The Republic of Ireland signed off their Euro 2025 qualifier campaign with a stirring 3-1 win against France on Tuesday evening.
The Girls in Green finished bottom of Group 3, but they always had the safety net of a guaranteed place in the play-offs thanks to an excellent UEFA Nations League showing that earned them promotion to League A.
Eileen Gleeson's side were neck and neck with Poland for the last seeded place in the play-offs prior to Tuesday's games. The Poles slipped to a 1-0 loss against Iceland at the same time Ireland turned over the French, rubber-stamping Ireland's seeded status for both the semi-finals and the final (should they get there) in the play-off series.
The draw takes place this Friday in Nyon from midday.
First up is the semis. They'll be played over two legs on Friday, 25 October and Tuesday, 29 October, with Ireland at home in the second leg.
POSSIBLE PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL OPPONENTS
(world ranking in brackets - Ireland are 25th)
Albania (73)
Belarus (55)
Georgia (119)
Greece (60)
Luxembourg (116)
Montenegro (85)
Romania (45)
Slovenia (40)
After that things are less clear. There's two pathways in the play-offs. Ireland are in Path 1, which sees teams ranked 9 to 16 (the League A countries) pitted against teams ranked 33 to 40 (League C).
In Path 2, which is the League B pathway, countries with a ranking of between 17 and 28 face off. The seeded teams in Path 2 are: Portugal, Scotland, Wales, Serbia, Ukraine and Northern Ireland. The unseeded teams are Turkey, Croatia, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia and Azerbaijan.
In the play-off finals, the teams from both paths come together and will be drawn into seven ties.
Ireland could face the winners of the semi-final involving unseeded League A team Poland, or any of the the winners of the other six semi-finals from Path 2.
The play-off final legs are on Friday, 29 November and Tuesday, 3 December.
POSSIBLE PLAY-OFF FINAL OPPONENTS
(world ranking in brackets)
Azerbaijan (75)
Bosnia and Herzegovina (62)
Croatia (56)
Hungary (43)
Northern Ireland (48)
Poland (32) OR one of Albania (73), Belarus (55), Georgia (119), Greece (60), Luxembourg (116), Montenegro (85), Romania (45), Slovenia (40)
Portugal (21)
Scotland (23)
Serbia (34)
Slovakia (50)
Turkey (61)
Ukraine (35)
Wales (31)
Euro 2025 play-off semi-final
First leg: Friday, 25 October
Second leg: Tuesday, 29 October
Euro 2025 play-off final
First leg: Friday 29, November
Second leg: Tuesday, 3 December
Euro 2025 finals draw
Monday, 16 December, Lausanne, Switzerland
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