World Cup Banner
Hungary v Republic of Ireland - FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier
Hallgrimsson's Ireland rise from early turmoil to play-off berth
Back-to-back wins over the top seeds in the space of three days contributed to what the manager predicted as the miracle necessary to usurp the Magyars for second spot

Sun, 16 Nov, 2025

Hungary v Republic of Ireland - FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier
Play-off explainer: what happens next for Ireland in World Cup bid?
Ireland secured a play-off with a thrilling win in Budapest

Sun, 16 Nov, 2025

Republic of Ireland v Portugal - FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier
'Everyone would have took this before the campaign' - Troy Parrott ready for decider in Hungary 
Parrott’s first half brace on Thursday night helped Ireland secure the victory they needed against the Portuguese to keep their hopes of reaching a first World Cup since 2002 alive.

Fri, 14 Nov, 2025

Cristiano Ronaldo reacts to a decision 13/11/2025
As it happened: Troy Parrott's brace before Ronaldo's red mist keeps Ireland's World Cup dream alive
Ireland now know what they need to do following Hungary's win in Armenia this evening.

Thu, 13 Nov, 2025

Republic of Ireland v Armenia - FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier
S Tommy Martin: Dope Dreams - it's time for Ireland to sign up for the Enhanced World Cup 
One of Heimir Hallgrimsson's strengths is his ability to identify Ireland's shortcomings in post-match interviews. Unfortunately, he seems unable to do anything about them. It's time for radical thinking. 

Thu, 16 Oct, 2025

FBL-WC-2026-EUR-QUALIFIERS-ITA-ISR
28 of the 48 teams for next year's FIFA World Cup are now known...
CĂŽte d'Ivoire, Senegal and South Africa punch tickets but for the likes of Gennato Gattuso's Italy, the qualification sweat is likely to go all the way to the play-offs next March

Wed, 15 Oct, 2025

Sharm El Sheikh Peace Summit
Donald Trump: Fifa would ‘very easily’ move World Cup matches if asked
The US president has previously spoken about moving World Cup matches away from “dangerous” cities.

Wed, 15 Oct, 2025

Republic of Ireland v Armenia - FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier
As it happened: Evan Ferguson keeps Ireland's World Cup hopes alive with win over 10-man Armenia
Any hopes Ireland have of reaching the World Cup next summer will be dashed if they fail to win tonight.

Tue, 14 Oct, 2025

Republic of Ireland v Armenia - FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier
Heimir Hallgrimsson makes two changes to Ireland team for crucial Armenia World Cup qualifier
Ireland know only a win against the Armenians tonight at the Aviva Stadium will be good enough to keep their slim hopes of reaching the finals alive.

Tue, 14 Oct, 2025

Cape Verde v Eswatini - FIFA World Cup 2026 African Qualifier
'I'm the luckiest person in the world' - Pico Lopes reflects on reaching World Cup and expecting first child
Cape Verde’s 3-0 victory over Eswatini on Monday ensured they finished top of their African zone group, becoming the second smallest country in tournament history to qualify after Iceland.

Tue, 14 Oct, 2025

Heimir HallgrĂ­msson 10/10/2025
S Dion Fanning: Hallgrimsson might be in his final days as Ireland manager, but is there a world where this doesn’t matter?
From ‘Team 33’ to taxpayer seed capital, Irish football’s fortunes have long mirrored the nation’s boom-and-bust cycles

Sat, 11 Oct, 2025

Donald Trump
Fifa to distribute record €283m to clubs for 2026 World Cup
For the first time, clubs that release players for World Cup qualifiers - not just the finals - will be compensated

Tue, 16 Sep, 2025

Premier Sports Season Launch – Rugby & Football
Shay Given: World Cup hopes over unless Ireland get a result in Portugal
Given admitted a positive result will be required from this encounter to reignite their qualification hopes.

Sat, 13 Sep, 2025

Armenia Ireland WCup Soccer
As it happened: Ireland's World Cup hopes all but over after horror show in Armenia
Ireland are looking to follow up their draw at home to Hungary with a win in Yerevan.

Tue, 09 Sep, 2025

Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool FC - Premier League
Fifa World Cup 2026 venues could become unplayable due to climate change
‘Pitches in Peril’ report found that 10 of the 16 north American venues are at very high risk of extreme heat stress conditions

Tue, 09 Sep, 2025

Republic of Ireland v Hungary - FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier
'We want to create history for our country' - Dara O'Shea targets World Cup qualification
After drawing with Hungary, the Boys in Green know they must win in Armenia on Tuesday if they are to reach the World Cup.

Mon, 08 Sep, 2025

Republic of Ireland v Hungary - FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier
Opening night reviews are in: how Ireland's rescue act rated against Hungary
Keeper CaoimhĂ­n Kelleher and wide man Ryan Manning performed best on a difficult first World Cup qualifier. In the end, a rescued point was more than welcome

Sat, 06 Sep, 2025

Slovakia Germany WCup Soccer
Back to the drawing board for Nagelsmann after Germany's shock defeat to Slovakia
Germans suffer a first ever World Cup qualifying away defeat with manager saying: 'We picked the best players but maybe we have to put less importance on quality and more on players who will give it all out there'

Fri, 05 Sep, 2025

GERMANY V BOLIVIA
S 2026 World Cup: How far has the US game come since 1994's 'greatest show on earth'?
The biggest difference from 31 years ago is that football fever has finally gripped the USA, which will host three-quarters of the tournament

Wed, 11 Jun, 2025

Government 'still hopeful' extra Euro 2028 games will be held in Irish venues 
Government 'still hopeful' extra Euro 2028 games will be held in Irish venues 
Asked if he was disappointed that any extra matches are now likely to be held in Dublin rather than in regional cities, Thomas Byrne said that it was always going to be a Uefa decision

Sun, 05 Jan, 2025

State Papers: Ireland asked US to be flexible on World Cup visas for 'Jackie Charlton's army' 
State Papers: Ireland asked US to be flexible on World Cup visas for 'Jackie Charlton's army' 
Pleas by tånaiste Dick Spring and ambassador Dermot Gallagher got a lukewarm response from World Cup 1994 hosts 

Sat, 28 Dec, 2024

Irish Examiner view: How will homeless fare after 'painful correction'?
Irish Examiner view: How will homeless fare after 'painful correction'?
House prices overvalued by 8% to 10% ESRI warns 

Fri, 13 Dec, 2024

Munster v Stade Francais Paris - Champions Cup Round 1
S Tommy Martin: Why TMS (that’s Too Much Sport) viewing numbers are tumbling
Too Much Rugby is a smaller scale version of Too Much Football, which reaches new levels of bloated madness with next year’s FIFA Club World Cup

Thu, 12 Dec, 2024

FBL-ASIA-2023-MATCH03-CHN-TJK
Late Zhang winner reignites China's World Cup dream, Saudis hold Australia
The top two finishers in each of Asia's three qualifying groups advance automatically to the 2026 finals in North America while the third and fourth placed nations progress to another phase of preliminaries.

Thu, 14 Nov, 2024

Atletico de Madrid v Real Madrid CF - La Liga EA Sports
Saudi Arabia pays for naming rights to AtlĂ©tico Madrid’s stadium for nine years
Saudi Arabia is all-but confirmed to host the 2034 World Cup. It is the only candidate in a contest FIFA member federations will decide in a December 11 vote.

Wed, 09 Oct, 2024

Sport

Newsletter

Latest news from the world of sport, along with the best in opinion from our outstanding team of sports writers. and reporters

Latest

Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited