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.

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."

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