March 7 – The Republic of Ireland will host champions England and Sweden at the 51,000-seater Aviva Stadium in their Women’s Euro 2025 qualifying group.
The Republic will shift from their usual venue in Tallaght to the Aviva for the upcoming clash against England and the subsequent home fixture against Sweden on May 31.
On Tuesday Ireland were drawn against France, England and Sweden – ranked third, fourth and fifth in the world rankings – while the Republic sit further down the list in 24th.
Head coach Eileen Gleeson is hopeful that the move to the Aviva will draw a substantial crowd for the matches against England and Sweden and give the Irish a vital boost.
“It is fantastic to have the opportunity to bring our fans back to the Aviva Stadium again and to hopefully attract many more new fans with the visit of England in April and Sweden in May,” she said.
The national team played their first home game at the Aviva Stadium in September 2023 and are looking to attract even bigger crowds.
“Football for women and girls has clearly moved a significant way forward in the last three years,” said FAI chief executive Jonathan Hill ahead of Ireland’s first fixture at the Aviva in 2023. “We are all very excited that another glass ceiling has been removed.”
Gleeson, who was appointed Republic boss in December after initially taking the job on an interim basis, said: “We wanted to be in League A, we’ve got the toughest draw we could possibly get. Everybody in the auditorium was hoping to avoid it.
“It is what it is. It’s basically a Euro semi-final for us in every single game.”
The Irish begin their campaign away to France on April 5 before returning to Dublin four days later to host England at the Aviva.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1714322965labto1714322965ofdlr1714322965owedi1714322965sni@g1714322965niwe.1714322965yrrah1714322965