THE MATCHES IRELAND FANS NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON TONIGHT AND WHAT RESULTS WE NEED
With the Republic of Ireland heading for the World Cup qualification playoffs in March, all eyes now turn to the remaining UEFA qualifier matches.
The country will never forget the elation of Troy Parrott’s hat-trick which saw us beat Hungary 3-2 in the last minute. The feat seemed even more incredible after it followed another extraordinary win against Portugal last Thursday.
While the job is far from over, all eyes turn to two matches that could have even bigger ramifications in the upcoming playoffs, and could see Ireland get a home advantage in Pot 2 of the draw.
WHAT’S THE STORY WITH THE WORLD CUP QUALIFYING PLAYOFFS?
The playoffs will occur in March, with the draw for said playoffs happening on Thursday (November 20). Since Ireland finished second in their group after Troy Parrott’s winner in the 96th minute against Hungary, we find ourselves in the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
16 teams who finished second in their groups will be placed into four pots, with all 16 teams being divided into four groups that will play a semi-final and final. The four teams who win the final will fill in the final four places in the World Cup, which will take place in Canada, the USA and Mexico.
The big issue, though, is that the pots will be seeded on their FIFA World ranking: something that could see Ireland end up in pot two, where they’ll receive a home advantage in the semi-final.
WHERE ARE IRELAND IN THE FIFA WORLD RANKINGS?
The Boys in Green are currently 62nd in the world, but rankings will be updated on Wednesday, just before the draw for the playoffs. However, following the results against Portugal and Hungary, we’re bound to jump up – even a few places – in the rankings.
There are two games to keep an eye on to determine if we’ll end up in pot two or pot three: Wales v North Macedonia, and Austria vs Bosnia and Herzegovena.
WHAT DO WE NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR IN EACH GAME?
Wales vs North Macedonia:
Both teams in this group are currently on 13 points in what’s going to be a battle for the playoffs, but Macedonia have a better goal difference than Wales.
Since Macedonia are lower in the FIFA World Rankings than Ireland (65th), and Wales are ranked higher than Ireland (34th), Macedonia reaching the playoffs would put them in pot three and Ireland in pot two. Wales beating Macedonia means that they’d go in pot two, and Ireland would go in pot three.
So if you’re Irish, you’d want Macedonia to draw to Wales, as they’d reach the playoffs on superior goal difference to Wales but would be in pot 3.
Austria vs Bosnia & Herzegovina
Austria and Bosnia are currently 1st and 2nd in their group, respectively, with Austria two points ahead of Bosnia in their group.
An Austria win would see them automatically qualify for the World Cup and Bosnia reach the playoff, and with Austria having a better FIFA ranking than Ireland (24th) and Bosnia being lower ranked (75th), we’re rooting for an Austria win so they can qualify for the tournament automatically.
WHAT TIME DO THESE GAMES KICK OFF?
Wales vs North Macedonia and Austria vs Bosnia & Herzegovina both kick off at 7.45pm on Tuesday (November 18). Virgin Media 2 will be airing the match live.
Austria vs Bosnia won’t be shown on these shores, so we’re at the mercy of the notifications.
HOW ARE THE POTS LOOKING RIGHT NOW?
Right now, the pots look like this:
Pot 1:
- Italy
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- Poland
Pot 2:
- Scotland
- Czechia/Czech Republic
- Slovakia
- Albania
- Republic of Ireland (if Austria win and North Macedonia win/draw)
Pot 3:
- Republic of Ireland (if Wales and Bosnia win)
- North Macedonia
- Bosnia and Herzegovena
- Kosovo
Pot 4 (Nations League route):
- Wales (if North Macedonia win or draw — will enter pot 2 if they win)
- Sweden
- Romania
- Northern Ireland