Michael McArdle says Northern Ireland are ready to adapt in Portugal World Cup play-off

Northern Ireland manager Michael McArdle says his team have prepared to adapt under play-off pressure before hosting Portugal at Inver Park on Friday, 9 October, in the first leg of their 2027 Women’s World Cup qualifying tie. The match begins a route that would require Northern Ireland to win two rounds of European play-offs to have a chance of reaching the tournament in Brazil.

Speaking to the Guardian ahead of the match, McArdle said he had deliberately avoided imposing a single formation or style. His approach reflects what he sees as the demands on a smaller national team facing stronger opponents. It will be tested first against a Portugal side that won its League B qualifying group, while Northern Ireland finished third in theirs.

How Northern Ireland prepared for Portugal

McArdle took charge in March. Northern Ireland won twice against Malta in April, then lost 2-1 to Switzerland and Turkey in June. He described that sequence as part of preparing the players for a play-off, saying the tougher matches offered lessons even without a winning result. His aim, he told the Guardian, is to make the team capable of competing regularly at a higher level, rather than treating one qualifying campaign as the only measure of progress.

His route into the job included coaching posts at Falkirk, St Mirren and Ayr United, work with Scotland’s women’s Under-23 side and a role overseeing elite women’s football at the Scottish FA. He told the Guardian he spent seven and a half years working in construction while playing semi-professional football and studying building services engineering. He said committing to coaching involved taking what he described as ‘probably a 300% drop in salary’.

Who is in Northern Ireland’s play-off squad

The Irish FA named a 23-player squad for the Portugal fixtures, including five new faces. Kess Elmore and Lucy-Jayne Grant were first-time call-ups, while Charlotte Havern, Naomi McLaughlin and Jane McMaster had previously represented Northern Ireland at youth level. The association said Nadene Caldwell, Megan Bell, Joely Andrews, Danielle Maxwell and Kelsie Burrows missed selection because of injuries.

The two sides have met seven times, according to the Irish FA: Portugal have won five and Northern Ireland two. Portugal also won both meetings in their 2024 European Championship qualifying campaign, 4-0 in Leiria and 2-1 in the return match. Those results describe the teams’ previous meetings; Friday’s match and the return leg remain to be played.

What Northern Ireland need to reach the 2027 World Cup

The return leg is scheduled for 13 October in Portimão, Portugal. If Northern Ireland win the two-legged tie, they will face Croatia or Iceland in the second round, scheduled between 26 November and 5 December. Winning against Portugal alone would therefore secure another play-off, rather than a World Cup berth. The Irish FA says eight teams will progress from the first round to the second.

The qualification rules add another condition. The Irish FA says seven of the eight second-round winners will qualify directly for Brazil, based on overall league rankings. The remaining winner will enter inter-confederation play-offs in February 2027. Northern Ireland have never appeared at a Women’s World Cup, although they qualified for Euro 2022. McArdle called the potential path to Brazil a ‘movie script’ and spoke of six history-making results still being needed. That was his assessment of the challenge, not a prediction that the team will qualify.