Ward says World Cup is her only focus ahead of Astana play-off despite Villa links

Republic of Ireland manager Carla Ward said ahead of the Women's World Cup play-off first leg at the Astana Arena on Friday, 9 October, that her attention is fixed on qualifying for next summer's finals in Brazil and not on reported links to her former club Aston Villa.

Ward, whose contract is due to expire in 2027, replaced Eileen Gleeson in January 2025 and has been mentioned as a candidate for the vacant Aston Villa post, but she reiterated that leading Ireland to the World Cup is her primary aim; the path to Brazil begins with a tie against Kazakhstan and, if they progress, a two-legged final against either Belgium or Poland.

Commenting on the speculation, Ward said: "Nothing is tempting when I'm in this job, you know I love this job and I love working here." She added: "I don't think anything can take my attention away from these next four games so it's not a conversation and it's not anything I would entertain." Ward also stated: "My heart and my focus, I came here to try and get to a World Cup and that's all I'm going to think about for the next four games."

The Republic of Ireland made history by qualifying for the World Cup in 2023 for the first time, but they did not advance from their group after defeats by co-hosts Australia and Canada and a draw with Nigeria; Ward said she has a chance to lead the team back to the tournament three years on.

The play-off begins with a trip to the Astana Arena on Friday, 9 October (12:00 BST) with the return fixture in Cork four days later; the Republic are unbeaten at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, while Kazakhstan sit 98th in the world. Ward warned: "We have to go up another level, we have to make sure that we're performing, and we're focused at the highest level." She added: "If we do that then we'll get the job done. We've got an unbelievable squad that are hugely talented and they will look after each other."

Ward must cope without several regulars for the first leg: captain Katie McCabe and Marissa Sheva are suspended, Denise O'Sullivan is unavailable, Tara O'Hanlon is out with a hamstring injury and Saoirse Noonan has been ruled out of both games with an ankle problem; Crystal Palace midfielder Shanade Hopcroft has been called into the squad for the first time. On squad changes and leadership, Ward said: "No matter who plays, naturally when you take the likes of Katie and Denise out of your team, they're two big leaders but that's an opportunity for players to step up. "Katie's here for a reason, she's got a big part to play off the pitch, and she will and she'll lead the group as she normally does. "Then it'll be over to those that go out there and I have full belief in every single one of this group to go and get the job done."

If the Republic of Ireland get past Kazakhstan, they will meet either Belgium or Poland in a two-legged final for a place at next summer's World Cup in Brazil.