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Switzerland 2-0 Northern Ireland (FT) Riola Xhemaili opens scoring in 22nd minute Svenja Fölmli adds second in injury time Kris Lindsay's first match as NI's interim manager Northern Ireland looking to qualify for first World Cup Jackie Burns handed captaincy for opening qualifier Jana Mc Cabe Switzerland 0-0 Northern Ireland Aurelie Csillag takes advantage of hesitancy from Jackie Burns and feeds the ball across to Riola Xhemaili, but she sends her effort wide. That was a nervy moment for the Northern Ireland captain and the visitors will know how crucial it is to not concede an early goal here. Switzerland 0-0 Northern Ireland As probably expected, Switzerland have dominated the opening few minutes of this one. However, no one has tried to test Jackie Burns yet. Switzerland 0-0 Northern Ireland Ashley Hutton Former Northern Ireland defender on BBC i Player It's a big ask. We have to be optimistic and we're probably looking at playing more defensively. The girls will give it their all. Switzerland 0-0 Northern Ireland Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifying campaign is under way! Switzerland v Northern Ireland (18: 00 GMT) As kick-off fast approaches, a reminder that Switzerland are no strangers to qualifying for the World Cup and have qualified twice. Both times, in 2015 and 2023, they reached the last 16. Switzerland v Northern Ireland (18: 00 GMT) Tonight's teams are now on the pitch and it is nearly time for the anthems. Can Northern Ireland register a good result in their opening game of the qualifying campaign? Give this post a thumbs up if you think so and react the other way if you think they won't. Switzerland v Northern Ireland (18: 00 GMT) Long-serving Northern Ireland midfielder Nadene Caldwell says the team will be "keen to get some early points on the board" and "build up a bit of momentum" to boost their qualification campaign for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. The squad kick off their group matches by taking on Switzerland on Tuesday, before welcoming Turkey to Mourneview Park on Saturday. Interim manager Kris Lindsay is taking charge of the side for at least the first pair of 2027 qualifiers as the search for Tanya Oxtoby's permanent successor continues. Northern Ireland will play Malta home and away in April, before ending the series with further fixtures against Turkey and Switzerland. "This is going to be a very tough group and for us that starts against Switzerland, before our full focus will turn to Turkey, " Caldwell told BBC Sport NI's Nicola Mc Carthy. "For us it's important to try and get some points on the board early so that the team can kick on in confidence and really kick on the campaign. "It's a crammed fixture list but we must try to build up a bit of momentum. " Read the full report here. Switzerland v Northern Ireland (18: 00 GMT) Returning Northern Ireland defender Laura Rafferty said she is "in a good place" after recovering from a serious groin injury. Rafferty last featured for NI over a year ago in a 2-0 Nations League defeat against Poland in Gdansk after struggling with persistent abdominal and groin pain. She has since undergone the Lloyd Release Procedure, a specialized keyhole surgery that treats chronic, non-hernia related groin pain in athletes, and after extensive rehabilitation, has featured regularly for her club Rangers since returning in December. The 29-year-old has opened up on her experience on the sidelines for an injury that is uncommon for female footballers and the support she received from her club. Read the full story here. Switzerland v Northern Ireland (18: 00 GMT) Northern Ireland Switzerland make four changes to the side who were defeated by Wales in a friendly. Defender Viola Calligaris will be aiming to add to her impressive tally in front of goal and will start in a 4-3-3 formation for the hosts. As for Northern Ireland, interim manager Kris Lindsay makes five changes to the starting XI who were beaten in the second leg of their promotion/ relegation play-off against Iceland. Laura Rafferty, Ellie Mason, Brenna Mc Partlan, Nat Johnson and Leyla Mc Farland all come into the starting XI. Goalkeeper Jackie Burns is handed the captain's armband in place of Simone Magill, who announced her pregnancy in November and will miss these qualifiers. Sarah Mc Fadden, Abbie Sweetlove, Nadene Caldwell, Joely Andrews and Kascie Weir drop out. Switzerland: Peng, Crnogorcevic, Calligaris, Stierli, Riesen, Reuteler, Watli, Schertenleib, Xhernalli, Csillag, Beney. Subs: Herzog, Fuchs, Balleste, Ivelj, Kamber, Sow, Piubel, Wandeler, Fomli, L Egli, Terchoun, Lehmann. Northern Ireland: Burns, Rafferty, Holloway, Mason, Mc Kenna, Johnson, Mc Partlan, Hamilton, Mc Farland, Wade, Bell. Subs: Perry, Smith, Mc Fadden, Howe, Halliday, Maxwell, Caldwell, Kerr, Mc Daniel, Moore, Weir, Sweetlove. Switzerland v Northern Ireland (18: 00 GMT) Right, with 10 minutes to go until kick-off, team news time? Switzerland v Northern Ireland (18: 00 GMT) It was announced that Kris Lindsay had been appointed as Tanya Oxtoby's successor as Northern Ireland boss on an interim basis. Lindsay, who was previously a first-team coach when Gail Redmond was interim NI manager in 