The Malta women’s national team return to League B action as they launch their qualifying campaign for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup with a challenging away fixture against Türkiye.
The match will be played at the Pendik Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 3pm (Malta time), marking the beginning of a new cycle for head coach Manuela Tesse, who is set to oversee her third qualifying campaign in charge of the national team.
The qualifiers are once again being played under the UEFA Nations League format, with Malta competing in League B for the second time.
Having secured promotion from League C last year, the Maltese side now faces a demanding group that includes Türkiye, Switzerland and Northern Ireland.
Ranked 88th in the world, Malta are the lowest-ranked team in the group, with Türkiye (58th), Northern Ireland (44th) and Switzerland (25th) all placed significantly higher.
Despite the tough opposition, Malta will be aiming to secure a top-three finish, which would guarantee a place in the play-offs.
The campaign also carries added significance, as it will determine league placements for the next UEFA Women’s Nations League cycle leading up to EURO 2029, with promotion and relegation also at stake.
The runners-up and two best third-placed teams in League B stay in League B while the group winners of Leagues B will be promoted to League A.
“Confidence is something that we want to work on during this League B campaign,” Tesse told the Times of Malta.
“When we played in League B, I think we were not ready as a team, including me. Now, we continue to grow together, and we strive to be more efficient in this campaign.”
Meanwhile, all fourth-placed teams in League B, as well as the two lowest-ranked third-placed teams in League B, will be relegated to League C.
Malta head into the opening fixture on the back of mixed results in their preparatory friendlies. They suffered two defeats against Belarus before recording a 3-2 win over Croatia, only to fall to a 3-0 loss in the return match, leaving the coaching staff with both positives and areas to address ahead of the competitive fixtures.
A major boost for Tesse is the return of Haley Bugeja, who missed the Croatia friendlies through injury.
The forward has been in outstanding form for Inter this season, playing a key role in their push for domestic honours.
Her recent performances were also recognised on the local stage, as she was named Malta’s Sportswoman of the Year for the second time in her career, having previously won the prestigious award in 2021.
Bugeja’s importance to the national team is underlined by her record of 24 goals in 42 appearances, leaving her just two goals shy of equalling the all-time scoring record held by Dorianne Theuma. Her attacking quality is expected to be central to Malta’s hopes of making a strong start to the campaign.
“We are expecting Türkiye to press us high, and while we need to have solid defenders, we need to have strong forwards as well, as they will be our first defenders,” Tesse pointed out.
Also included in the squad is Rachel Cuschieri, who returns despite limited recent action for Genoa due to injury. The experienced midfielder has amassed 111 caps and is closing in on Theuma’s all-time appearance record (118), providing leadership and experience within the squad.
Tesse has also handed an opportunity to USA-based midfielder Emma Flannery, who qualifies through dual citizenship and is set to join the University of Nevada Las Vegas programme this summer.
Meanwhile, young forward Lexine Farrugia continues her transition into the senior setup following her development within Roma’s youth system.
The squad also features a strong domestic core, particularly from Assikura Women’s League winners Mġarr United, while notable absentees include injured fullback Rebecca Bajada, as well as Georgiana Mifsud, Maia Debono and Leanne Cefai, who were omitted from the final selection.
Türkiye, meanwhile, come into the fixture with growing confidence, having retained their League B status with a dominant play-off victory over Kosovo (7-0 on aggregate).
Under the guidance of head coach Necla Güngör Kıragası since 2019, they have shown steady progress, supported by the continued development of their domestic league.
“We are very excited for these matches. We see every tournament as a new beginning, and we focus on positively improving our game. We are in a difficult group, but we want to work at the maximum level, achieve good results, and represent our country in the best way,” she said in a news conference.
“We want to continue this stability and improve our game to reach even higher levels. For this, we have been working with our technical staff for a long time. We analysed our opponents and we want to prepare our players in the best way for these challenging matches. We want to get a good result against Malta at Pendik Stadium, which we know very well, and go to the Northern Ireland away game with high morale. I hope all the best will be with us on this journey.”
They are at the back of a 1-1 draw and a 2-0 win over Albania in their November/December international window as they were gearing up for this campaign.
The majority of the Türkiye squad players feature in the domestic league, which continues to improve, especially with the introduction of Istanbul’s trio – Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş.
“I think they are late in their development; considering their huge population, they can be even stronger. Obviously, there are some cultural situations which constrain women from playing football, but in recent years, they have improved a lot. At the same time, though, we have improved as well despite our limitations, so I am proud of our growth,” Tesse explained.
Goalkeeper Selda Akgöz of ABB Fomget and Galatasaray’s Ebra Topcu, midfielder, are among the most experienced profiles inside the squad.
The hosts will also take confidence from the head-to-head record, having won all four previous meetings between the two nations, including their most recent encounter in 2020.
FINAL SQUAD
GOALKEEPERS
Raisa Costantino (Pro Palazzolo, Italy), Giulia D’Antuono (Mġarr United), Patricia Ebejer (Mġarr United).
DEFENDERS
Fiona Buttigieg (Luton Town Ladies, England), Stephania Farrugia (Birkirkara), Alexandra Gatt (York City Ladies, England), Oceane Grange (Freedom, Italy), Emma Lipman (Genoa, Italy), Maya Lucia (Apollon Ladies, Cyprus), Emma Xuereb (Swieqi United).
MIDFIELDERS
Jana Barbara (Warbeyen, Germany), Brenda Borg (Mġarr United), Rachel Cuschieri (Genoa, Italy), Emma Flannery (Albion SC Las Vegas, United States), Nicole Sciberras (Hibernians), Shona Zammit (Swieqi United).
FORWARDS
Leah Ayres (Hibernians), Haley Bugeja (Inter, Italy), Yulya Carella (Mġarr United), Lexine Farrugia (Roma, Italy), Maria Farrugia (Bristol City Women, England), Jade Flask (Swieqi United), Sara Saliba (Swieqi United), Kailey Willis (Venezia Calcio Femminile, Italy).
