All You Need To Know: Ireland v Iceland

The Ireland WNT play their first FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifier this evening against Iceland in the National Basketball Arena, Dublin at 19:00 Irish time, with live coverage on the TG4 Player and app, as well as the FIBA YouTube Channel.  

COMPETITION FORMAT 

Ireland, who are currently ranked 79th in the world, have been drawn into Group A of the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers alongside Switzerland (49th), Iceland (66th) and Azerbaijan (94th).  

It is a difficult group for the Irish side, who overcame number 29 in the FIBA World Rankings, Bosnia and Herzegovina, twice in the previous campaign. Switzerland and Iceland are the toughest opponents Ireland could have drawn from pot one and pot two respectively and while Azerbaijan have failed to win a game in their last qualification campaign, their head coach elected to field a very young squad containing mostly teenagers, so they will prove an unknown quantity with the potential addition of some high calibre players. 

One team will advance from each group to the second round, with the games being played across two windows in November 2026 and February 2027. 

WATCH 

The game will be broadcast live on the TG4 Player and will also be broadcast live on the FIBA YouTube Channell. 

TG4 Player

FIBA YouTube Channell

SQUAD NEWS 

The squad features four potential debutants – Aoibheann Donnelly, Katie O’Sullivan, Katie Williamson and Lucy Coogan - while Ella O’Donnell is in line for her first FIBA Women’s EuroBasket appearance, having made her debut in a friendly against Latvia in August 2022.  

Three of the squad are plying their trade in the SLB, Ella O’Donnell joined Manchester Basketball this season after her four-year stint with Quinnipiac and has helped herself to 36 points across five championship games so far this season. Lucy Coogan, is also in her first season with Essex Rebels after finishing up with Caldwell University, she’s picked up 39 points and 14 rebounds in her opening five games. Completing the trio is forward Maura Fitzpatrick, who is in her second season with Caledonia Gladiators. 

OPPOSITION VIEW 

It will be Ireland’s first meeting with Iceland since 2009, where the Icelandic side came away 77-68 winners on their home court. Iceland took two of the previous contests in 2007 and 2006, winning 67-62 and 68-56, but it was Ireland who claimed a 68-59 victory in 2008. 

The visitors failed to advance to the second round of the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2029 Qualifiers, after winning one game in Group G alongside Serbia and Portugal. Their leading scorer from the qualifiers was Sara Run Hinriksdóttir, who clocked up 65 points over four games.  

IRELAND WOMEN’S TEAM ROSTER 

Edel Thornton (Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell), Ella O’Donnell (Manchester Basketball, England), Emer Dunne (Career Decisions UCC Glanmire), Enya Maguire (KK Studio Zagreb, Croatia), Hazel Finn (Trinity Meteors), Katie Williamson (FloMAX Liffey Celtics), Lucy Coogan (Essex Rebels, England), Maura Fitzpatrick (Caledonia Gladiators), Michelle Clarke (Killester), Sarah Hickey (SETU Waterford Wildcats), Aoibheann Donnelly (Cleveland Rockets), Caitlin Gloeckner (Cleveland Rockets), Katie O’Sullivan (VSC Cavan Eagles)