Ireland hand Hopcroft surprise call-up for Kazakhstan play-off
Carla Ward has handed a surprise Republic of Ireland call-up to Crystal Palace midfielder Shanade Hopcroft for the Women's World Cup play-off against Kazakhstan.
Hopcroft is 28 and England-born. She qualifies for Ireland through her grandmother, who was born in County Sligo. She came through the Chelsea academy and later played for Birmingham City and London City Lionesses before joining Palace in the top flight.
The news was reported by RTÉ on 29 September 2026 as Ward finalised her plans. Hopcroft is listed as a midfielder for Palace in a 25-player squad for the tie confirmed by the FAI.
The tie is Round 1 of the play-offs for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup. Ireland travel to Astana for the first leg on 9 October at 12:00 BST. They then host the return leg at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork on 13 October at 19:30.
It is a two-legged tie. That means one game away and one at home, with the side scoring more goals across both games going through to the next round.
Ireland will start that away leg short-handed. Captain Katie McCabe and midfielder Marissa Sheva are both suspended for the game in Kazakhstan. Denise O'Sullivan will also not travel with the squad for the opening leg, according to BBC Sport.
Injuries have cut deeper into Ward's options. Tara O'Hanlon is ruled out of both games with a hamstring injury. Saoirse Noonan misses both games with an ankle injury. Both players would have expected to be involved.
Ruesha Littlejohn is not in the squad and is currently without a club. There is better news around Heather Payne, who returns to the Ireland squad for the first time in a year and gives Ward extra cover for a demanding trip.
Ireland dropped into the play-offs after a painful finish to the group stage. They lost a winner-takes-all final qualifier to France in June and missed out on automatic qualification. Now they must beat Kazakhstan over two games to keep the campaign alive.
Win that tie and Poland or Belgium wait in the play-off final. Lose it and the road to 2027 ends here. The prize on offer is a return to football's biggest tournament.
Ireland made their Women's World Cup debut at the 2023 tournament in Australia. That summer gave supporters a first taste of the finals and a memory that still lifts the fanbase.
For fans, this means a new name to learn quickly and a familiar test of nerve. An away afternoon in Astana without the captain is tough. A night in Cork could decide everything.
