The Republic of Ireland will kick off their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign this weekend, with Heimir Hallgrimsson hoping to lead his side to the finals in North America next summer.

Ireland have not reached a men’s World Cup since 2002, although hopes are high within the camp that the drought will come to an end next year.

The qualifying format for UEFA nations has changed somewhat over the last few years, meaning Ireland’s route to the tournament could become rather complicated over the coming months.

With that in mind, here is an explained on what The Boys in Green need to do in order to reach the finals.

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What Do Ireland Need To Do To Qualify For The 2026 FIFA World Cup?
Who is in Ireland’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying group?

Due to Ireland taking part in the UEFA Nations League playoffs earlier this year, they were drawn into a four-team group for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Some nations have already played up to four qualifiers, although the smaller group means that Ireland will have just six fixtures to play before the end of 2025.

Ireland have been drawn in Group F alongside Portugal, Hungary, and Armenia. They will face each side home and away across September, October, and November.

 

What do Ireland need to do to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

In the simplest terms, top their qualifying group.

Each of the top-placed nations across the 12 UEFA qualifying groups will qualify automatically for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Of course, the presence of Portugal in this group makes that a difficult task for the other nations involved.

There is another route.

The 12 second-placed teams will take part in the play-offs in March of 2026, with four further spots up for grabs. They will be joined by the best four Nations League group winners who finish outside the top two of their qualifying group.

As Ireland did not win their UEFA Nations League group in 2024/25, it is very likely that they will need to finish second in their group in order to reach the play-offs.

The 16 teams will be split into four mini tournaments, each of which will feature two semi-finals and a final. The four tournament winners will then qualify for the World Cup next summer.

 

Republic of Ireland 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Fixtures

Here is Ireland’s full list of fixtures for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers:

06/09 – Ireland v Hungary, Aviva Stadium, 7.45pm
09/09 – Armenia v Ireland, Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium, 5pm (Irish Time)
11/10 – Portugal v Ireland, Estádio José Alvalade, 7.45pm (Irish Time)
14/10 – Ireland v Armenia, Aviva Stadium, 7.45pm
13/11 – Ireland v Portugal, Aviva Stadium, 7.45pm
16/11 – Hungary v Ireland, Puskás Aréna, 2pm (Irish Time)

 

UEFA Group F 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Fixtures

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Here are the fixtures in full from Group F (all kick-offs are Irish times):

06/09 – Armenia v Portugal Portugal, 5pm

06/09 – Ireland Republic of Ireland v Hungary, 7.45pm

09/09 – Armenia v Republic of Ireland Ireland, 5pm

09/09 – Hungary v Portugal, 7.45pm

11/10 – Hungary v Armenia, 5pm

11/10 – Portugal v Republic of Ireland, 7.45pm

14/10 – Republic of Ireland v Armenia, 7.45pm

14/10 – Portugal v Hungary, 7.45pm

13/11 – Armenia v Hungary, 5pm

13/11 – Republic of Ireland v Portugal, 7.45pm

16/11 – Hungary v Republic of Ireland – 2pm

16/11 – Portugal v Armenia – 2pm

 

UEFA Group F 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Table

Team
MP
W
D
L
GD
PTS

1. Portugal
0
0
0
0
0
0

2. Hungary
0
0
0
0
0
0

3. Ireland
0
0
0
0
0
0

4. Armenia
0
0
0
0
0
0

 

Summary

Ireland have two paths to next summer’s World Cup:

Top their qualifying group
Finish second in their qualifying group, then win a four-team play-off tournament in March of 2026

The second of those options seems the most likely, with Portugal heavy favourites to win the group.

Before a ball is kicked, it seems likely that Ireland and Hungary will battle it out for second spot in the group.

That makes this Saturday’s game against the Hungarians in Dublin a pivotal fixture, with defeat in that one already leaving Hallgrimsson’s side in a very difficult position with just five games remaining to pull back a three-point deficit.

Of course, even if they do finish second, they will still have to defeat two more unknown nations in one-off ties to reach the tournament.

It will be a long road ahead, but a positive result on Saturday would go a long way towards achieving their goal of reaching North America next summer.

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