The Republic of Ireland’s group for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying has been revealed.
Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side have been drawn to play either Portugal or Denmark, Hungary and Armenia in Group F.
Portugal and Denmark face off in the Nations League quarter-finals in March and the winner of that two-leg tie will play in Group F.
The draw took place on Friday morning in Zurich, Switzerland.
Ireland will be hoping to be one of 16 teams from UEFA who will qualify for the World Cup. This is an increase of three teams when compared to the previous tournament held in Qatar in winter 2022.
However only the twelve group winners will qualify automatically this time round. The 12 runners-up in each group go into a 16-team play-off in March 2026 along with four Nations League sides.
Ireland drawn in Group F for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
Ireland are currently ranked 60th in FIFA’s world rankings, 28th of the European teams so finishing in the top two in their group appears to be a big ask.
Ireland ended their Nations League group campain in mid-November defeating Finland 1-0, before suffering a 5-0 loss at the hands of England at Wembley.
In terms of the teams Ireland have been drawn to face this time round Portugal are ranked 6th in the FIFA world rankings, Denmark are 21st, Hungary are 30th and Armenia are 100th.
As Ireland play Bulgaria in their UEFA Nations League B/C relegation/promotion play-off in March, they’ve been drawn in a four team group.
This means Hallgrímsson’s team won’t get their World Cup qualifying campaign underway until September 2025.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico starts on 11 June in Mexico City and ends on 19 July in New Jersey.
The expanded 48-team tournament will last a record 39 days.
The new format will feature 12 four-team groups and a last-32 knockout round for the first time.
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