The next phase of preparations for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will see the Republic of Ireland take on China PR in an International Friendly.
Following on from last November’s international camp in Marbella, Spain—where Ireland beat Morocco 4-0—the squad will return to the same location for a 10-day stretch that will will conclude with a first ever meeting with China PR on Wednesday, February 22 in the Estadio Nuevo Mirador.
World Cup runners-up in 1999, China PR are currently 14th in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings and last year won the AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the ninth time to qualify for this summer’s World Cup. The game will kick off in early afternoon due to the time difference of it being shown in China.
Ireland WNT Manager Vera Pauw said: “It is vital to our preparations for the World Cup that we make the most of every opportunity that we have together as a squad because we only have three international windows left before that tournament starts in July. This training camp will be key to those preparations.
“China are a technically very good team who will be different from the type of teams we have come up against before. Playing against them gives us the chance to experience the pressure of international football against a highly skilled opponent.
"All of our players are fit and ready for this game after a really good week training. We also had a tough game against Germany behind closed doors, which allowed us to use 26 of the 27 players here in camp with us and that was a very good exercise for us.
"We expect a very tough game against China. We expect them to put us under pressure, which is why we have chosen to play against this type of opponent. It is also an opportunity for us to make the next step in our attacking play."
The game will be broadcast from on RTÉ NewsNow channel with kick off at 1pm.
Ireland will also have international camps in April and July before departing for the World Cup tournament.
International Friendly
China v Republic of Ireland
Wednesday, February 22
KO 14:00 (13:00 Irish Time)
Estadio Nuevo Mirador
#CHNIRL
