Who are Ireland's possible opponents in Uefa Nations League draw?
Jayson Molumby of Republic of Ireland in action against Fredrik Jenson of Finland during the UEFA Nations League B match between Finland and Republic of Ireland at Helsingin Olympiastadion in Helsinki, Finland, on October 14, 2020. Photo by Jussi Eskola/Sportsfile
On Thursday afternoon, Ireland will discover their opposition for next year’s Uefa Nations League campaign.
Stephen Kenny’s side are bracketed in League B, reserved for nations ranked from 17 (Ukraine) to 32 (Armenia) in the European standings.
Ireland are within the second pot of four, so cannot face Israel, Romania, or Serbia when the draw is made at Uefa headquarters in Nyon at 5pm.
The Irish will be placed in a four-team group alongside a nation from Pot 1, 2, and 4, with the breakdown of each pot outlined below.
Teams will face each other home and away over the campaign. Four of the games are scheduled for June 2022 with the remaining pair being contested in September.
Kenny has already stated his target of winning the group, which would accrue the double benefit of gaining promotion to League A for the next Nations League campaign in two years’ time and guarantee a back-door playoff semi-final for Euro 2024, should Ireland fail to seal a place in Germany directly by finishing among the top two in their pool for that competition in 2023.
Here we detail the potential opponents Ireland could meet in this, the third edition of Uefa’s latest international competition.
The only way is up for Ireland because they didn’t win any of their 10 previous matches in the last series, the initial four against Wales and Denmark marking the final stages of Martin O’Neill’s era and the next six representing Kenny’s first tranche of games at the helm. Ireland scored just twice over that stretch.
Fifa ranking: 25
Manager: Oleksandr Petrakov (appointed caretaker in August 2021, permanent November 2021).
Performance in 2022 World Cup qualifiers: Finished second behind France, winning just twice and drawing their six other qualifiers. Will meet Scotland in the playoff semi-final in March.
Star player: Andriy Yarmolenko: He might be out of favour at high-flying West Ham United but even at 32 the striker is still his country’s talisman. He’s just four goals off equalling Andriy Shevchenko’s record of 48 goals.
Ireland’s record against Ukraine: Zero. Ukraine are one of just four European nations – along with Slovenia and relative newcomers Kosovo and North Macedonia – to never meet Ireland at senior men’s level.
Fifa ranking: 18
Manager: Janne Anderson (appointed in 2016).
Performance in 2022 World Cup qualifiers: Secured the runners-up spot, finishing four points adrift of Spain with a record of five wins – including all four at home – and three defeats. Greece were the closest challengers for second but trailed by five points in the final standings.
Star player: Dejan Kulusevski. Since featuring against Ireland’s U21s in Kalmar in September 2019, a game dominated by Troy Parrott, the midfielder has flourished for Juventus and Sweden’s seniors.
Ireland’s record against Sweden: Played: 11. Won 3, drew 3, lost 5.
Fifa ranking: 61.
Manager: Ivaylo Petev (appointed January 2021).
Performance in 2022 World Cup qualifiers: The worst in their history. A return of seven points from 24 left them a distant fourth in Group D behind Finland. One point from their four home games highlighted the malaise and they registered a sole victory – against bottom side Kazakhstan – over a campaign of woe.
Star player: Sead Kolašinac: Arsenal are without the resolute defender until next month due to an ankle injury but he’s one of the few remaining stars for Bosnia. Ex-Everton midfielder Muhamed Bešić is washed up by 29 while Edin Džeko will be 36 when the Nations League kicks off in June.
Ireland’s record against Bosnia-Herzegovina: Played: 3. Won 2, drew 1.
Fifa ranking: 62
Manager: Arnar Vidarsson (appointed December 2020).
Performance in 2022 World Cup qualifiers: Abysmal. A fifth-place finish in Group J was a major comedown for a nation that had achieved back-to-back qualifications for the 2016 Euros and 2018 World Cup. Their only wins came against minnows Liechtenstein but the bigger scandal was played out off the pitch. Historical sexual assault claims led to the resignation of the federation’s entire board and exclusion from squads of certain players.
Star player: Albert Guðmundsson: Iceland’s golden generation has aged, with many drifting off the scene, leaving the likes of AZ Alkmaar winger Guðmundsson to accept the burden. At 24, he’s no rookie but is the face of a new-look side intent on creating new memories for a home crowd with little reason to embark on rounds of the Viking Clap.
