Portugal
World ranking: 6th (4th in Europe)
Manager: Roberto Martinez (Spain)
Our record: Nine defeats for Ireland in 16 games against Portugal since the first clash in 1946 tells a story. There was a 1-0 friendly win at home to Portugal in 2005 and recent competitive games have been tight, a 0-0 draw in Dublin in 2021 which came soon after a hard-fought 2-1 win for Portugal in Faro but Portugal have historical supremacy. The last clash, a 3-0 win for Portugal in Aveiro last summer, was a chastening experience for Ireland.
Star man: He turns 40 in February but there’s still no sign of Cristiano Ronaldo backing away from the national team, with his 135 goals from 217 caps, though he will have to retire eventually. Him aside, Portugal have Premier League elite players (Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Joao Felix) but so many attacking players to put fear into Irish defenders.
Fan-wise: Travel restrictions due to Covid limited access to the last away qualifier, in Faro in 2021, so Irish supporters will relish this away day. Portugal do move their games around the country (they hosted Ireland in Faro and Aveiro in the last two dates) and did move their most recent Nations League game (Poland) to Porto, which is an option, but Lisbon is more likely.
Prospects: Roberto Martinez’s side are unbeaten in six games and, while they are susceptible to the occasional flop (losing to Georgia) they have a squad on a par with anything in European football. Even getting a point over two games would be an achievement for an Ireland side whose group fate will be determined more by the Denmark games.
Denmark
World ranking: 21st (11th in Europe)
Manager: Brian Riemer (Denmark)
Our record: Go to the two games expecting a draw to avoid disappointment as that’s usually the outcome. Five wins and four defeats for Ireland but 10 draws from the teams’ meetings paints a picture and the last four encounters have all ended in a draw. Denmark did come out on top in the last game of real consequence, that 5-1 2018 World Cup playoff win in Dublin, but they have also found Ireland had to beat.
Christian Eriksen celebrates after opening for Denmark, 1100 days after suffering a cardiac arrest at the last European Championship
Star man: Ten players from their last squad play in England or Scotland and while the Brentford contingent are very impressive. Christian Eriksen (32) is still the standout name. Brighton’s Matt O’Riley is an intriguing recruit to their cause, though.
Fan-wise: Three trips to Denmark in the last eight years is possibly more time in Denmark than Ireland fans would have wanted though Dublin prices leave supporters conditioned for the wallet-busting nightlife of Copenhagen. A large capacity in the stadium in Copenhagen should reduce any fears of a ticket scramble.
Prospects: It’s true that the table doesn’t lie so Denmark are up there as the 11th best national side in Europe for a reason but recent form suggests they are vulnerable, 2 wins in the last 10 games (though that includes three draws at Euro 2024) but back to back home wins with clean sheets against Serbia and Switzerland a few months ago shows their potential.
Hungary
World ranking: 30th (18th in Europe)
Manager: Marco Rossi (Italy)
Our record: Ireland have not lost in the six clashes with Hungary since 1969 but most of those were in friendly games as the last competitive clashes were in the qualifiers for the 1990 World Cup. A win for John O’Shea’s Ireland at home to Hungary last June suggests they can be beaten.
Star man: Ten members of their last squad are home-based and with players scattered around Europe, one name stands out from the class that Hungary do have, Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai who has an impressive record of 15 goals in 51 caps.
Ireland’s Sammie Szmodics and Dominik Szoboszlai of Hungary battle for possession during last night’s friendly at the Aviva. Photo: Ben McShane/Sportsfile
Fan-wise: Dental treatments aside, Ireland fans have a new reason to visit Budapest and a trip there, the first competitive match in Hungary since 1989, will be attractive for the green army. With a capacity of 65,000, the Puskas Arena will have more than enough tickets to meet Irish demands.
Prospects: Hungary are notoriously hard to predict: they came to Dublin last June off the back of a long unbeaten run… and lost 2-1 to Ireland and went into Euro 2024 under a cloud, losing to Switzerland and Germany. They are capable of horror shows (lost 5-0 to Germany, 4-0 to Netherlands this year) but can also go to Bosnia and win; their March playoff against Turkey will give an indication of where they are but they are beatable.
Armenia
World ranking: 100th (42nd in Europe)
Manager: Suren Chakhalyan (Armenia)
Our record: Almost perfect for Ireland, three wins in four meetings but all wins have been very hard earned and the one loss, in Yerevan in 2022, was miserable.
Star man: with the majority of the squad attached to clubs in Armenia or Russia they lack stand-out names but Eduard Spertsyan is one, familiar to Irish fans as 2 of his 6 international goals have come against the Republic. He could play at a higher level than his current club, Russian side Krasnodar.
Eduard Spertsyan of Armenia
Fan-wise: Around 800 Ireland fans made the long trek to Yerevan (usually involving three flights, costing time and money) for the trips in 2011 and 2022, they will have enjoyed a bustling, fascinating city with affordable nightlife and restaurants.
Prospects: Six points has to be the target for Ireland as Armenia have never really pushed on as a nation, from the potential they once showed when their U-21 side demolished Ireland. They followed up that 2022 win at home to Ireland by claiming just one draw and no wins in the next seven. Currently led by a home-grown interim manager after Oleksandr Petrakov was sacked, having won just four times in 18 games, they are in crisis and need a rebuild as a team and as a football nation before they face Ireland.