By:
Conor Martin
The Republic of Ireland will bid to keep their World Cup dream alive in front of a sold-out Aviva Stadium in Dublin as they take on Portugal on Thursday night.
The majority of the 51,700-capacity crowd will be dreaming that Ireland can pull off one of the shocks of World Cup qualifying so far.
Ireland simply can’t lose to the Portuguese; if they do, then they’ll be watching yet another World Cup at home on television.
Thankfully, high-profile games at the Aviva/Lansdowne Road in the past have seen Irish fans crucial to Ireland coming away with a win; think 2001 against the Netherlands and 2015 against Germany, for example, and on Thursday night a similar atmosphere is needed to help back the Boys in Green.
Aviva Stadium crowd have a massive part to play on Thursday night
If Irish fans get the Aviva rocking, then that will give the Irish a massive lift and go 1-0 psychologically. Ireland skipper Nathan Collins has said in the lead-up to the crucial qualifier that the goal is “to make the Aviva a fortress”.
The fans inside will also have a part to play in trying to upset Portugal, and if they can get on the opposition’s backs early doors, then the game could play into Ireland’s hands.
Everyone knows that Portugal are favourite. However, they are at risk of complacency or being unsettled by the noise and pressure of a passionate crowd.
Ireland have to take a positive approach, and the fans can play their part. The roar of 50-plus Irish voices and a few renditions of The Fields of Athenry will drive Ireland on nicely.
Tonight's game is fully sold out and live on @RTE2 🫡
Let's create an atmosphere to remember 🔥 pic.twitter.com/juSzX8xfsl
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) November 13, 2025
Sold-out Aviva proves Ireland fans’ loyalty
A sold-out Aviva Stadium on Thursday says everything about Irish football fans’ loyalty. Thanks to their results so far, even with that win against Armenia, many won’t look back at this World Cup qualification campaign with fondness, but that hasn’t stopped the fans from flocking to Dublin.
Irish fans have had to deal with some ridiculous pricing; the tickets for the Armenia home fixture were pretty unjustifiable given Ireland’s embarrassing 2-0 defeat away in Armenia that sent Irish fans into meltdown.
However, Irish fans love to dream of pulling off a big win and, more importantly, reaching a World Cup after 24 years.
This loyalty of the majority of Irish fans for the national side is ingrained in Irish culture and is similar to the one GAA fans have in their county in the sense that both sets of supporters back their teams no matter what, through thick and thin, and that’s what Ireland fans will do on Thursday night no matter what.
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