Ireland’s record against Iceland: Played: 3. Won 2, drew 1.
Fifa ranking: 58
Manager: Markku Kanerva (appointed December 2016).
Performance in 2022 World Cup qualifiers: Third in Group D, having accrued 11 points from eight qualifiers. Losing 2-1 at home to Ukraine proved decisive in the battle for second place.
Star player: Teemu Pukki: He’ll turn 32 in March but the Norwich City striker is still Finland’s deadliest attacker. Has racked up 33 goals in his 100 caps and is in no hurry to quit international football.
Ireland’s record against Finland: Played: 7. Won 3, drew 2, lost 2.
Fifa ranking: 41
Manager: Ståle Solbakken (appointed December 2020).
Performance in 2022 World Cup qualifiers: A bright start followed by a dismal finish. Norway had a playoff spot within their control going into the final window last month but a scoreless draw at home to Latvia wounded them before Netherlands landed the fatal blow with a 2-0 win.
Star player: Erling Haaland: One of the most sought-after strikers in the world has been characteristically prolific at senior international level, bagging a dozen goals by the age of 21.
Ireland’s record against Norway: Played: 18. Won 7, drew 8, lost 3.
Fifa ranking: 38.
Manager: Steve Clarke (appointed May 2019).
Performance in 2022 World Cup qualifiers: Clinched a playoff with a six-point cushion on third-placed Israel in Group F. Wins away to Austria and at home to group winners Denmark contributed to their impressive haul of 23 points from 10 qualifiers.
Star player: John McGinn: The Aston Villa playmaker came of age after joining Aston Villa and translated that form onto the international stage by eclipsing Andy Robertson as their biggest influence.
Ireland’s record against Scotland: Played: 11. Won 4, drew 3, lost 4.
Fifa ranking: 34
Manager: Valeriy Karpin (appointed July 2021).
Performance in 2022 World Cup qualifiers: Jostled with Croatia for the top spot up until the final stages, eventually losing out by a point in the final game when an own-goal settled a tie between the rivals.
Star player: Aleksandr Golovin: The midfielder has been with AS Monaco for the last three years since moving from CSKA Moscow and the Russian captain has carved out a reputation for his swashbuckling style at both club and international level.
Ireland’s record against Russia: Played: 7. Won 1, drew 3, lost 3.
Fifa ranking: 65
Manager: Matjaž Kek (appointed November 2018)
Performance in 2022 World Cup qualifiers: Ended up fourth in Russia’s group, deadlocked on 14 points with Slovakia. Won the same amount of games as they lost, four, but failed to build on their opening day win over table-toppers Croatia.
Star player: Jan Oblak: Vastly experienced and still only 28, the goalkeeper has been Atlético Madrid’s No 1 since 2014.
Ireland’s record against Slovenia: Zero. Never faced each other.
Fifa ranking: 72
Manager: Miodrag Radulović (appointed December 2020).
Performance in 2022 World Cup qualifiers: Never rally competed for a playoff, eventually finishing in fourth place with 12 points from their 10 qualifiers. Their three wins came against Gibraltar (twice) and Latvia, who also held them scoreless.
Star player: Adam Marušić: Lazio defender sometimes plays in midfield for the Montenegro team he declared for despite being born in Belgrade.
Ireland’s record against Montenegro: Played: 2. drew 2.
Fifa ranking: 66
Manager: Edoardo Reja (appointed April 2019).
Performance in 2022 World Cup qualifiers: A respectable third spot. England and Poland were also going to be speed ahead in Group I but it was Albania, rather than Hungary, who pushed the Poles closest.
Star player: Armando Broja: Born in Slough, the Southampton flyer declared for Albania at underage level and scored the winner against Hungary in September.
Ireland’s record against Albania: Played: 4. Won 3, drew 1.
Fifa ranking: 92.
Manager: Joaquín Camino (appointed March 2021).
Performance in 2022 World Cup qualifiers: Sealed fourth place in Group J, ahead of Iceland, with 12 points from their 10 games.
Star player: Sargis Adamyan: Born in Yerevan, the striker moved to Germany at the age of five and has played in the Bundesliga for Hoffenheim since 2019.
Ireland’s record against Armenia: Played: 2. Won 2.
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