Ireland U17s set for historic World Cup opener

The Republic of Ireland are no strangers to major tournaments at under-17 level.

The Boys in Green famously won the European Championships in their under-16 guise back in 1998 during the halcyon Brian Kerr era.

Since the turn of the Millennium, Ireland have been appeared at U17 Euros on six occasions, including last time out in Hungary two years ago when they got to the quarter-finals before losing to a Lamine Yamal (ever heard of him?) inspired Spain.

But despite all the milestones of the past, today is truly historic. When the current crop walk out onto pitch three in Al Rayyan, Qatar, and hear Amhrán na bhFiann, it will be the first time Ireland will have played in a FIFA U17 World Cup.

The evolution will be televised too, with today's 12.30pm (Irish time) kick off against Panama broadcast live on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player, as will the following Group J games against Paraguay and Uzbekistan, on Saturday and next Tuesday respectively.

It's a real step into the unknown for Ireland. While the players are used to facing other nations from UEFA, this expanded 48-team World Cup sees them come up against a wide variety of unfamiliar opponents from other confederations.

Indeed, the squad were curious about that aspect when Thomas Morgan, the captain of the Irish U20 team that won bronze at the 1997 World Cup in Malaysia, was invited to give them a Q&A at the Pillo Hotel in Ashbourne last week.

Head coach Colin O'Brien says he and his staff have left no stone unturned on that front.

"We haven't been ignorant in our preparation, we haven't been disrespectful in any of our preparation," he told RTÉ Sport on the eve of the tournament opener.

"That's not how we work. We plan the same for any opposition and we'll see now where we land."

The nature of underage tournaments means it's wise to be wary. Tradition (or lack of it) at senior level does not always correlate in the development ranks.

England found that out to their cost yesterday when they lost their group opener 3-0 to Venezuela, who in fairness to them, were bronze medalists at the CONMEBOL Sub17 tournament earlier this year.

Panama, for example, may not be powerhouse at senior level - their only men's World Cup appearance came in 2018 - but their current U17 crop's predecessors did feature at the 2023 World Cup in Indonesia, going out at the group stage but with two respectable draws.

"I would have a little bit of trepidation towards the opposition," RTÉ soccer analyst and former U17 international Alan Cawley warned on this week's RTÉ Soccer Podcast.

"The group that we're in as well, everybody looks at it and thinks, 'Panama, Uzbekistan...' and these teams. But if you look at Panama, they're 31st in the world rankings, whereas we're 62nd.

"So they'll be looking at us thinking, 'Sure, they're brutal.' So we can't get ahead of ourselves. We often speak about this around international windows but where we are now, it's not like years ago when you're looking at these countries and thinking we'll roll these over."

Even if it's approaching winter in Qatar, the elevated temperatures will also be a factor. It's expected to be in and around 32 degrees Celsius in Al Rayyan today. O'Brien admits "it will certainly be a challenge" for his team but added that they have put plenty of focus on dealing with it within their pre-tournament preparations.

And all that being said, his squad have plenty going for them. The benefit of Brexit for Irish football has meant that many of the key players have gained meaningful experience in the men's game domestically.

The magic number is 13,392 career minutes collectively amassed by these youngsters, which compares more than favourably to the ten other European teams in Qatar this month.

Michael Noonan, arguably the star of the side, is a regular for Shamrock Rovers, making history earlier in the year by scoring in the UEFA Conference League and already has a goal for the Ireland under-21s.

In a bygone pre-Brexit era, he might have been working his way through the underage ranks at an English club.

Jaden Umeh, who played a key role in getting Ireland to this World Cup, is already at Portuguese giants Benfica. But before he left these shores, he had already gained first-team experience at Cork City.

And according to Graham Gartland, who has coached many of the Shamrock Rovers-produced contingent within the 21-player squad in Qatar, Umeh is the one that "could really light up this tournament".

Other players to look out for are Noonan's Shamrock Rovers team-mate Victor Ozhianvuna, who has already secured a future multi-million euro move to Arsenal; captain and midfielder Rory Finneran, on the books at Newcastle having first made his mark at Blackburn Rovers; Dundalk defender Vinnie Leonard and Cork City's Brody Lee among others.

Another aspect that gives Ireland a chance is the fact that it's an expanded 48-team tournament. The top two in each of the 12 groups will advance to the knockout stages but there is also room for the eight best third-place finishers, so even getting one win from their three games against Panama, Uzbekistan and Paraguay would give O'Brien's side a chance of making their way through. And if they could do that first time out today, it would ease the pressure going into the two remaining fixtures.

Indeed,Gartland has backed this Irish side as having the potential to leave the same sort of legacy as the U20s of 1997.

"When you look at the fixtures they have and what it takes to get out of a group, I think they will get out of the group," he said.

"With all the firepower they have up the top end of the pitch, and all the physical power they have and the pace at the top end of the pitch, I'm really looking forward to watching them because I think if they can play to their strengths, they have a really good chance of going deep into the tournament."

But as O'Brien said yesterday, they will not be thinking beyond what lies in store against Panama today. A nation holds its breath.

Watch Republic of Ireland v Panama in the FIFA Under-17 World Cup on Wednesday from 12.20pm on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport

Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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