Matildas’ WWC rivals Ireland urged to ‘outbelieve’

Rachel Steinberg | July 13, 2023

Republic of Ireland manager Vera Pauw is working on the delicate balance between accepting her World Cup debutants’ underdog status and daring them to “outbelieve” they have what it takes to go deep.

Known as the ‘Girls in Green’, Ireland open their tournament on July 20 against co-hosts Australia at Sydney’s Stadium Australia.

To advance to the knockouts, Pauw’s side – ranked 22nd in the world – will need to finish second in a group that includes the world No.7 and Olympic champions Canada as well as the Matildas, ranked No.10, and Nigeria.

“Something proves only to be impossible the moment it shows to be impossible, and that is our slogan,” Pauw said at an open training session in front of Irish fans at Brisbane’s Meakin Park on Wednesday.

“We get everything out of ourselves, we prepare the best we can. We have a fantastic program to prepare ourselves, and we give our all. 

“But we need to be realistic. It’s our first World Cup. We do not have as many players … but we have a fantastic group with a heart for Ireland.

“That is immense. We stick together. We’re a team. 

“We work for each other and we give ourselves for each other. That is our biggest strength.”

Pauw confirmed her squad was fully fit, including captain Katie McCabe – an Arsenal club-mate of Matildas Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley – who gave supporters a scare when she tweaked her ankle in a friendly against France last week.

The reality of a first World Cup is in many ways still sinking in for Ireland but the support seems to be popping up at every turn since Pauw’s squad landed in Australia, where 80,927 Ireland-born people were recorded in the 2021 census and many more consider themselves to have Irish heritage.

“It feels especially real because we’ve met so many Irish people,” Pauw said. 

“The whole of Dublin was with our billboards and our slogan ‘outbelieve’.

“We do outbelieve. We do outbelieve we can do something. 

“We know where we stand, we know that we are the underdogs. 

“We’re 22 in the world-ranking list and we’re improving, but we know we have to be realistic.”