2023, will take charge for the World Cup 2027 qualifiers in March away to Switzerland and at home to Turkey. The former Dungannon Swifts manager certainly has a lot to sort out between now and their first qualifier on Tuesday, 3 March, which is in only 34 days' time. BBC Sport NI looks at some of the issues the incoming interim boss will look to address before qualifying begins. Switzerland v Northern Ireland (18: 00 GMT) "It's a question for him, but would we love to have him? Yes. " He may have only had a handful of training sessions with Northern Ireland, but interim boss Kris Lindsay has already left a big impression on his players according to long-serving midfielder Nadene Caldwell. Lindsay will lead NI in their opening two 2027 World Cup qualifiers away to Switzerland on Tuesday, 3 March and at home to Turkey on Saturday, 7 March. What happens beyond that for Lindsay, who also manages the Northern Ireland men's under-16 team, remains to be seen, but early indications from Caldwell suggest the players are fully behind Tanya Oxtoby's short-term replacement. "Kris has come in for these two games and has been a breath of fresh air, " she told BBC Sport NI's Nicola Mc Carthy. "He's had home-based sessions for the players and you can see his enthusiasm already and hopefully that will come across on the pitch. He wants every individual player to be 1% better and that's all we can ask. "Kris has been very open, honest and transparent with the players, he's fully in. He's laid out what he wants and the players what they want, so we're on the same page. "I'm sure he would like to go on and take the job, it's something he's involved in and he'll like to stay involved in. " Switzerland v Northern Ireland (18: 00 GMT) Andy Gray BBC Sport NI When Kris Lindsay was announced as interim manager, it had been 68 days since Tanya Oxtoby's departure as Senior Women's team manager, and just 35 days until the start of World Cup qualifying. Yet Northern Ireland's search for a permanent replacement for the Australian rolls on. Kris Lindsay is a highly-respected coach and well liked both within the Irish FA and across football in Northern Ireland, and it cannot be ruled out that he will turn out to be the long-term solution for the women's team, and a successful one at that. But this is not the first time the IFA have taken a protracted approach for the position. When Kenny Shiels left his role in January 2023, it wasn't until that August that Oxtoby was appointed. In that time, Northern Ireland did not play in the February window, had Andy Waterworth in charge for a friendly with Wales, while Gail Redmond, along with Lindsay, was interim manager for June friendlies in Scotland and the Czech Republic. Angela Platt, the director of women's football at the IFA, said she wants a "robust process" for replacing Oxtoby, but the public nature of the application through a recruitment agency raises more questions than answers. Having such an open process, instead of targeting a manager, suggests a lack of strategy and clarity going forward post-Oxtoby. The IFA are determined to land the right person for the job, hence the drawn-out approach, but Northern Ireland did not take part in the December window after Oxtoby's departure and enter a crucial campaign without a clear plan in place for moving forward. Qualifying for the 2027 World Cup was always going to be a challenge, and unless Lindsay is the permanent answer, disruption caused by a lack of consistency across the campaign has the potential to do more harm than good to a young squad who are trying to improve to reach the next level. Switzerland v Northern Ireland (18: 00 GMT) "It took about five seconds for me to say yes. " Managing your country is something that most people dream about and, when Kris Lindsay was offered the chance on an interim basis, he didn't hang around before agreeing to the task. Lindsay will take charge of Northern Ireland women's team for their games away to Switzerland on 3 March and against Turkey four days later at Mourneview in the opening 2027 World Cup qualifiers. The 42-year-old has plenty of experience and managed Dungannon Swifts and the under-16 Northern Ireland men's team. Lindsay was also first-team coach when Gail Redmond was interim Northern Ireland boss in 2023 ahead of Tanya Oxtoby being appointed, who left the role to become Newcastle United manager in November. "Since I was announced as interim manager, it's been really exciting getting the teeth into the job and two really exciting games. It's been a whirlwind, " Lindsay said "I'm a proud Northern Ireland fan, both men and women, so to get this opportunity is a really proud moment. "When the offer came, it was an exciting opportunity. It was one I was really excited by the challenge of, and it took about five seconds for me to say yes, to lead your country as a manager is a privilege. " Read the full article here. Here is a look at what Group B2 looks like ahead of the match. Earlier today, Malta were defeated by Turkey in the opening game of the group. Switzerland v Northern Ireland (18: 00 GMT) Hello and welcome to our live text commentary of tonight's World Cup qualifier between Switzerland and Northern Ireland. A lot has changed in the 96 days since Northern