Galway United defender Lucy Jane Grant has been called up for the first time by Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
The Cavan native qualifies through her father for Michael McArdle’s side and will hope to get her first cap for the country when they take on Portugal in a two legged World Cup qualification play-off next week on the 9th and 13th of October. She joined Galway in 2024 from Athlone Town, making 19 appearances in all competitions in her first season and missing just two games last year as she played 26 times.<\/p>\n
So far this season Grant has also made 26 appearances scoring once in the league with her goal coming against Cork last month in a 3-2 win for United. Northern Ireland will be up against it in their play-off against Portugal, currently sitting 50th in FIFA’s world rankings, 28 places below their opponents. The nation has never qualified for the tournament, although they did make history by being the lowest ranked team to qualify for the European Championships back in 2022.<\/p>\n
If McArdle’s side do come through against Portugal they will face the winner of Croatia and Iceland in a final play-off for next year World Cup in Brazil. Northern Ireland are hoping to host some games at the 2035 Women\u2019s World Cup as part of the joint UK bid for the tournament, which is expected to be confirmed in November with the UK’s being the sole bid.<\/p>\n
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