Republic of Ireland squad for WC playoffs
Goalkeepers: Caoimhín Kelleher (Brentford), Mark Travers (Everton), Josh Keeley (Luton Town).
Defenders: Séamus Coleman (Everton), Jimmy Dunne (QPR), Nathan Collins (Brentford), Dara O’Shea (Ipswich Town), Jake O’Brien (Everton), John Egan (Hull City), James Abankwah (Watford), Liam Scales (Celtic), Robbie Brady (Preston North End), Ryan Manning (Southampton).
Midfielders: Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion), Bosun Lawal (Stoke City), Jack Taylor (Ipswich Town), Alan Browne (Middlesbrough), Jason Knight (Bristol City), Finn Azaz (Southampton), Harvey Vale (QPR).
Attackers: Troy Parrott (AZ Alkmaar), Adam Idah (Swansea City), Johnny Kenny (Bolton, on loan from Celtic), Chiedozie Ogbene (Sheffield United, on loan from Ipswich Town), Sammie Szmodics (Derby, on loan from Ipswich Town).
Now, that’s enough excitement for one day so I’ll leave it there.
We’ll be back with another blog next Thursday to bring you live updates from the game at the Fortuna Arena (kick-off 7.45pm Irish time), followed by player ratings, reaction, opinion and analysis from our writers and columnists.
And keep an on The Irish Times for updates in the meantime, we’ve plenty coming over the next week to put you in the mood for Thursday’s game.
Until then, slán!
As he has said before, Heimir Hallgrímsson “won’t stay where I’m not wanted”. Lucky then that the FAI want him to stick around, in which case he was happy to oblige.
Hallgrímsson has signed a new contract which will take him up to the end of the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2028 campaign.
Ireland will co-host the 2028 tournament alongside the UK, with seven fixtures set to be played in Dublin.
In a statement following Thursday’s press conference, the FAI said the new deal provides “stability and clarity” ahead of the upcoming World Cup playoffs.
Great news for Irish football! 🇮🇪
We are delighted to announce that Republic of Ireland Head Coach Heimir Hallgrímsson has committed his future to the FAI by signing a new contract.
Speaking at today’s press conference, Heimir confirmed he has signed a new contract until the… pic.twitter.com/UCEXDifb8r
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) March 19, 2026
“I am incredibly proud and delighted to commit my future to the Republic of Ireland,” said Hallgrímsson. “I have always said that we are on a journey together – the players, the staff, and our incredible supporters.
“I can see the real progress we are making and the huge potential in this group, so it was an easy decision for me to make.”
FAI chief executive David Courell added: “We are thrilled to secure Heimir for the long term. He has brought a clear vision, a strong tactical identity, and a sense of belief back to the senior men’s national team.
“This new contract provides the stability and leadership required to achieve our ambitious goals, not just in the upcoming playoffs but as we build towards a historic home tournament at Euro 2028. It is a statement of our intent and our confidence in the direction Heimir is taking us.”
[ Heimir Hallgrímsson signs new contract with Ireland until after Euro 2028Opens in new window ]
More from Gavin Cummiskey:
On his midfield selections of Bosun Lawal and Harvey Vale, Hallgrímsson explained: “Bosun is taller, stronger, which we expect this game will be about. He has been with us for two camps so he knows what we expect of him. Like anyone else, he could start.”
Vale captained the England under-19s to a European title in 2022.
“I talked to him over a year ago at Queens Park when he expressed a desire to be involved. His performance has been growing in every game, so I think this is a perfect time to bring him in.
“(He’s a) good player, good person, a hard-working guy who creates chances and scores goals.”
The smart money is on Jason Knight to partner Jayson Molumby in midfield, although Alan Browne returns, and Ipswich Town’s Jack Taylor is an established member of the squad.
Vale could be an impact option as one of the wide attackers if Sammie Szmodics or Chiedozie Ogbene run out of steam in Prague.
Right, that’s the press conference over. Gavin Cummiskey has this for us:
Heimir Hallgrímsson has made some interesting calls ahead of the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup playoff against the Czech Republic in Prague next Thursday.
In midfield, where the main challenge is to replace the injured Burnley captain Josh Cullen, former Ireland under-21 skipper Conor Coventry does not make the cut, despite being capped against Portugal last year, as Hallgrímsson turns to Bosun Lawal and Harvey Vale.
