to other people’s opinions” in terms of home venues for the blockbuster games in March, April and June 2026.
The Girls In Green have alternated between Aviva Stadium and Tallaght Stadium in recent times, while they beat France 3-1 on their Páirc Uí Chaoimh debut.
Asked about her preferred venue choices by The 42, Ward said: “There’s going to be some talks now. I have a very clear idea of what I want to present, I would suggest that we’ve got some good options.
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“We loved playing at the Aviva, the noise there. I mean down in Cork, I said it after the game, one of the best atmospheres certainly I’ve felt. So there’s going to be conversations for sure.
“Interestingly, my opinion might be different to other people’s opinions. My focus is on trying to get points and win games. And that will dictate where I suggest we play certain teams, not just what’s going to sell. So that’s going to be really important. And that’s going to be my recommendation.”
Ward was relatively pleased with the draw, especially given the fact that Ireland avoided the ‘Group of Death’ with reigning world and European champions Spain and England.
“We didn’t want (Group A3), did we? So, when we got (A2), we were happy.
“Originally I was thinking England and even this morning I was talking to my daughter on the school run and she was adamant that we were getting England. Then I started to think, maybe not. I think this is certainly a better draw than England and Spain.
“But there is no easy group. We’re in League A, it’s called League A for a reason. We’re talking about the best teams in Europe.”
“We have to look at all three nations,” she added, with the group winners qualifying automatically for Brazil 2027 and more favourable playoff routes on offer for higher finishers.
“We’ll look at their strengths and weaknesses. We’ll look at potentially what we might need to get to ensure that we finish second or third. Let’s be realistic, the aim is third minimum. That’s what we want to try and achieve.”
Katie McCabe after Ireland's Nations League promotion/relegation playoff win over Belgium. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Later asked if the Netherlands are ‘beatable’ and if second place is realistic, Ward answered: “I think France are beatable, I think all these teams are. I don’t think it’s necessarily the target’s third. We want to target as many points as possible.
“I think it’s more a reality of understanding we’re coming up against some really top sides. Third, at minimum, would get us a better (playoff) route than fourth and also continue our status [in League A]. It will get us in a better position for the following Nations League campaign.”
Ward offered further assessment of France, Netherlands and Poland, ranked sixth, 11th and 26th in the world, compared to Ireland in 27th.
“France are a team I’ve admired for many years. Arjan (Veurink) has just gone in with the Netherlands, and the job that he’s done alongside Sarina (Wiegman) for England has been sensational so he’s well-equipped. He’s got a winning mentality.
“I think what we’ll see is probably a better Netherlands than we’ve seen over the last period, I would say. And France, we know that they’ve got world-class players and they’re going to be tough.
“Poland are a good side, they’ve shown that recently, beating Wales 5-2 and drawing against the Netherlands. They’ve got calibre. They’ve got a grit, a willingness. It will be tough. All of those games will be tough, but I think we can play and compete against anybody.”
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Ward aims high in Ireland's World Cup qualifying group - and looks to home comforts
“THIS IS NOT the worst draw, is it?”
So says Carla Ward, as she lays out the ambitions in a 2027 World Cup qualifying group with France, Netherlands and Poland.
The “realistic aim” is to finish no worse than third place — and the Ireland head coach is not ruling out second.
Meanwhile, Ward says her “opinion might be different to other people’s opinions” in terms of home venues for the blockbuster games in March, April and June 2026.
The Girls In Green have alternated between Aviva Stadium and Tallaght Stadium in recent times, while they beat France 3-1 on their Páirc Uí Chaoimh debut.
Asked about her preferred venue choices by The 42, Ward said: “There’s going to be some talks now. I have a very clear idea of what I want to present, I would suggest that we’ve got some good options.
“We loved playing at the Aviva, the noise there. I mean down in Cork, I said it after the game, one of the best atmospheres certainly I’ve felt. So there’s going to be conversations for sure.
“Interestingly, my opinion might be different to other people’s opinions. My focus is on trying to get points and win games. And that will dictate where I suggest we play certain teams, not just what’s going to sell. So that’s going to be really important. And that’s going to be my recommendation.”
Ward was relatively pleased with the draw, especially given the fact that Ireland avoided the ‘Group of Death’ with reigning world and European champions Spain and England.
“We didn’t want (Group A3), did we? So, when we got (A2), we were happy.
“Originally I was thinking England and even this morning I was talking to my daughter on the school run and she was adamant that we were getting England. Then I started to think, maybe not. I think this is certainly a better draw than England and Spain.
“But there is no easy group. We’re in League A, it’s called League A for a reason. We’re talking about the best teams in Europe.”
“We have to look at all three nations,” she added, with the group winners qualifying automatically for Brazil 2027 and more favourable playoff routes on offer for higher finishers.
“We’ll look at their strengths and weaknesses. We’ll look at potentially what we might need to get to ensure that we finish second or third. Let’s be realistic, the aim is third minimum. That’s what we want to try and achieve.”
Later asked if the Netherlands are ‘beatable’ and if second place is realistic, Ward answered: “I think France are beatable, I think all these teams are. I don’t think it’s necessarily the target’s third. We want to target as many points as possible.
“I think it’s more a reality of understanding we’re coming up against some really top sides. Third, at minimum, would get us a better (playoff) route than fourth and also continue our status [in League A]. It will get us in a better position for the following Nations League campaign.”
Ward offered further assessment of France, Netherlands and Poland, ranked sixth, 11th and 26th in the world, compared to Ireland in 27th.
“France are a team I’ve admired for many years. Arjan (Veurink) has just gone in with the Netherlands, and the job that he’s done alongside Sarina (Wiegman) for England has been sensational so he’s well-equipped. He’s got a winning mentality.
“I think what we’ll see is probably a better Netherlands than we’ve seen over the last period, I would say. And France, we know that they’ve got world-class players and they’re going to be tough.
“Poland are a good side, they’ve shown that recently, beating Wales 5-2 and drawing against the Netherlands. They’ve got calibre. They’ve got a grit, a willingness. It will be tough. All of those games will be tough, but I think we can play and compete against anybody.”
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Carla Ward Ireland WNT Reaction