Courtney Brosnan captains Ireland as Jamie Finn starts World Cup play-off in Kazakhstan

Courtney Brosnan will captain the Republic of Ireland against Kazakhstan in Astana on Friday, 9 October, after head coach Carla Ward named Jamie Finn for her first start under her. The noon Irish-time match is the first leg of a Women’s World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final, and Ireland must navigate it without four established options.

RTÉ’s matchday team announcement confirms Brosnan in goal and Finn in midfield. Katie McCabe and Marissa Sheva are suspended, Denise O’Sullivan has been rested to manage her load, and Jess Ziu aggravated a shin injury during the week. Those absences have shaped both the captaincy and Ward’s selection for the away leg.

Why Brosnan has the Ireland captaincy

Brosnan takes the armband with usual captain McCabe suspended and vice-captain O’Sullivan absent. It is a role she has held before: RTÉ says the goalkeeper captained Ireland against the United States in June 2025, when she marked her 50th international appearance. Friday’s appointment therefore puts an experienced member of the side in charge for the opening match of a two-leg tie.

The Irish Times reported ahead of the game that O’Sullivan has a problematic knee and is being rested until the return fixture in Cork on Tuesday. That is the stated plan, rather than a confirmation that she will be fit to play. McCabe and Sheva’s suspensions and Ziu’s injury leave Ward with fewer familiar choices for this first leg.

Jamie Finn’s first start under Carla Ward

In its pre-match preview, The Irish Times had discussed Hopcroft as a possible option and listed a possible XI. The later team announcement from RTÉ confirms Finn’s place. The distinction matters because Ward’s actual selection, rather than the earlier projection, is the team due to face Kazakhstan in Astana.

RTÉ lists Emily Murphy and Kyra Carusa in the attacking line, with Connolly, Finn and Larkin behind them. Aoife Mannion and Chloe Mustaki are named in the wing-back positions, and Jessie Stapleton joins Caitlin Hayes and Anna Patten in central defence. Brosnan completes the starting XI in goal.

What is at stake in Kazakhstan and Cork

Friday’s match opens the two-leg play-off semi-final. The teams are scheduled to meet again on Tuesday at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork. RTÉ gives Ireland a world ranking of 21st and Kazakhstan 98th, figures also cited by The Irish Times. That gap describes their standing before the tie; it does not settle either match.

Ward addressed the challenge before the lineup was named. Asked about replacing absent players, she told RTÉ, in remarks quoted by The Irish Times, that Ireland would prepare for Kazakhstan as for any other opponent because this was the business end of World Cup qualifying. She also said Larkin had been in form and performed whenever she wore the Ireland shirt.

Kazakhstan’s named team includes goalkeeper Nazym Ismailova and captain Yulia Myasnikova. RTÉ also lists Alexandra Burova, Bibigul Nurusheva, Anastassiya Vlassova, Yekaterina Babshuk, Anastassiya Nizamutdinova, Karina Zhumabaikyzy, Aida Gaistenova, Amina Bibossynova and Asselkhan Turlybekova. Naming both teams establishes the starting point for Friday’s contest, with no result yet established by these pre-match reports.

The Irish Times reports that the winner’s next play-off round is scheduled between 26 November and 5 December, with Poland and Belgium meeting in the other semi-final. For Ireland, the immediate task is the first leg in Astana and then the return in Cork. The announced side shows how Ward has dealt with Friday’s absences; whether O’Sullivan can return on Tuesday remains unconfirmed.