England host Ireland with Nations League promotion on the line – follow live

In the tale of the captain and the caretaker, Lee Carsley’s great gamble paid off. England managers can be defined by a decision involving a talismanic striker. Graham Taylor ended Gary Lineker’s international career to bring on Alan Smith. Alf Ramsey preferred Geoff Hurst to Jimmy Greaves for a World Cup final. One got it wrong, the other very right.

The four third-placed teams from League A make up Pot 1 as seeded sides, while the four runners-up from League B, including either England or Greece from Group B2, enter in Pot 2.

Pot 2 teams are drawn first, then the seeded Pot 1 teams are drawn to complete the play-off ties, with the second legs played at the homes of Pot 1 sides.

Nations currently in the relegation play-off place in League A groups are Poland, Belgium, Hungary and Serbia, though much could change on the final gameweek.

The play-offs are scheduled to take place between 20 and 23 March 2025.

England will secure promotion with a win over Republic of Ireland. If the Three Lions draw, they will still go up if Greece do not win, while they will also go up regardless if Greece lose.

Greece will be promoted with a win over Finland and England failing to win, or if the 2004 European champions draw and England lose.

If England do not secure top spot, England will be forced to tackle the League A/B play-offs to secure promotion. That task will place them up against a third-placed side from League A.

England face the Republic of Ireland at Wembley Stadium on Sunday to conclude their Nations League group stage.

The Three Lions’ rivals for top spot are Greece, who travel to Finland, the bottom side of Group B2 and without a win so far.

Lee Carsley will conclude his interim spell in charge before Thomas Tuchel takes over next year and begins the road to the 2026 World Cup.

Here’s everything you need to know about England’s hopes of securing promotion to League A:

England looked very solid and aggressive against Greece with Jordan Pickford having a superb outing between the sticks. Lee Carsley’s young squad excelled at the top end of the pitch and will want to finish off this international break in style.

England 4-0 Republic of Ireland.

England XI: Henderson; Lewis, Walker, Guehi, Hall; Gallagher, Jones; Bowen, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane

Ireland XI: Kelleher; Doherty, Collins, Scales, O’Dowda; Edosele, Cullen, McAteer, Johnston; Parrott, Ferguson

Lee Carsley confirmed that Harry Kane will start against the Republic of Ireland having been a second-half substitute against Greece during the week. Ezri Konsa went off with a hip injury during that match so Jarell Quansah or Taylor Harwood-Bellis may be in line for a debut.

Expect Carsley to make changes to the line-up with Jarrod Bowen, Morgan Rogers and Morgan Gibbs-White among those who could be awarded a starting berth.

Ireland’s Jason Knight collected a second yellow card of the group against Finland on Thursday meaning his is suspended for this match and Festy Ebosele had a knock and is a doubt for the game.

Manager Heimir Hallgrimsson may decide to switch things up and could bring Jayson Molumby into midfield to partner Josh Cullen while Troy Parrott would offer fresh legs at the top of the pitch.

When is England vs Ireland?

The Nations League finale takes place on Sunday 17 November with kick-off set for 5pm GMT.

Where can I watch the match?

England vs Ireland will be screened live on ITV1 and STV. It can be streamed via ITVX on compatible devices, as well as the STV Player.

The Three Lions come into the game having beaten Greece 3-0 on Thursday evening with a confident display that put them on top of Group B2 and should have their opponents worried. The match is also Lee Carsley’s final game in charge as interim boss before incoming manager Thomas Tuchel begins his reign in full force on January 1.

A win against the Irish will be enough to secure promotion back to the top tier of the Nations League and allow Tuchel to focus solely on the 2026 World Cup instead of facing a possible two-legged play-off for Uefa’s international competition.

Ireland, meanwhile, hope to build off the back of a 1-0 win over Finlandand bring the challenge to their near neighbours in what could be a historic result should they prove triumphant.

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of this evening’s match between England and Ireland at Wembley.

The Three Lions sit top of Group B2 ahead of the final match of the group campaign and are hunting promotion, and they will get it if they manage to match or better Greece’s result against Finland.

For Ireland, there is no hope of promotion or fear of relegation, but they will be dreaming of securing a famous away result against Lee Carsley’s side.