Northern Ireland’s Women’s World Cup qualification campaign begins Tuesday with a challenging match against Switzerland, as the team aims to secure early points under interim manager Kris Lindsay.
Long-serving midfielder Nadene Caldwell emphasized the importance of a strong start to the qualifying series, stating the team is “keen to get some early points on the board” and “build up a bit of momentum.” The squad will then return to Northern Ireland to face Turkey at Mourneview Park on Saturday.
The qualification series continues in April with home and away fixtures against Malta, followed by further matches against Turkey and Switzerland, according to the BBC.
Caldwell acknowledged the difficulty of the group, particularly the opening match against Switzerland, but expressed confidence in the team’s ability to compete. “This is going to be a remarkably tough group and for us that starts against Switzerland, before our full focus will turn to Turkey,” she told BBC Sport NI. “The main thing for us is that we’re getting competitive games and you can measure yourself against the best players in the world. That can only make you better as a player.”
She added that while Switzerland are the top seeds, the pressure rests primarily on their shoulders. “Switzerland, top seeds away from home…a difficult fixture but I would say the pressure is all on them. They’re top seeds and we know we’re going to have to absorb a lot of pressure at times.”
Lindsay took over the managerial role following a search for a permanent successor to Tanya Oxtoby, according to the Belfast Telegraph. He has made five changes to the squad for these initial qualifiers.
Caldwell stressed the importance of maintaining a positive approach and learning from each game. “Take the positives from one game and move onto the next, and hopefully People can go on a good run.”
