Ireland edge Poland in tight World Cup qualifier 2026

Ireland secured a crucial 1-0 win over Poland to take control of Group A2 in World Cup qualifying.

Ward praises Irish grit Republic of Ireland head coach Carla Ward described her side’s latest victory as a true ‘proper Irish performance’ after they claimed a hard-fought 1-0 win against Poland in World Cup qualifying. Marissa Sheva struck the only goal of the match in the opening half at the Aviva Stadium, giving Ward’s players their second win over the same opponents inside a week. This result places Ireland in a strong position to finish third in Group A2, potentially setting up a more favorable playoff path ahead of the 2026 tournament in Brazil. Ward shared her thoughts with a broadcaster, saying: ‘I’m incredibly proud of this group in this camp. I spoke to them this morning because it’s always tough to face the same opponent twice.’ She added, ‘This group, they are an absolute joy to work with and that was a proper Irish performance. The last 20 minutes, we’ve been conceding opportunities and we wanted to make sure that didn’t happen. There’s so much to come from them and this performance is absolutely huge.’ ## O'Sullivan highlights team spirit Midfielder Denise O’Sullivan, who almost doubled her side’s lead in the second half with a powerful volley that rattled the crossbar, echoed Ward’s pride in their resilient display. Ireland again managed to neutralize Poland’s Barcelona and Poland captain Ewa Pajor, following close challenges against the Netherlands and France earlier. O’Sullivan told a broadcaster: ‘We knew Poland would come out with something different and they were a bit more aggressive with their full-backs and were a bit more tight in midfield, their winger came in and marked me but all round, amazing performance.’ She continued, ‘If you look, everyone turned up at the Aviva and stuck together. That is what we are about and I think this group has something special. We have a lot more to give, this team has really improved. We are improving every camp and we’ll look for points against Netherlands and France.’ O’Sullivan also marked her 131st appearance for Ireland during the Dublin victory.