Ireland’s path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup was confirmed this afternoon, with Czechia and either Denmark or North Macedonia standing between Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side and a place at next summer’s finals in North America.

The draw certainly could have been a lot worse. A trip to Prague to take on Czechia was one of the kinder semi-final possibilities, while Ireland will also get to host the final in Dublin should they make it that far.

While a trip to Prague will be an appealing one for Irish supporters, the venue for the game will result in a mad scramble for tickets.

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Venue For Ireland World Cup Play-Off Is Bad News For Irish Fans

Ireland’s World Cup play-off against Czechia is sure to be one of the most in-demand Irish football tickets in recent memory, but it will be incredibly difficult for supporters to get their hands on any.

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The fixture is set to be held at Prague’s Fortuna Arena on March 26th, the home of club side Slavia Prague. The venue has a capacity of just 19,370 spectators.

With Ireland supporters set to be entitled to just five per cent of the total capacity available, it could mean that less than 1,000 tickets would be available to away fans.

The Prague venue is the smallest of the four potential away stadiums Ireland could have been drawn to play in. Poland’s stadium holds 55,000 fans, while Wales’ and Slovakia’s hold 33,000 and 22,000 respectively.

As a result, this fixture is likely to result in the least amount of tickets possible being granted to Irish fans.

As a result of the small allocation, it is likely that only those who have attended essentially all of Ireland’s away fixtures during recent campaigns will be eligible for a ticket. Further information on that process is likely to become clear over the coming days.

While it is an awkward draw for Irish supporters, it is a good one for the team itself.

Czechia were quite poor in their qualification campaign, struggling to second in a group that was probably the weakest out of the 12 UEFA pools. They would finish well behind group leaders Croatia, also suffering an embarrassing loss against Faroe Islands.

Ireland will fancy their chances of coming out on top in this one.

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