Getting to a World Cup Finals is a massive achievement and is never going to be easy, though the path that the Republic of Ireland might yet face even if winning tonight in Scotland might not yet be a straightforward one.
There are three play-offs taking place tonight, the Republic of Ireland against Scotland, Portugal against Iceland and Switzerland against Wales. The kicker is that only two of tonight’s winners will secure a guaranteed place in Australia and New Zealand next year.
The determining factor of making two from three will be the performance in the group stage and tonight’s qualifiers.
Based on this Ireland currently lie behind Switzerland and Iceland, so apart from a win for the Girls in Green we also want either Portugal or Wales to do us a favour by winning as well, just to be sure, to be sure.
It could yet be that it would be determined on goal difference, again including tonight’s games, if either of theirs goes to a penalty shootout.
If the best of times happens for us in Glasgow, but Iceland and Switzerland also win, then Vera Pauw and her team will be heading down under in February for a final repechage tournament where three countries from around the world will complete the World Cup Finals line up.
We would be the top seeds ahead of Cameroon, Chile, Chinese Taipei, Haiti, Panama, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, Senegal and Thailand but that’s a bridge we will have to cross should the fates decide that is our pathway.
First things first though and Glasgow tonight. A win, preferably in 90 minutes but after extra time or penalties if that is what is needed, and then we can look around the rest of Europe to see if there is one more twist in the road…
