Lurgan’s Mourneview Park will host Northern Ireland’s first home FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 qualifier, it was announced today.
The match against Turkiye is due to be staged at the home of Glenavon FC on Saturday 7 March (7pm kick-off).
Former Glenavon player and first team coach Kris Lindsay will manage the Northern Ireland senior women’s team in their opening two games in the European qualifiers for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.
Lindsay has been appointed to the role of manager on an interim basis while the Irish Football Association seeks a permanent successor to Tanya Oxtoby, who stepped down in November.
Northern Ireland are set to face Switzerland, Turkiye and Malta in stage one of the European qualifiers for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in Brazil.
Lindsay will be in charge of the team for their League B Group 2 opener against group top seeds Switzerland away on Tuesday 3 March, followed by the game against Turkiye in Lurgan on 7 March.
Northern Ireland are second seeds in the group, while Turkiye are third seeds.
The senior women’s team last played at Mourneview Park in June 2024 – in a UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 qualifier against Portugal (pictured).
Tickets for next month’s game at Mourneview will be on sale soon.
In qualifying, as per the league stage of the UEFA Nations League, teams compete in groups of four or three (League C) and over six matchdays between February and June 2026, with each team playing one home match and one away match against all the other teams in their group.
For qualifying itself, the winners of each of the four League A groups will gain automatic places in Brazil. The remaining seven direct spots in Brazil, and a further berth in the inter-confederation play-offs in February 2027, will be decided by two rounds of play-offs in October and November/December 2026.
Round 1 of the play-offs is in two paths.
In Path 1 the teams finishing second and third in League A groups will play the six group winners and two best-ranked runners-up in League C.
The teams from League A will be seeded and play the second legs at home. The eight winners progress to Round 2.
In Path 2 the four fourth-placed League A teams and four League B group winners will be drawn into eight ties against the teams finishing second and third in the League B groups.
The teams from League A and the League B group winners will be seeded and play the second legs at home. The eight winners progress to Round 2.
In Round 2 the teams from both paths come together and will be drawn into eight ties, with seeding for the Round 1 Path 1 winners, who will be at home in the second leg.
The seven best-ranked Round 2 play-off winners according to the 2026 Women’s European Qualifiers overall league rankings qualify directly for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup. The one remaining Round 2 play-off winner qualifies for the World Cup inter-confederation play-offs. The European contenders will directly enter the inter-confederation play-offs in the second phase in February 2027.
Promotion and relegation will also be at stake ahead of the next UEFA Women's Nations League, beginning the 2027-29 competition cycle, leading to UEFA Women's Euro 2029.
