Ireland's women's rugby team is entering a new phase in their development as head coach Scott Bemand has stated that the upcoming WXV Global Series marks the beginning of a new cycle leading up to the next Women's Rugby World Cup in 2026. The WXV Global Series is a tournament that brings together teams from around the world to compete in a series of matches, offering players valuable experience and exposure. Ireland's recent performances include a narrow defeat by France in the quarter-finals of last year's World Cup and a third-place finish in the 2026 Six Nations, where they won all their home matches. The Irish team will begin their WXV campaign with a match against the United States at Dublin's Tallaght Stadium on Sunday at 13:45 BST. They will then face Japan in a double-header in Galway and Cork on 27 September and 3 October, with the first match classified as a WXV game. Additional matches against South Africa are scheduled in Cape Town on 24 and 31 October. Speaking at the team's training base in Dublin, Bemand emphasized the importance of this series in preparing for the World Cup. "We're at the start of a World Cup cycle now," he said. "We need to develop our depth and see who is coming through. Three years from now, players coming in now could have 25-plus caps by the time of the World Cup." Second row Sam Monaghan has been ruled out of the upcoming fixtures due to an Achilles injury, but Bemand sees her absence as an opportunity for other players to step up. "It creates the next opportunity for the leader that's already in the group and the next second row to come through," he said. The coach has been quietly building depth within the squad, allowing emerging talent to train and prove themselves. He expressed confidence in the team's ability to improve if they continue to work hard. "We've got the talent now and the capability to play a couple of different ways but a really good brand of rugby," Bemand said. "It feels like we are on the cusp of something."