Rebecca McKenna has felt the shift in the room since Michael McArdle walked through the door as Northern Ireland women's football manager on April 1st. After taking the role in early March, the new boss has already won two of his first three games, and more importantly, he has sparked something that captain McKenna describes as "a breath of fresh air" — exactly what a squad emerging from difficult moments needed to hear.
The path to this point has been humbling. Northern Ireland's defeat to Turkey in Istanbul last Friday meant the team can only finish third in Group B2 of their World Cup qualifying campaign. That stings. But here's what matters: they have already secured their place in the 2027 World Cup playoffs in the autumn. That qualification, clinched despite the setback, is the foundation everything else is being built on.
For McKenna, who was part of the historic six-player core that represented Northern Ireland at Euro 2022, this moment carries particular weight. That tournament four years ago was transformative — a feeling of belonging on a major stage that the squad has been chasing ever since. Now, with McArdle's energy reinvigorating the group, there's a tangible sense that the journey isn't over; it's just beginning a new chapter. "When we qualified for the Euros, it was a great feeling," McKenna reflected, speaking to BBC Sport NI. "You get a feeling of being at one major tournament. It gives you that feeling to get there again."
What's striking is how McKenna frames the work ahead. She's not making excuses or dwelling on the third-place finish. Instead, she's pointing to something deeper — the collective commitment required to climb higher. "Everyone's just got to put in the work and I know everyone will," she said. The confidence isn't blind optimism; it's rooted in knowing what the squad is capable of when they're aligned behind a vision. McArdle appears to have provided that alignment quickly. His arrival has reset expectations without diminishing ambition.
The 2027 World Cup playoff is now the horizon. It's a second chance to prove that Euro 2022 wasn't a one-off breakthrough but the beginning of something sustainable. For McKenna and the five other players still carrying that Euro experience, there's unfinished business. "I think going forward, we all want to be at a major tournament," she said. "It is exciting and we've just got to put the work in. Hopefully, one day we'll get to experience that again."
That kind of clarity — understanding what needs to happen, believing it's possible, and committing to the grind — is often the difference between squads that fade and ones that build dynasties. Northern Ireland women's football has the pieces in place: experienced leadership, a manager who has already demonstrated his ability to win matches, and a pathway carved out to the World Cup. The work begins now, but for the first time in a while, the mood inside the camp suggests they're ready for what comes next.