QPR’s Harvey Vale, who has been included in the Republic of Ireland squad for the World Cup playoffs. Photograph: Lee Keuneke/PA
Lawal is expected to shake off a hamstring strain to feature for Stoke City against Preston North End on Friday night, while Vale is a bolt from the blue, having only received his Fifa clearance to switch from England to Ireland last week.
Lawal and Vale are not expected to start against the Czechs, although they could see minutes off the bench or in the playoff final, should Ireland win in Prague, against the winners of Denmark v North Macedonia on March 31st at the Aviva Stadium.
We’ll have more from Gavin shortly.
Heimir Hallgrímsson has thrown in a bit of breaking news, confirming he has signed a contract extension to stay on as head coach until after Euro 2028.
The Icelander agreed terms with FAI chief executive David Courell on Thursday morning ahead of the squad announcement.
“It’s similar to a general pay rise in Ireland over the last two years,” Hallgrímsson joked. “I hope John O’Shea will continue, he has not signed yet, but he is an expert in his area.”
On the Czech Republic, Hallgrímsson notes Thursday’s opponents are 16 places above Ireland in the Fifa world rankings.
“They will be expected to win at home, losing is not an option.”
Heimir Hallgrímsson is optimistic heading into these playoffs, believing Ireland have “nothing to lose, everything to gain”.
He says his side have momentum and belief going to Prague, and unlike other teams “(we’re) really happy to be in the playoffs, not every national team is happy to be in the playoffs”.
“Those two thing can make magic for us,” Hallgrímsson adds.
Your Ireland squad for the FIFA World Cup 26 Qualifying Play-Offs is in 🇮🇪@QPR’s Harvey Vale receives his first senior Ireland call-up as Alan Browne & Robbie Brady both return 👏
Thu 26th March | 🇨🇿 v 🇮🇪
Tue 31st March | 🇮🇪 v 🇩🇰/🇲🇰 pic.twitter.com/1DQoBpXrx3
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) March 19, 2026
Hallgrímsson says there may be changes to the squad ahead of the game on March 31st, with the potential for other players to be brought in.
On Harvey Vale’s call-up, the QPR player having switched international allegiance from England earlier this month, Hallgrímsson says he spoke to Vale a year ago at which point the 22-year-old expressed a desire to play for Ireland.
Hallgrímsson describes Vales as a “good player, good person, hard worker, creator of chances” adding he is looking forward to start working with him.
Hallgrímsson says it’s “difficult to leave out players who got us to this game”, but acknowledges it has been four months since the game against Hungary in Budapest, and “a lot has happened” in the interim.
“In general, we go for players who have been with us before because we want to do the same things that we’ve done before,” says Hallgrímsson of his selection.
The press conference is under way, with Heimir Hallgrímsson acknowledging “excitement is building” ahead of next Thursday’s game.
And here’s the Republic of Ireland squad for the playoffs:
Goalkeepers: Caoimhín Kelleher (Brentford), Mark Travers (Everton), Josh Keeley (Luton Town).
Defenders: Séamus Coleman (Everton), Jimmy Dunne (QPR), Nathan Collins (Brentford), Dara O’Shea (Ipswich Town), Jake O’Brien (Everton), John Egan (Hull City), James Abankwah (Watford), Liam Scales (Celtic)*, Robbie Brady (Preston North End), Ryan Manning (Southampton).
Midfielders: Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion), Bosun Lawal (Stoke City), Jack Taylor (Ipswich Town), Alan Browne (Middlesbrough), Jason Knight (Bristol City), Finn Azaz (Southampton), Harvey Vale (QPR).
Attackers: Troy Parrott (AZ Alkmaar), Adam Idah (Swansea City), Johnny Kenny (Bolton, on loan from Celtic), Chiedozie Ogbene (Sheffield United, on loan from Ipswich Town), Sammie Szmodics (Derby, on loan from Ipswich Town).
*Suspended for Czech game
Heimir Hallgrímsson’s press conference to follow…
Fifteen minutes now until Heimir Hallgrímsson’s press conference gets under way.
Republic of Ireland captain Nathan Collins alongside manager Heimir Hallgrímsson during a press conference last August. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
Some social media managers appear to have got ahead of themselves..
A few clubs have tweeted to congratulate their players on their Republic of Ireland call-ups. QPR and Luton, we’re looking at you.
