Long-serving Northern Ireland midfielder Nadine Caldwell says the side will be “keen to pick up some points early” and “build some momentum” to push them into qualifying for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
The team will begin the group stage against Switzerland on Tuesday before facing Turkey at Mornaview Park on Saturday.
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Interim manager Chris Lindsay will be in charge of at least the first two games of the 2027 qualifying campaign as the search for a permanent successor to Tanya Oxtoby continues.
Northern Ireland will play Malta home and away in April before taking on series against Türkiye and Switzerland.
“It’s going to be a very tough group for us, first against Switzerland and then our full attention will turn to Turkey,” Caldwell told BBC Sport NI’s Nicola McCarthy.
“It’s important for us to try and get some points on the board early so the team can play with confidence and really play well.
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“The schedule is congested but we have to try and build up a little bit of momentum.”
Caldwell added that the opener against Switzerland was a difficult start but welcomed the chance for the team to test themselves against top opposition.
“The most important thing for us is that we are playing competitive matches and you can compare yourself with the best players in the world. It only makes you better as a player.
“Take the positives from one game and go into the next one and hopefully we can get a good result.
“Switzerland, the top seed playing on the road… it’s a tough game, but I would say the pressure is all on them. They’re the top seed and we know we have to take a lot of pressure at times.”
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“We have to use the ball well”
Northern Ireland are the second seed in the group and Caldwell said he hopes that position will be reflected in the qualifying table at the end of the season.
“We want to finish second in the group. That’s our seeding, anything else would be disappointing.
“Turkey will be a big test for us, both in our rankings and around us, so we’re really looking forward to that but we’re completely focused on Switzerland first.
“When we get the ball we have to use it well, express ourselves and really show what it means to play for Northern Ireland.”
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With regular captain Simon Magill out due to pregnancy, Caldwell is unsure who will take over the captaincy in her absence and whether Lindsay will remain at the helm for April’s games.
“This is not something we talked about [the captaincy] – There are many great leaders on a team and leadership roles can come in any form.
“We obviously don’t know what happened to Chris, but we’re going to be completely focused on those two games and then we’ll regroup for the rest of the game.”
