The Irish badminton team will have to wait until the conclusion of this morning's match between Slovenia and Iceland to discover if they have done enough to qualify for the group one play-offs after the first day of the 13-nation Helvetia Cup in Lisburn.

A top three finish in the tournament would ensure Ireland's entry in to next year's European Championships yet, despite the victory over Slovenia yesterday evening, the earlier loss to Iceland means their fate won't be decided until after the final match of the qualifying group. The opening match against Iceland yesterday morning ended in disappointment after a number of closely-fought games saw the Irish go down 3-2. Sonya McGinn got off to a winning start with a straight sets victory over Byrnja Petursdottir in the women's singles but Michael Watt lost his encounter with Triggui Nielsen by two sets to one.

The men's doubles of Bruce and Mark Topping then lost out to Arni Hallgrimsson and Ann-Brodi Kristenjansson in two sets before McGinn and Jayne Plunkett failed by the closest of margins against Elsa Nielsen and Petursdottir.

If Slovenia beat Iceland, the group will be decided on a scoring countback, giving Ireland every chance of topping the group and claiming a place in the semi-final stage.