2026 World Cup

[pineapple stu]

Draw starts at 11am. We're third of four (maybe five) teams, so an approachable second seed is key if this isn't going to be another damp squib like the Euro 2024 campaign, which was our worst in 50 years or more. The second seeds all seem half-decent, though maybe 15 years ago we wouldn't have worried too much about any of them.

UEFA presumably making up the rules as they go along - I think I read somewhere this is the most complicated draw they've ever done in terms of restrictions? I still don't know if we can get a 5-team group or not.

Pot 1	Pot 2	Pot 3	Pot 4	Pot 5
France Spain England Portugal Netherlands Belgium Italy Germany Croatia Switzerland Denmark Austria	Ukraine Sweden Türkiye Wales Hungary Serbia Poland Romania Greece Slovakia Czechia Norway	Scotland Slovenia Republic of Ireland Albania North Macedonia Georgia Finland Iceland Northern Ireland Montenegro Bosnia and Herzegovina Israel	Bulgaria Luxembourg Belarus Kosovo Armenia Kazakhstan Azerbaijan Estonia Cyprus Faroe Islands Latvia Lithuania	Moldova Malta Andorra Gibraltar Liechtenstein San Marino

Links
2026 FIFA World Cup(fifa)
2026 FIFA World Cup(wikipedia)
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualification
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualification - UEFA
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualification - UEFA Group F

[tetsujin1979]

Draw about to start. Coverage on RTE NewsNow

[brine3]

Group so far...

Portugal or Denmark as top seed.
Hungary as second seed.
Ireland as third seed.

Could have been much, much worse

[brine3]

We are in one of the four team groups as opposed to the five team groups.

It's not entirely clear to me how they will decide the final team in our group. I'm not even sure if it will be decided today.... something about waiting for playoffs or something.

[pineapple stu]

Armenia to complete it (being the last team in the playoffs)

Could have been worse, but that's still a very tough group. Hungary have been to the last three Euros and have had some great results in the last few years, including hammering England and drawing at home with Germany and Holland in the last Nations League. The winner of Denmark and Portugal will have beaten Portugal or Denmark to get us of course. And while we should beat Armenia, we didn't the last time we went there.

Obviously the Hungary games are key. Wouldn't be hugely confident of qualifying though.

[brine3]

It's Armenia

[Acornvilla]

It's not terrible! Having a solid 9 months and at least 4 more matches to prep before qualifying is probably exactly what HH needed. More time for these players to develop at their clubs too.

[Bungle]

Not the worst draw.

I mean we have an outside chance of a playoff, but all in all, that's not too bad compared to previous draws.

I do feel we are on the up with a competent manager. Hungary are a good side with some very good players. I think with the wind blowing the right way in terms of injuries we can turn them over though. Armenia are a dangerous pot 4 team that will have the same attitude towards us.

Smaller groups may work in our favour. I wouldn't have faith that we would take six points off pot 5 sides at this point. Less room for a **** up.

[Eirambler]

By our recent experiences that draw is absolutely fine. We won't be favoured to finish in the top 2, but there's a possible path there, which there hasn't been in most recent draws.

-We avoided a 5 team group and having to play qualifiers in June
-We avoided the horrendous looking Group E, which is exactly the kind of group we have been landing in recently
-We avoided Greece
-We got one of the more manageable Pot 2 teams in Hungary
-We're highly unlikely to be in with a chance of winning this group, but the Pot 1 team could have been worse as well.

Overall, not bad at all.

[tetsujin1979]

Record V the other teams in Group F

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDhKP4wtyvw

[Eirambler]

Not Ireland related but a bit of an odd one that Spain and the Netherlands would be better off being the loser of their Nations League quarter final in terms of World Cup qualification prospects. I'd say Spain won't be too worried either way but Netherlands might be happy enough to take the loss and avoid Turkey and Georgia.

[Metrostars]

All the groups with current FIFA Rankings:

Group A: Germany(10)/Italy(9) (winner), Slovakia(41), Northern Ireland(71), Luxembourg(92).

Group B: Switzerland(20), Sweden(27), Slovenia(55), Kosovo(99).

Group C: Portugal(6)/Denmark(21) (loser), Greece(39), Scotland(45), Belarus(98).

Group D: France(2)/Croatia(13) (winner), Ukraine(25), Iceland(70), Azerbaijan(117).

Group E: Spain(3)/Netherlands(7) (winner), Turkey(28), Georgia(68), Bulgaria(82).

Group F: Portugal(6)/Denmark(21) (winner), Hungary(30), Republic of Ireland(60), Armenia(100).

Group G: Spain(3)/Netherlands(7) (loser), Poland(35), Finland(69), Lithuania(142), Malta(169).

Group H: Austria(22), Romania(38), Bosnia-Herzegovina(74), Cyprus(130), San Marino(210).

Group I: Germany(10)/Italy(9) (loser), Norway(43), Israel(76), Estonia(123), Moldova(151).

Group J: Belgium(8), Wales(29), North Macedonia(67), Kazakhstan(110), Liechtenstein(204).

Group K: England(4), Serbia(32), Albania(65), Latvia(140), Andorra(171).

Group L: France(2)/Croatia(13) (loser), Czech Republic(42), Montenegro(73), Faroe Islands(137), Gibraltar(197).

[pineapple stu]

It's not entirely clear to me how they will decide the final team in our group. I'm not even sure if it will be decided today.... something about waiting for playoffs or something.

Just on this btw - Portugal and Denmark play in the Nations League quarter-final in March. The winners will be in our group.

[Exgrad]

When you are as crap as we are at the moment every group looks tough, but will take that draw. Don't see any obviously much easier groups, maybe A or H.

[seanfhear]

Just on this btw - Portugal and Denmark play in the Nations League quarter-final in March. The winners will be in our group.

Perhaps Portugal will take a dive, to avoid us ! (wink)