KATIE MCCABE COULD face a gruelling 34,000km round trip to Australia days out from Ireland’s Euro 2025 qualifier against Sweden at the Aviva Stadium.
McCabe’s club Arsenal have announced an historic end-of-season exhibition match in Melbourne on Friday 24 May. They will play an A-League All-Stars Women’s team at Marvel Stadium, with Newcastle United facing an A-League All-Stars Men’s team on the same billing.
A week later, on Friday 31 May, Ireland welcome Sweden to Lansdowne Road for their third Euro 2025 qualifier.
Arsenal Women in Australia 🇦🇺
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) March 18, 2024
We will be playing a post-season fixture against the A League Allstars in May ✨
See you soon, Melbourne 👋
The Girls In Green, captained by McCabe, play the Swedes away in the same international window. The return tie, on Tuesday 4 June, is expected to be played in Gothenburg.
Arsenal finish their Women’s Super League season on 18 May.
There has been quite a lot of noise on social media around this fixture with concerns raised about scheduling ahead of a hectic international window — and after another action-packed season.
Stina Blackstenius is among Arsenal’s Swedish players, while Leah Williamson heads up the English contingent. They play France in the same group.
McCabe recently spoke out on the need for fixture congestion issues to be addressed.
“I think for us to be playing at our best and to be giving those record crowds good games to watch we need to be fresh,” the Dubliner said.
“With the Fifa window, and obviously the Euro qualifiers window, it’s incredible how they’ve moved an international camp in the middle of summer and thinking that was a good idea.
“It’s difficult. Obviously we are footballers, we want to be able to play the games, but we also want to feel that freshness going into it as well. It’s really difficult for us, but we obviously need to keep going.
“Unfortunately it’s not in our power as players, we want the governing bodies to listen to us and to make sure there’s change with that as well, because it’s not going to be solved in the way it’s being solved right now.”
The FAI did not comment on the matter when contacted by The 42.
England manager Gareth Southgate is also facing the unwelcome prospect of some potential members of his Euro 2024 squad flying halfway across the world for a post-season friendly.
Tottenham and Newcastle will face each other at Melbourne Cricket Ground on 22 May immediately after their final Premier League game of the season on 19 May.
- Additional reporting from Press Association
