Northern Ireland women's team to play three friendlies in Spain in February
- Published
NI Women will compete in the Euro 2022 tournament in July
Northern Ireland will play three friendly matches in Spain in February as part of a 10-day training camp as they continue their preparation for World Cup 2023 qualifiers in April.
Kenny Shiels' side will face the Faroe Islands on 17 February, Switzerland three days later and Romania on 23 February at the Marbella Football Centre on the Costa del Sol.
The camp will take place from 14-23 February at a venue which is widely used for training camps by the world's top club sides and national teams.
The Swiss and Romanians are both ranked higher in the world than Northern Ireland, who rose up the women's rankings a couple of places to 46th in the latest list, which was published last month.
The first game in Spain, against Faroe Islands, is scheduled to be played on Thursday 17 February with a 15:00 GMT kick-off. The Faroese, whom Northern Ireland faced in the qualifiers for this summer's Women's Euros, are currently ranked 99th in the world.
Game two will see Shiels' side take on Switzerland on Sunday 20 February (11:00 GMT). Like Northern Ireland, the Swiss will be competing at Women's Euro 2022. Their global ranking is 17th.
The Romanians are ranked 42nd in the world and missed out on an appearance at the Euros when finishing third in their qualifying group behind Belgium and Switzerland. The game against Romania takes place in Marbella on Wednesday 23 February, 11:00 GMT.
Training camp 'ideal preparation'
Northern Ireland-based players in Shiels' squad - 22 in total - have begun training full-time in preparation for the Euros.
"We are really looking forward to these three games in Spain. It will provide us with a measurement of our programme and its progression," said Northern Ireland manager Kenny Shiels.
"We are constantly trying to teach and learn from our time with the players. This trip will give us ideal preparation for April's World Cup qualifiers. Everything we do is to help the players prepare.
"During February we will look to step up our performance levels to ensure we reach maximum standards."
The next competitive fixtures for Northern Ireland are two Women's World Cup 2023 qualifiers in European Qualifying Group D in April - away to Austria on 8 April and home to England on 12 April.
Shiels will name his squad for the trip to Spain in early February.