Ireland grouped with England in Nations League draw
Aleksandar Kolarov draws Ireland in Pool B. Picture: INPHO/Dave Winter
Ireland have been drawn against England, Finland and Greece in the Uefa Nations League, with fixtures scheduled between September and November.
It will be Ireland’s first competitive clash with the auld enemy since 1991.
The League B section of the draw was made by Aleksandar Kolarov, the former Manchester City player whose goal for Serbia in Dublin went a long way to denying Ireland top spot in their 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
Representing the FAI at the draw were recently-elected President Paul Cooke, chief executive Jonathan Hill and Director of Football Marc Canham.
Most managers of the 54 nations were in attendance at the Maison de la Mutualité but the FAI are still seeking theirs, 11 weeks after dispensing with Stephen Kenny.
Lee Carsley remains the first choice of the headhunting team, led by Canham, with Neil Lennon remaining in the mix while the England U21 boss muses over the finer details of the package and conditions on offer.
This is the fourth instalment of a Nations League concept that began in 2018 with a view to minimise friendlies.
Three successive third-placed finishes, the first in the three-team group, reflect Ireland’s abysmal record of two wins in 16 matches.
Ireland must top their group to secure the fallback option of a playoff before the World Cup qualifiers start in 2025.
In a tweak to the Nations League format, second and third placed teams will enter home and away playoffs. A runner-up berth would tee Ireland up against the nation that finishes third in League A for a place in the top tier of the next series.
Conversely, another third placed finish would necessitate a win over a League C runners-up to avoid relegation.
The 2026 World Cup in America, Canada and Mexico will be the first in an expanded 48-team format, with 16 places for European teams.
Winners of the 12 groups qualify directly with the last four reserved for playoff winners. That series will consist of the 12 runners-up along with the four best Nations League finishers who didn’t achieve a top-two finish in the campaign.
England dropped into the League B section of the draw for the first time after being relegated in 2022.
While they were the team to avoid of the top seeds, drawing Finland was the preference from the second options.
Ranked 59 in the world, Markku Kanerva’s side face Wales in their Euro 2024 playoff semi-final next month. The victor faces either Poland or Estonia for a ticket to Germany in June.
Greece are another team Ireland have recent history with. Gus Poyet’s team won both qualifiers in the recent Euro series and they are also in playoff action next month.
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