Ireland’s potential path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup became clear last night, with Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side confirmed as third seeds for this Thursday’s play-off draw.
That is not the ideal scenario. It means that The Boys In Green will be away from home against a higher ranked nation in the play-off semi-final, with four potential opponents on offer.
Ireland will play one of Poland, Wales, Czechia, or Slovakia in the semi-final. With that in mind, below we have given a quick rundown on what you can expect for each of those sides.
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How Good Are Ireland’s Potential World Cup Play-Off Opponents?
Poland
World Ranking: 33
Notable Players: Robert Lewandowski, Piotr Zelenski, Matty Cash
Campaign So Far: W5, D2, L1 – finished three points behind The Netherlands in second
Last Ireland Meeting: Poland 1-1 Ireland (11/9/2018)
Not only are Poland the highest ranked team in Pot 2, but they also have the strongest squad of the bunch.
Robert Lewandowski remains an elite level striker, with his recent issues with the management of the national team having been ironed out.
Poland would finish just behind a strong Netherlands team in their qualifying group. They would draw with the Dutch both home and away, ultimately missing out on the chance to finish top due to a shock loss in Finland back in June. Malta and Lithuania were the other sides in the group.
Ireland’s last meeting with the Poles came in a friendly in 2018, with the most competitive meeting being a 1-0 defeat in Warsaw during the Euro 2016 campaign.
Wales
World Ranking: 34
Notable Players: Neco Williams, Harry Wilson, Brennan Johnson
Campaign So Far: W5, D1, L2 – finished two points behind Belgium in second
Last Ireland Meeting: Wales 1-0 Ireland (15/11/2020)
Wales booked their place in the play-offs with a thumping 7-1 victory over North Macedonia last night, having been in the running for top spot in their group for much of the campaign.
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Craig Bellamy’s side would finish just two points behind group winners Belgium. They were ultimately undone by defeats both home and away against the Belgians, with a draw away in North Macedonia also proving costly. They would beat Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein in the other group fixtures.
Ireland and Wales played each other on quite a few occasions around the turn of the decade, although it is now five years since the sides last faced off.
A trip to Cardiff would certainly be quite the occasion, although it would not be the easiest available draw.
Czechia
World Ranking: 44
Notable Players: Patrik Schick, Tomas Soucek, Adam Karabec
Campaign So Far: W5, D1, L2 – finished six points behind Croatia in second
Last Ireland Meeting: Ireland 1-1 Czechia (29/2/2012)
Looking at the quality of each squad in Pot 2, it seems fairly clear that Czechia possess the least talent of the bunch.
There are not many household names in the side, with Patrick Shick the star man. The likes of Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal will also be familiar to Premier League fans.
Czechia struggled during their qualifying campaign, one which featured a humiliating loss away to the Faroe Islands. They would manage a draw at home to Croatia and wins home and away against Gibraltar and Montenegro in what was one of the weaker qualifying groups.
Ireland’s last meeting with the Czechs came in a 2012 friendly, although they have not met in a competitive fixture since 2007.
Slovakia
World Ranking: 46
Notable Players: Milan Skriniar, David Hancko, Stanislav Lobotka
Campaign So Far: W4, L2 – finished three points behind Germany in second
Last Ireland Meeting: Slovakia* 0-0 Ireland (4-2 on penalties) [8/11/2020]
Ireland’s most recent play-off game came in the Euro 2020 campaign, which came in the form of a penalty shootout loss to Slovakia in Bratislava. That was a fairly depressing occasion all around, played in an empty stadium at the height of the pandemic.
Slovakia have some very talented players, with the centre back duo of Milan Skriniar and David Hancko among the best in Europe. They also have a good keeper in the form of Martin Dubravka, while Napoli midfielder Stanislav Lobotka is a Champions League level midfielder.
The Slovakians would beat Germany in Bratislava during their qualifying group, although they would lose 6-0 against the Germans in the group decider earlier this week. Northern Ireland were also part of that group, beating Slovakia in Belfast but losing to them away from home.
This would probably be the second most favourable draw available to Ireland.
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