Ireland could attract some fresh talent off the back of their new-found success in World Cup qualifiers.
Manager Heimir Hallgrimsson admitted the boys in green are looking to pursue more ‘granny rule’ players and the prospect of playing international football with Ireland looks increasingly attractive.
Few nations have benefitted more than the Emerald Isle from the granny rule, which allows a player to represent the country of any of their ancestors up to the grandparents.
It took off with the national team under Jack Charlton’s lead from 1986 to 1996, who recruited English-born footballers with Irish ancestry.
Current members such as Finn Azaz, Josh Cullen and Sammie Szmodics were all born in the United Kingdom before declaring for Ireland.
During his time with Jamaica, Hallgrimsson said it was a constant pressing matter on which players they could bring into the fold.
Hallgrimsson is set for a bumper payday ahead of the play-offs next March.
Could Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall make an Ireland U-turn?
Everton star Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall ended any uncertainty over his international future earlier this month following speculation linking him with Ireland.
The midfielder is uncapped for England and Hallgrimsson declared his interest in bringing him to Ireland over the summer.
The Toffees enjoy a strong presence in the Irish national team with Seamus Coleman and Mark Travers.
Dewsbury-Hall confirmed however he sees himself as English and his biggest dream is to represent England.
If he doesn’t make it with the Three Lions eventually, he could pick up the phone again. At the age of 27, he doesn’t have long left to forge an international career.
Eligible players who could declare for Ireland
Jobe Bellingham
Perhaps the highest-profile name on this list is Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jobe Bellingham, younger brother of Real Madrid star Jude.
Jobe’s father Mark was born to Irish parents and supporters will be well aware of a famous picture of Jude sporting an Ireland jersey as a young boy.
Ireland Under 21 manager Jim Crawford admitted that they explored the possibility of Bellingham coming over but “word came back fairly quickly to say he was happy to stick with England.”
In the future though, if Bellingham fails to break into the England senior squad there’s every chance he answers the call from Ireland.
The 20-year-old captained England Under 21 to a 2-0 win over Ireland in European Championship qualifying earlier this month.
Liam Delap
Chelsea striker Liam Delap is another on Ireland’s radar. His father Rory won 11 caps for Ireland between 1998 and 2004 – and Hallgrimsson said in May he met up with the player to determine the possibility.
The Ireland manager told Delap he’d love to have him in his camp, to which the youngster replied his focus was with England Under 21s at the moment. When asked if there was any interest at all, Hallgrimsson joked “he didn’t say f**k off.”
Rory recently won the Hungarian league title at Ferencvaros as Robbie Keane’s assistant coach and the family holds deep roots with the island.
If Ireland make it to the World Cup, the country becomes an entirely more lucrative destination. Delap is also eligible to play for Scotland.
He has represented England at all youth levels.
Dennis Cirkin
Dennis Cirkin’s situation is a bit confusing, but there’s no concrete evidence that he’s no longer a possibility for Ireland.
The Sunderland left-back is eligible for Ireland having been born in Dublin before moving to England with his family when he was three years old.
The 23-year-old represented England from Under 16s through to Under 20s – and on both occasions Lee Carsley tried to call him up to the Under 21s this year he was forced to withdraw.
Cirkin enjoyed a breakout year with the Black Cats last season, winning promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs but he’s yet to play for the senior team this campaign after enduring a number of injury setbacks.
Rumours circulated over the summer that Cirkin had declared to play internationally for Azerbaijan, but it hasn’t been confirmed anywhere.
Cirkin is eligible to play for England, Ireland, Azerbaijan and Turkey.
Paul Nebel
Paul Nebel is eligible to represent the Emerald Isle through his grandmother Maura from Dublin. In June we reported Nebel could switch his international allegiance to Ireland.
Last season the attacking midfielder scored ten goals and recorded six assists in the Bundesliga for FSV Mainz, finishing sixth in the league and qualifying for the Conference League.
The Bad Nauheim-born winger has been on the Irish radar for a while and he admitted if things don’t work out with Germany, he’ll think about making the move.
Nebel has represented Germany at underage level since 2017 and earned his first call-up to the senior national team in September for two World Cup qualifiers.
He didn’t make an appearance off the bench though and until then he is not cap-tied.
CJ Egan-Riley
CJ Egan-Riley is eligible for Ireland and the 22-year-old has consistently impressed since joining Ligue 1 outfit Marseille on a free transfer from Burnley.
He was part of Burnley’s record-breaking defence in the 2024-25 campaign and named in the Championship Team of the Season.
The Clarets kept 29 clean sheets, beating Wigan Athletic’s EFL record of 27 set in League One in 2017-18.
Egan-Riley made two appearances for Ireland Under 18s back in 2018, representing them in the Victory Shield but ever since he’s been committed to the England setup.
The defender was in the England Under 21 squad at the European Championships in the summer, coming on as a substitute in the final as the Three Lions beat Germany to win the tournament.
