The Republic of Ireland will be looking to take a major step towards promotion to UEFA Nations League - League A with a win in Austria on Saturday, November 14th.

Heimir Hallgrímsson's side are in Linz to take on an Austrian side who secured a 2-2 draw at the Aviva Stadium in October, when a spirited second-half comeback cancelled out a first-half brace from Troy Parrott.

Ireland head into the window knowing that two wins—from tomorrow night's match in Linz and Tuesday's clash against Kosovo in Dublin—will see them top the group and secure a historic, first-ever promotion to League A.

Match Details

Fixture: Austria v Republic of Ireland
Competition: UEFA Nations League – League B
Date: Saturday, November 14
Kick-off: 7.45pm (8.45pm local)
Venue: Raiffeisen Arena, Linz
TV: RTÉ2 / RTÉ Player

Team News

Heimir Hallgrímsson has confirmed that Seamus Coleman will not be involved in the match-day squad tomorrow night, though he has not ruled the defender out of Tuesday's fixture against Kosovo.
The Ireland Head Coach also has five players currently on yellow cards who risk suspension for the Aviva Stadium decider, but the squad has reported no fresh injury concerns ahead of the Austria clash. 

Match Officials

Referee: Irfan Peljto (BIH)
Assistant Referee 1: Senad Ibrišimbegović (BIH)
Assistant Referee 2: Davor Beljo (BIH)
Fourth Official: Miloš Gigovic (BIH)
Video Assistant Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Dario Bel (CRO)

Press Conference | Head Coach Heimir Hallgrímsson

On Troy Parrott: "I think it was a good step in his career to go to Spain from the Netherlands. He’s finding his feet, and you can see in his performances that he’s growing and understanding his teammates better. But he has always produced for Ireland. You just look at the stats: in his last few games for us, he’s scored almost a goal a game, which is a fantastic return."

On finish to the group: "Maybe not quite as do-or-die because our primary goal was to finish in the top two, so even a defeat tomorrow leaves us with a chance to secure second place. But our ambition is to win the group, and to do that, we know we need to win both games."

On Austria: "We have to be defensively solid, and we cannot make the same mistakes we made late in the match in Dublin. We know the caliber of team they are. What I will say about Austria is that they qualified for the Euros and performed at major tournaments, which meant they spent nearly two months together as a group. That extended time together is where you truly grow as an international side. That’s why it’s so important for us to qualify for Euro 2028, so we can have those uninterrupted weeks together to build the cohesion that other teams take for granted. Austria don’t rely on a single superstar; their strength is their collective spirit, organisation, and work rate."

Press Conference | Captain Nathan Collins

On missing out last camp: "It was very tough. It’s honestly more stressful watching from home than actually being involved. I don’t want to dredge everything up, but seeing what was being said online and in the media made it really hard. I felt like I had left the lads at the wrong time by being injured, and it was deeply frustrating not being able to be there alongside them."

On Dara O'Shea's captaincy: "I’ve said it many times: there isn't just one captain in this team. What Dara did in the last camp was incredible. From everything the lads told me, he was just himself—a natural leader who took the armband and carried the responsibility brilliantly. He and several other senior lads stepped up, absorbed the pressure, and made the right decisions for the group."

Match Facts | Austria v Republic of Ireland

- Austria have lost just one of their last 11 games against the Republic of Ireland across all competitions (W6 D4), a 1-0 defeat in a World Cup qualifier in November 2016.
- Republic of Ireland have lost six of their last eight away games against Austria across all competitions (D1 L1) though did win 1-0 on their last visit in November 2016
- Austria are unbeaten in their last 16 home matches across all competitions (W13 D3) since losing 3-2 to Belgium in October 2023. They have scored 48 goals across those 16 games and never conceded more than once in a single game.
- Republic of Ireland have lost one of their last 12 games across all competitions (W6 D5), a 1-0 defeat away at Kosovo in September 2026 in the UEFA Nations League.
- Austria have conceded 14 goals across their last eight matches, failing to keep a single clean sheet in that time. It’s more than they shipped in their previous 19 games combined (13).
- In 2026, the Republic of Ireland have scored 15 goals and conceded only seven, their best positive goal difference (+8) in any calendar year since 2021 (20 goals, 10 conceded, +10). As recently as 2024, Eire had a minus 12 goal difference (5 goals, 17 conceded).
- Austria’s nine goals in the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League have been scored, on average, in the 65th minute, the second-latest of any team with 5+ goals behind France (76th). Conversely, the Republic of Ireland’s goals have been scored on average in the 25th minute, the earliest of the 26 teams with 5+ goals.
- Troy Parrott has scored 10 goals in his last seven competitive appearances for the Republic of Ireland, including two against Austria in October. Since November 2025, only two other Ireland players have scored a competitive goal – Jack Moylan and Adam Idah (1 each).

Republic of Ireland Squad - Austria & Kosovo

Goalkeepers: Caoimhín Kelleher (Liverpool), Max O'Leary (West Bromwich Albion), Mark Travers (Everton)

Defenders: Nathan Collins (Brentford), Dara O'Shea (Ipswich Town), John Egan (Hull City), Liam Kitching (Sheffield United), Jimmy Dunne (QPR), Jake O'Brien (Everton), James Abankwah (Udinese), Ryan Manning (Southampton), Liam Scales (Celtic)

Midfielders: Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion), Jason Knight (Bristol City), Conor Coventry (Charlton Athletic), Bosun Lawal (Stoke City), Harvey Vale (QPR), Finn Azaz (Southampton)

Forwards: Troy Parrott (Real Betis), Adam Idah (Swansea City), Tom Cannon (Sheffield United), Jack Moylan (Cardiff City), Chiedozie Ogbene (Lincoln City), Rocco Vata (Watford)

UEFA Nations League - Fixtures

Saturday, 14 November: Austria v Republic of Ireland, Raiffeisen Arena, Linz, 7.45pm (8.45pm local)
Tuesday, 17 November: Republic of Ireland v Kosovo, Aviva Stadium, 7.45pm