Ireland last played at the Aviva in October, defeating Belgium 4-2. Ryan Byrne/INPHO

Ireland's April qualifier with Poland to take place at Aviva Stadium

It will be women’s national team’s sixth time playing at Lansdowne Road.

THE REPUBLIC OF Ireland women’s team will return to the Aviva Stadium for their home World Cup qualifier against Poland on 18 April.

It will be the sixth time the women’s national team have played at Lansdowne Road, with opposition Poland being Ireland’s likely rivals for a targeted third-placed finish in a tough group that also includes France and the Netherlands.

While Tuesday night’s home fixture with the French might have been the more marketable game to move to the Aviva — almost 19,000 turned up for the sides’ European qualifier at Páirc Uí Chaoimh two years ago — the men’s rugby team’s upcoming home Six Nations fixture against Wales this Friday night meant it unfeasible for Carla Ward’s side to open their World Cup qualification campaign at the national stadium.

Ireland boss Ward also last month insisted that she pushed for Tuesday’s meeting with France, which transpired to be a galling 2-1 defeat, to take place at Tallaght Stadium, citing its smaller pitch.

Just over 14,000 people attended Ireland’s most recent Aviva fixture, the Nations League promotion/relegation play-off first leg against Belgium in October, in which Ireland recorded a 4-2 victory. Tuesday night’s attendance of 8,218, meanwhile, set a new record for the women’s national team at Tallaght Stadium.

Ireland’s aggregate success over Belgium meant that they were placed as fourth seeds into a difficult World Cup qualification group, but it also secured them the safety net of a play-off to reach Brazil 2027 irrespective of the outcome of their group.

Ward’s side will face the Netherlands in Utrecht in their second qualifier on Saturday night.

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