Shea Lacey
Highly-regarded Manchester United youngster Shea Lacey is eligible to represent Ireland and he was named in Ruben Amorim’s first-team squad for the first time for the Premier League game against Everton on November 24.
Lacey has represented England from Under 15 through to Under 20 level and he’s recorded three goals and two assists for United’s Under 21s so far this season.
Lacey is widely believed to be one of the most promising youngsters at Carrington, having been at the club since he was four years old.
He made his debut for United’s Under 18s at the age of 15 and Erik ten Hag took notice of him during his time at the club.
Liam Kitching
Liam Kitching is proving to be somewhat of a revelation for Championship outfit Coventry City. He joined the Sky Blues in September 2023 and Hallgrimsson may have taken note of his recent performances as Coventry sit pretty at the top of the table.
Kitching has started all 16 games under Frank Lampard this season, keeping six clean sheets and while Ireland aren’t short on central defenders, strength in depth certainly won’t hurt.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic it was reported Kitching was looking into getting an Irish passport.
Mikey Moore
Mikey Moore’s mother is from Waterford and he’s on Ireland’s radar as a potential option. He’s been capped for England at Under 15 through to Under 19 levels but it’s believed the FAI hold a serious interest in the winger.
He currently plays on loan at Rangers from parent club Tottenham Hotspur where he’s played since his youth and last year he became the youngest Spurs player to feature in the Premier League at the age of 16 years and 277 days.
He scored in a 3-0 win over IF Elfsborg in the Europa League last season and at 17 years and 172 days old, became England’s youngest-ever scorer in a major European competition.
Moore is also eligible to represent Wales through a grandparent. Last month, Moore scored his first hat-trick for England Under 19s in a friendly match against Belgium.
He’s one to watch later down the line in case his senior career doesn’t reach the heights some are expecting.
Danny Armstrong
Last year Danny Armstrong confirmed he had received an approach from Ireland regarding a call-up but is holding out for interest from Scotland.
Armstrong signed for Romanian club Dinamo Bucuresti earlier this summer after four seasons with Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership.
The winger has four goals and two assists for his new side so far this season. He was born in Taunton, England.
Armstrong made four appearances for Scotland at Under 16 level.
Jack and Tyler Fletcher
Twin brothers Jack and Tyler Fletcher, sons of former Manchester United midfielder and current Under 18 coach Darren, are both eligible for Ireland.
They have each elected to play for different international teams with Jack representing England and Tyler representing Scotland at underage level.
Keep an eye on both of their situations going forward as Ireland may enter the frame eventually.
Jack was named alongside Lacey in Amorim’s first-team squad to play Everton on November 24.
Greg Docherty
Greg Docherty admitted back in 2017 he would have preferred to represent Scotland internationally but he would consider a switch to Ireland.
The 29-year-old currently captains Championship club Charlton Athletic and played for Scotland at Under 17 and Under 21 level.
The former Rangers and Hull City midfielder faces stiff competition to break into international football at his age but it isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Sonny Perkins
21-year-old Sonny Perkins is eligible for Ireland through his father, a former Under 21 player for the Emerald Isle but he’s also got the option of Pakistan through his grandfather.
The Leyton Orient forward was a highly-regarded youngster during his time at West Ham United, coming on as a substitute in the Europa League at the age of just 17.
He later rejected West Ham’s offer of a professional contract to seek first-team football elsewhere, signing for Leeds United before going out loan at Oxford United and Orient.
Perkins found a permanent home at Orient earlier this summer and the former England underage international could blossom later in his career.
Charlie McNeill
Charlie McNeill’s grandfather was born in Roscommon giving him the opportunity to represent Ireland internationally.
The former Manchester City and Manchester United prospect scored over 600 goals at youth level and was widely considered an elite-level talent.
He joined United for £750,000 in 2020, scored 24 goals in 21 games in his first season with the Under 21s and made his first-team debut in the Europa League against Real Sociedad a day before his 19th birthday.
Following loan spells with Newport County and Stevenage, McNeill joined Sheffield Wednesday permanently in June 2024 but is yet to score his first goal in the Championship.
Dan Gore
Dan Gore is another Manchester United talent, currently on loan at Rotherham United. Gore is eligible for Ireland and has represented England at Under 16 through to Under 20 level.
He was part of United’s 2022 FA Youth Cup-winning side, winning reserve team Player of the Year in 2022-23 and made his Premier League debut under Erik ten Hag in December 2023.
After battling a few injuries, Gore has broken into the Rotherham side and started all 16 League One games so far this season.
Marcus McGuane
Marcus McGuane represented Ireland at Under 17 level in 2015 and 2016 before switching to England at Under 17 through to Under 19 level.
A product of Arsenal’s academy, he signed for Barcelona in January 2018 and had a buyout clause set at €25 million with the Spanish giants.
He made an appearance in the Supercopa de Catalunya, becoming the first English player to represent the club in 29 years but failed to make a real impact.
McGuane later returned to England, enjoying spells at Nottingham Forest, Oxford United and Bristol City before joining Huddersfield Town in June.
His grandparents were born in Portlaoise and County Cork.