Pauw preparation begins right now

IRELAND’S preparations and planning for their first World Cup will begin in earnest immediately after next Saturday morning´’s draw in New Zealand.

Vera Pauw will lead an FAI delegation to Auckland where Ireland’s highest-ever FIFA ranking of 24 means they will be third seeds for the tournament. Once they know who they will face in the group, they can start discussions with nations for prospective friendlies.

Pauw will have four international camps with her players between now and their first World Cup match – next month, in February and April next year while they will also have at least 10 days together before the tournament itself. According to the FIFA international calendar, teams have the opportunity to play two games in those windows, but that will depend on getting the right opponent.

Following the failure to qualify for the European Championships, Pauw insisted that Ireland only played friendlies against higher-ranked nations, which did lead to a string of defeats. However, the benefits of those matches were clear to see over the course of this campaign. Iceland, Belgium and Austria all failed to qualify but are currently ranked higher than Ireland, so they may be viewed as possible opponents for friendlies over the next three camps.

Given how meticulous Pauw is in her planning, she is likely to be looking at possible opponents already, although the type of games that Ireland will seek will be dictated by who comes out of the draw. The manager did hint last Wednesday about playing a top nation, possibly England, at the Aviva a little closer to the tournament while she also broached the prospect of taking the team around the country to play matches as there will be construction work on the new stand at Tallaght Stadium.

With three camps before she names her World Cup squad, there will also be the opportunity to see some new faces and perhaps, capitalise on the grandparent rule as they have done most recently with Lily Agg, who has been an excellent addition to the Irelandmidfield.

It is believed Ireland, along with all the other qualifiers, will be awarded €1.2 million by FIFA for qualifying while there will be plenty of potential for players to supplement their earnings through sponsorship and personal endorsements.

The FAI will also need to start working out the logistics of bringing a squad – and all the operational staff – to a World Cup on the other side of the world. The search will also begin for a site for their pre-tournament training camp. A certain small island in the Pacific is likely to be avoided.