Northern Ireland Women's Football Team

Image source, Getty Images

Northern Ireland defender Ellie Mason said the side know the task which lies ahead of them in Tuesday's 2027 World Cup qualifier against Malta [19:00 BST].

Michael McArdle will take charge of NI for the first time as they aim to secure their first points of the qualifying campaign and boost their chances of a play-off spot for the 2027 tournament in Brazil.

Northern Ireland welcome Malta to Mourneview before travelling for the reverse fixture of the double-header on Saturday, 18 April.

"Michael brings a lot of experience in, so we are all really excited to get to know him and get out on the pitch," Mason told BBC Sport NI.

"It is always good to have someone come in with new experiences and challenges.

"We know how important these next two games are, so we are going to continue to train hard and go from there."

Mason started her international career representing Gibraltar before making the switch to Northern Ireland in 2022.

The versatile left-back plays her club football at Charlton Athletic and has made 15 appearances for NI so far.

"I am really happy with my decision," Mason replied when asked about her international switch.

"I have loved every minute since being here so any time putting the shirt on is a huge honour.

"Every player brings something different and new, so it is really exciting."

Andy Gray
BBC Sport NI Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Northern Ireland captain Jackie Burns says interim manager Kris Lindsay has given the players "something to build on" despite a 2-0 defeat in Switzerland in World Cup qualifying.

Riola Xhemaili opened the scoring in the 22nd minute from a corner and Northern Ireland, despite creating limited opportunities, frustrated the hosts.

However, their resolve was broken in injury time as Svenja Folmli scored from 20 yards to make sure the Swiss, who reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2025, started with an opening three points.

Lindsay will be in charge for at least the opening set of qualifiers after being named as interim manager to replace Tanya Oxtoby, who left her role in November.

Northern Ireland will look to bounce back at home to Turkey, who beat Malta 3-0 in their opener, on Saturday.

"It's something to build on and Kris has given us free rein. It's the belief and the bravery to go out and just play," Burns said.

"We're still in the building process and hopefully, come Saturday, it will be a better performance."

Burns was handed the armband in the absence of regular skipper Simone Magill, who announced her pregnancy in November.

The goalkeeper, who joined Bristol City in January, said it was "tough" to lose the game but "it was full of positives".

"We're disappointed that we've conceded two goals, but we put in a really solid performance from start to finish," Burns added.

"It was a performance that had been a long time coming and we defended for our lives, which really showed."