The Republic of Ireland takes on Qatar in the Aviva Stadium on Thursday night in the first of two upcoming friendlies for Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side.
The Boys in Green will fly to North America to play Canada next month, but first up is a home game against the 2022 World Cup hosts in Dublin.
While there are 10 uncapped players included in the squad for the upcoming fixtures against Qatar and Canada, Heimir Hallgrimsson has indicated that experience is likely to be prioritised for Thursday’s encounter due to the short preparation time ahead of the game.
Mason Melia will hope to make his debut against Qatar. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
The fixture serves as an important part of Qatar’s preparations ahead of the FIFA World Cup in America, with the visitors travelling to the tournament following their visit to the Aviva.
The game was originally supposed to be the first of two warm-up friendlies for Ireland, too, ahead of the FIFA World Cup, but after the heartbreak in Prague that knocked Ireland out of qualifying, the two games will give Hallgrimsson the chance to experiment with some fresh faces.
‘Given the time we have, more or less, this is the only day we have proper training with everybody ready and fit. So, we will go for experience tomorrow,’ Hallgrimsson said.
Heimir Hallgrimsson and Seamus Coleman. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
‘We’ll start with the ones that have been with us before. It gives us another week to prepare the younger guys for the Canada match.
‘Hopefully, we can give some of them some time on the pitch tomorrow, but this is a strong opponent going for the World Cup.’
Here’s everything you need to know about the first of the two friendly matches.
Date
The game is on today, May 28, 2026.
Kick-off time
The game kicks off at 7:45 pm Irish time.
Venue
The match is on at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
TV information
RTÉ2 will show Ireland vs Qatar live on Thursday evening with coverage starting shortly before the 7:45 pm kick-off. The game will also be available online on the RTÉ Player.
Betting odds at the time of writing
Ireland – 1/2
Qatar – 9/2