Watch Kazakhstan v Ireland: RTÉ's Marie Crowe headlines commentary

The Women's World Cup qualifiers contest between Kazakhstan and Ireland lands on 9 October 2026, with UK viewers able to tune in at 12:00. The match is being presented through the RTÉ network, with commentary running over the RTÉ 2 Ireland / HD / RTÉ Player feed and a companion RTÉ News channel carrying the reporting. This is the women's football variant of the FIFA qualifiers family, and Ireland line up to take on Kazakhstan as the season reaches its final stages.

The broadcast is fronted by Marie Crowe, who is presenting the match. As a familiar figure in Ireland's sports media, she has built a reputation around football coverage, blending her own experience of the sport with a warm, engaging on-air style. She has also been working towards her UEFA B coaching licence, describing the effort as challenging but "so rewarding", and has spoken to RTÉ Sport about how it feels to cover a World Cup rather than simply play in one.

Commentary and reporting

The main commentary is handled by Des Curran, backed by the co-commentary of Aine O'Gorman. Their partnership has been a fixture of the Irish women's scene ahead of this contest, having been filmed together in post-match footage from an earlier play-off where the Republic of Ireland women's national team was defeated by Slovakia.

The commentary is joined by two pundits, Louise Quinn and Niamh Fahey. Louise Quinn made her senior debut in February 2008, stepping in as a last-minute substitute for Niamh Fahey in a 4–1 friendly win over Poland at John Hyland Park in Baldonnel, County Dublin. She was later named in a 22-player squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2009 qualifying play-off, a session Ireland's manager described as "without doubt, the biggest game in the history of women's football".

Niamh Fahey, born 13 October 1987, has played the role of defensive midfielder or centre-back across her career, moving through Salthill Devon, Arsenal and Chelsea before signing for Liverpool in 2018. Her role here is that of a match pundit rather than an active player.

Reporting duties fall to Tony O'Donoghue, who appears on both the RTÉ 2 Ireland feed and the companion RTÉ News channel.

Where to watch

The primary commentary channel is RTÉ 2 Ireland / HD / RTÉ Player, with the reporting also carried on RTÉ News. These RTÉ feeds offer the full commentary and reporting line-up for the Kazakhstan versus Ireland contest.

For background on one of the match's pundits, Niamh Fahey's Wikipedia page covers her career across the major clubs.

Article generated: 9 October 2026, 12:01 GMT