Ireland will be watching intently on Wednesday evening as they prepare to discover their fate ahead of the World Cup qualifying play-off.
Troy Parrott’s moments of magic against Portugal and Hungary have given Ireland a glorious chance of securing their spot on the plane next year for the first time since 2002.
The draw for the play-off fixtures will take place on Thursday, with the games commencing in March.
Ireland will be hoping they can find themselves in Pot 2 for the draw, as it holds a significant advantage.
It means they will secure a home draw for the play-off semi-final and face a team from Pot 3. Teams that finish in Pot 1 will play teams that finished in Pot 4 on home soil.
How Ireland can finish in Pot 2
FIFA has made the system ridiculously complicated, but in short, the games between Wales and North Macedonia and Austria and Bosnia are significant.
For Ireland to secure Pot 2, they will need North Macedonia AND Austria to win or draw their fixtures.
If Wales beat North Macedonia, Craig Bellamy’s side will move into Pot 2 and Ireland will drop into Pot 3.
Austria are the 1/3 favourites to beat Bosnia, having won 2-1 away in their reverse fixture in September.
Macedonia’s task against Wales is trickier. The Welsh are the 4/6 favourites to pull off a victory, and they will be roared on by their own supporters, hoping to ensure that home advantage.
The play-offs consist of 12 European teams that finished second in the group stages, along with four teams from the Nations League that didn’t make the top two in their World Cup qualifying group.
These 16 teams will then be split into semi-finals and finals, divided across four pots. Therefore, four more teams will qualify for the World Cup.
As it stands, 14 of the 16 teams have been confirmed. The other two will be made up from either Scotland, Denmark, Bosnia or Austria.
Who could Ireland play in the World Cup qualifiers?
If Ireland end up in Pot 2, they could likely play North Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia or Kosovo all at home.
If they land in Pot 3, Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side could take on Czech Republic, Slovakia, Wales, Ukraine or Poland.
How can Ireland fans buy tickets?
If Ireland are at home, they will be able to purchase them through the FAI website.
On Sunday night, there was a clamour for season tickets with over 8,800 people waiting in the queue to snap up tickets for 2026.
That is because attending matches can contribute to a loyalty scheme, which then provides exclusive access to purchase tickets for major tournaments.
If Ireland qualify for the World Cup, demand for tickets will be extraordinarily competitive.
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