Ireland's last fixture, when their hopes of progressing to League A for the first time were ended by Iceland. Most notably, manager Tanya Oxtoby has left to become manager of Newcastle United. Now, interim manager Kris Lindsay will take charge of the side for their first two qualifying games and will be looking for a good result to kick off the campaign. As well as following our live text commentary, you can watch the game live on the BBC i Player, app and by clicking the 'Watch live' icon at the top of the page. Thanks for joining us, enjoy the game! Stade de la Tuiliere This video can not be played Watch: Switzerland start campaign with a victory At a glance Kris Lindsay's first game as interim Northern Ireland manager Riola Xhemaili opened scoring for Switzerland in first half Svenja Folmli adds second for hosts in injury time Northern Ireland will face Turkey, who beat Malta 3-0, in Lurgan on Saturday Kris Lindsay's tenure as Northern Ireland's interim manager started with a 2-0 defeat by Switzerland in Women's World Cup qualifying. Riola Xhemaili opened the scoring for the Swiss, who are favourites to win League B2, when she converted from a corner in the 22nd minute. Despite dominating possession, Switzerland struggled to create clear-cut opportunities against an organised Northern Ireland defence. However, their resolve was broken in stoppage time when Svenja Folmli fired into the bottom corner from 20 yards to secure the three points. Lindsay, who is leading the team for at least the initial two qualifiers following the departure of Tanya Oxtoby in November, will look to get Northern Ireland to bounce back at home to Turkey in their second qualifier in Lurgan on Saturday. 'Breath of fresh air' Lindsay backed for NI job Lindsay to take interim charge of NI in qualifiers As expected for a side who reached the quarter finals of Euro 2025, Switzerland dominated possession in Lausanne and pegged Northern Ireland back. Caragh Hamilton's backpass forced Jackie Burns, handed the captain's armband by Lindsay, into a loose touch and Xhemaili fired over from close range. The pressure kept coming and Ellie Mason blocked Nadine Reissen's powerful effort before the hosts made a deserved breakthrough in the 22nd minute. Lia Walti's deep corner was headed back across goal by Barcelona's Sydney Schertenleib, and Xhemaili took a touch and fired into the top corner beyond Burns. Switzerland almost added a second when Reissen pulled the ball back into the area and Iman Beney sliced wide from six yards. In a rare foray forward, Brenna Mc Partlan showed good feet to work space just outside the area but her effort was well wide. At the other end, Schertenleib showed great footwork in the area and fired towards the bottom corner, but Rebecca Holloway stuck out a leg to divert the ball behind. The ball did end up in the back of the net from the resulting corner as Xhemaili fired home, but the whistle had already been blown for a foul on Holloway, before Aurelie Csillag fired well over from inside the area in the final chance of the half. After the restart, Csillag forced Burns into two saves in a matter of minutes. The first came from a poked effort after Beney's low cross, and the Liverpool forward was then denied when she was played through by Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic. Rebecca Mc Kenna put in a great block to keep out Xhemaili's effort, and with 10 minutes left, some sloppy Swiss passing almost allowed Hamilton in on goal, but Chelsea goalkeeper Livia Peng raced off her line to smother the ball. Ellie Mason had a late half-chance for Northern Ireland but she could not convert Holloway's dangerous free-kick into the area, but Switzerland would have the final say when Folmli skipped past Rafferty outside the area and fired low into the bottom corner from 20 yards. Facing Switzerland away was always going to be a tough ask for Northern Ireland, and there were familiar issues for Lindsay to address. Northern Ireland were solid in defence and frustrated Switzerland, who struggled to breach the compact defensive structure that Lindsay had set up in his short time with the team. Without captain Simone Magill, who announced her pregnancy before Christmas, Northern Ireland lacked a focal point up top and a goalscoring threat. But there also has to be a sense of realism from Lindsay's opening match. Switzerland's starting team consisted of players from Chelsea, Barcelona, Manchester City and Juventus, while the majority of Northern Ireland's squad play in WSL2 or the Scottish Premiership. Despite conceding the second goal in stoppage time, Northern Ireland can take positives from the defensive display under Lindsay, but the game against Turkey will be a more accurate reflection of where the team stand in League B2. Northern Ireland have never qualified for a World Cup and few expect them to repeat their fairytale run to the Euro 2022 finals, but Lindsay will be keen to create a platform for a young squad going forward. Head here to get involved Get the latest WSL news on our dedicated page Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Last Updated 3rd March 2026 at 21: 40 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. 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