Harvey Vale 🤝🇮🇪 Republic of Ireland
A first 𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗥 international call-up ahead of the upcoming World Cup play-offs 🏆
Huge congrats, Harvey! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/XgBL59mq15
— QPR FC (@QPR) March 19, 2026
Oh well, it at least confirms that Harvey Vale is included, and goalkeeper Josh Keeley.
Northern Ireland are in pathway A for these World Cup playoffs, along with Wales.
Michael O’Neill’s side have a tough task ahead, facing Italy in Bergamo in their playoff semi-final next Thursday.
Trai Hume (right) celebrates scoring Northern Ireland’s second goal during the Uefa World Cup qualifier against Slovakia in October. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA
If they get through that, they’ll face the winner of Wales v Bosnia & Herzegovina, who meet in the other playoff semi-final.
The winner of playoff A will be in Group B at the World Cup, alongside Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.
Scotland and England have already qualified for the World Cup and have been drawn in Group C and L respectively.
Scotland will face Brazil, Morocco and Haiti in the group stages, while England have Croatia, Ghana and Panama.
If Ireland reach the World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side, as the winners of playoff D, would feature in Group A of the tournament.
There they would face co-hosts Mexico, South Africa and South Korea.
South Korea would be up first, the game set for June 11th in Guadalajara, Mexico, followed by a trip to Atlanta, USA to face South Africa on June 18th, before the group games would be wrapped up against the Mexicans at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on June 24th.
Do we dare to think that far ahead?
Just a reminder of the actual match details for the upcoming games:
Czech Republic v Republic of Ireland, Fortuna Arena, Prague; Thursday, March 26th, kick-off 7.45pm Irish time. Live coverage on RTÉ2.
Republic of Ireland v Denmark/North Macedonia, Aviva Stadium, Dublin; Tuesday, March 31st.
Draw assistant Wayne Gretzky shows a card reading Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic and Republic of Ireland during the draw for the 2026 World Cup which was held in December. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
If Ireland beat the Czech Republic, the game on March 31st will be a World Cup playoff final against the winner of the Denmark-North Macedonia playoff semi-final (which will be played next Thursday).
If Ireland lose next week, the game at the Aviva will be an international friendly against the losing side from Thursday’s playoff in Copenhagen.
The Czechs named their squad for the playoffs on Tuesday and are boosted by the inclusion of some players who had been injury doubts.
Lyon’s Pavel Sulc, Bayer Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick and West Ham’s Tomas Soucek are all included the 25-man squad named by Czech manager Miroslav Koubek.
[ Czech squad named for World Cup playoff against Republic of IrelandOpens in new window ]
Patrik Schick in action for Bayer Leverkusen during Tuesday’s Champions League second-leg Round of 16 fixture against Arsenal. Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Gavin Cummiskey reports Heimir Hallgrímsson is going to break from normal procedure in naming his squad this afternoon, by doing just that, naming them.
Hallgrímsson will hold a live press conference at around 12.15pm during which he will list his chosen players, expected to number in the region of 24-25.
Who’s set for inclusion? Gavin believes there are spots for Robbie Brady and Séamus Coleman, the only men standing from Ireland’s last appearance at a major tournament, Euro 2016.
Séamus Coleman celebrates after Ireland’s win over Hungary in Budapest. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
Liam Scales and Festy Ebosele are both unavailable for the Czech game due to suspension, while Evan Ferguson is out of the running as he recovers from a recent ankle surgery, as is Josh Cullen, who suffered an ACL injury in December.
But the “bolt from the blue” is the expected inclusion of QPR’s Harvey Vale after he switched international allegiance from England to Ireland earlier this month.
Read Gavin’s squad preview in full below:
Good morning! A date we’ve had in the diary since November is fast approaching. On March 26th, the Republic of Ireland face the Czech Republic in a World Cup playoff semi-final, the winner of which will face either Denmark or North Macedonia in a playoff final where the winner will earn a spot at this summer’s World Cup.
Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson will name his squad for the game shortly after midday. We’ll have live updates as the squad is announced, followed by some reaction and analysis.
The goal that got us here: Troy Parrott scores Ireland’s third goal against Hungary in their Uefa Group F World Cup qualifier in Budapest last November. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
Until then, we’ll be going back over how Ireland found their way here – from the lows of Yerevan to the highs of Budapest, and everything you need to know about Ireland’s potential path to the World Cup and what awaits them in the Americas should they qualify.