The women’s National Team begins qualifying for the 2027 World Cup this Tuesday, with a duel against Finlandscheduled for 6:45 pm, at the FC Vizela Stadium. The meeting marks the start of a journey that aims to qualify for the final phase to be played in Brazil, and was planned this Monday by the national coach, Francisco Netoand the captain, Dolores Silva.
At the press conference held at the Jorge Costa Sports Training and Training Center, in Olival, the coach highlighted the importance of support in the stands in Vizela. “Above all, we expect a well-composed house, with a lot of positive energy that is contagious for our players. What we asked of the players was exactly that: a lot of energy, good spirit and joy. Then, we want what has characterized us in the big games: a lot of organization, a lot of competitiveness and a lot of desire to win”, he stated.
Portugal faces a team that occupies a position immediately below in the ranking and that, like the Portuguese team, was present in the last final phase of the European Championship. For Francisco Neto, this reveals the quality of Nordic training. “It’s a team that has been growing a lot, which in recent years has started to export players to the English league and the Swedish league, which has made its players grow a lot. It will certainly be a very difficult game against a strong team, but at home we want to win”, he stressed.
The coach, who has been leading the women’s main team for 12 years, also highlighted that cycles of results are part of the competitive trajectory. “Everyone likes to win. We’ve been through better and worse times and we know that cycles don’t last forever. The responsibility of the past gives us a lot of ambition for the future. We’ve already been able to do it and we want to do it again”, he said, reinforcing the ambition of being present at the 2027 World Cup: “It’s a long journey, with many games and challenges.”
In strategic terms, the coach was clear about the desired approach to the meeting. “The big challenge will be to control the game, dominate the game, not allowing it to become a very physical duel with many transitionswhich is not where we feel most comfortable. We want to have the ball, push Finland into areas closer to their goal. The greater our ability to take over the game, the more dominant we will be.” Regarding squad management, he guaranteed that decisions will be made based on the performance presented and the plan outlined for the match, ruling out any anticipated physical management.
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