Ireland will play Czechia in the European play-offs for the FIFA World Cup 2026, it was revealed today during the draw in Zurich.
Ireland will play Czechia at The Letna Stadium in Prague on Thursday, March 26.
If Ireland beats Czechia, the Boys in Green will play the winner of Denmark v North Macedonia in a Play-Off Final at home in Dublin's Aviva Stadium on Tuesday, March 31.
We will face Czechia in the FIFA World Cup 26 Qualifying Play-Off Semi-Final
If we progress through our Semi-Final tie we will face Denmark or North Macedonia at home in a Play-Off Final at the Aviva Stadium
🇨🇿 v 🇮🇪 | Thu 26th March 2026
🇮🇪 v 🇩🇰/🇲🇰 | Tue 31st March 2026 pic.twitter.com/UgjRkVYEcC
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) November 20, 2025
Ireland's Head Coach Heimir Hallgrímsson told RTÉ Sport of the draw: "I really didn't mind which one (team) it was, the more important thing is that we get a home game in the second leg (final)."
Ireland are in the European play-offs after two stunning upsets last week - one over Portugal in Dublin and another over Hungary in Budapest.
"Not so different teams, I would say, Hungary and Czech Republic," Hallgrímsson told RTÉ Sport on Thursday following the draw.
"But we need to analyze them. We've plenty of time so we can talk about them later. But obviously a tough match."
“We need to believe more and more.”
Instant reaction to the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup play-off draw from Heimir Hallgrimsson as he talks to RTÉ soccer correspondent Tony O’Donoghue. pic.twitter.com/t9eHIBwLSX
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) November 20, 2025
16 UEFA nations are involved in the European play-offs, with four qualification places up for grabs via four paths.
The European play-offs are made up of 12 group runners-up, including Ireland, and the four best-ranked UEFA Nations League section winners.
The 16 participating teams have been drawn into four play-off paths, each consisting of four teams. Each play-off path is composed of two semi-final pairings of one seeded team and one unseeded team.
Within each path, the teams will contest single-legged semi-finals, with the winners of the semi-finals progressing to single-legged finals to determine the final four UEFA representatives at the World Cup.
The winners of the four finals will join the 12 European nations who have already secured their spots in the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament, which is being staged in Canada, Mexico, and the US next summer.
FIFA World Cup 2026: European Play-Off draw results
Path A semi-finals
- Italy v Northern Ireland
- Wales v Bosnia-Herzegovina
Path B semi-finals
- Ukraine v Sweden
- Poland v Albania
Path C semi-finals
- Turkiye v Romania
- Slovakia v Kosovo
Path D semi-finals
- Denmark v North Macedonia
- Czechia v Republic of Ireland
The European Play-Offs for the #FIFAWorldCup 🌍
Which four are headed to #WeAre26? 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ssnMXLRgYB
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 20, 2025
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