UEFA Euro 2025 qualifiers: France v Ireland AYNTK

FRIDAY

France v Republic of Ireland, Saint-Smyphorien Stadium, Metz, 8.10pm (Irish time)

ONLINE

Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app

TV

Watch France v Republic of Ireland in Euro 2025 qualifying from 7.35pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player

RADIO

Listen to commentary on 2fm's Game On

Top table feast of football for Ireland women’s team

Careful what you wish for, some might say, and it rings true for the Ireland women’s national team as they embark on a daunting journey through the League A European qualifiers.

Drawn in a group against some of the toughest teams in Europe – League A contains the top 16 ranked sides by UEFA – Eileen Gleeson’s squad are currently 25th in the FIFA standings, and they have been tasked with a mammouth mountain to climb as they encounter first France – ranked third in the world – followed by the English, second in world, and then Sweden, who are currently sitting just outside the top five in sixth spot.

And while Ireland have been handed a particularly challenging test, it's the only real downside of securing promotion to League A, the top tier.

Realistically, Ireland have little chance of securing an automatic qualification spot from their four-team group, with just the top two qualifying for the 2025 tournament in Switzerland.

However, the eight teams that do not qualify by that route head into the play-offs with an excellent chance of making it to the Euros. Should Ireland take that avenue, they will have to play a League C team in the first round of play-offs followed by, most likely, one of the League B sides.

Ireland will need to be one of the top seven ranked going into the playoffs or else they could face a League A side in the second play-off round.

For that reason, Ireland will be