The 2025/26 international season was a period of evolution for the Republic of Ireland MNT under the stewardship of Heimir Hallgrímsson.

It was a historical season, a season where the Irish public got behind their national football team once again following the heroics against Portugal and Hungary in November. 

Qualification to the World Cup wasn't to be following a narrow penalty shoot-out defeat to Czechia in March but hope has been renewed ahead of the UEFA EURO 2028 qualifying campaign, a tournament where Ireland are co-hosts. 

2025/26 Season Facts

Unbeaten in Eight: By securing a 1-1 draw against Canada in June 2026, Ireland officially reached eight games unbeaten (5 wins, 3 draws). This is the longest unbeaten streak for the MNT since the 2011/12 season under Giovanni Trapattoni, surpassing the 7-game run seen in 2021.
The Portugal Win: The 2-0 victory over Portugal in November 2025 was Ireland’s first competitive win against the Seleção in 30 years. The last time Ireland beat Portugal in a competitive fixture was during the Euro 1996 qualifiers in 1995.
Goal-Scoring Renaissance: With 18 goals scored across 11 matches, the 2025/26 squad is averaging 1.63 goals per game. This marks a significant offensive turnaround from the 2023/24 cycle, which was statistically one of the lowest-scoring periods in the team's modern history.

Below is the statistical breakdown of the season, a look at all of the matches from September 2025 through to June 2026.

The Results: 2025/26 Campaign
Ireland played 11 matches during this period, finishing with a record of 4 wins, 5 draws, and 2 losses.
06.09.2025: Ireland 2 – 2 Hungary (WCQ)
09.09.2025: Armenia 2 – 1 Ireland (WCQ)
11.10.2025: Portugal 1 – 0 Ireland (WCQ)
14.10.2025: Ireland 1 – 0 Armenia (WCQ)
13.11.2025: Ireland 2 – 0 Portugal (WCQ)
16.11.2025: Hungary 2 – 3 Ireland (WCQ)
26.03.2026: Czechia 2 – 2 Ireland (WCQ)
31.03.2026: Ireland 0 – 0 North Macedonia (Friendly)
16.05.2026: Ireland 5 – 0 Grenada (Friendly)
28.05.2026: Ireland 1 – 0 Qatar (Friendly)
06.06.2026: Canada 1 – 1 Ireland (Friendly)

2025/26 Season | The Leaders

1. The Ever-Presents: Most Minutes Played
Nathan Collins and Dara O'Shea top the minutes-played board forming the spine of the defence with defensive partner Jake O'Brien in close company.

Nathan Collins: 1,032 minutes
Dara O'Shea: 983 minutes
Jake O'Brien: 909 minutes
Caoimhín Kelleher: 897 minutes
Chiedozie Ogbene: 761 minutes

2. The Goalscorers: Most Goals
Troy Parrott had the most memorable 2025/26 season for Ireland, scoring across the season, including a vital brace in the comeback win against Hungary and his brace against Portugal. Evan Ferguson, despite injury ruling him out for most of the 2025/26 season, has three goals to his name, coming against Hungary and Armenia, in both matches.

Troy Parrott: 6 goals
Evan Ferguson: 3 goals
Jack Moylan: 3 goals
Tom Cannon: 2 goals
Adam Idah: 1 goal
Nathan Collins: 1 goal
Chiedozie Ogbene: 1 goal
(Own Goal: 1 goal)

3. The Creative Hub: Most Assists
Creation was spread across the team, as Liam Scales and Adam Idah top the assist charts with two assists each with assists spread across the team. 

Liam Scales: 2 assists
Adam Idah: 2 assists
Jack Moylan: 1 assist
Dara O'Shea: 1 assist
Finn Azaz: 1 assist
Ryan Manning: 1 assist
Will Smallbone: 1 assist
Jack Moylan: 1 assist
Andrew Moran: 1 assist
Millenic Alli: 1 assist

4. The Metronomes: Most Accurate Passes
The defensive trio dominated the ball, with Nathan Collins leading the way in building attacks from the back. Josh Cullen also features in the top five despite injury ruling him out in 2026, showing his importance to the side. 

Nathan Collins: 450 accurate passes
Dara O'Shea: 402 accurate passes
Jake O'Brien: 309 accurate passes
Jayson Molumby: 276 accurate passes
Josh Cullen: 145 accurate passes

5. Defensive Warriors: Most Defensive Duels Won
Dara O'Shea was statistically Ireland's most effective individual defender in one-on-one situations as Finn Azaz also made some vital contributions from midfield. 

Dara O'Shea: 35 duels won
Nathan Collins: 31 duels won
Ryan Manning: 15 duels won
Finn Azaz: 14 duels won
Jake O'Brien: 14 duels won

6. The Dribblers: Most Successful Dribbles
Chiedozie Ogbene remains Ireland's primary threat when carrying the ball, though Festy Ebosele provided a high volume of successful dribbles during his 2025 appearances.

Chiedozie Ogbene: 17 dribbles
Festy Ebosele: 12 dribbles
Jayson Molumby: 8 dribbles
Troy Parrott: 7 dribbles
Seamus Coleman: 7 dribbles

The Full Squad: 2025/26 Minutes Played
The following list includes every player who featured for the Republic of Ireland MNT during the 2025/26 season, ranked from the highest involvement to the lowest. Over the course of the 2025/26 campaign, Heimir Hallgrímsson selected 52 players in his teams, the number expanded by the recent friendlies against Grenada, Qatar and Canada. 

Rank  Player      Total Minutes
1     Nathan Collins            1,032'
2     Dara O'Shea                   983'
3     Jake O'Brien             909'
4     Caoimhín Kelleher       897'
5     Chiedozie Ogbene     761'
6     Seamus Coleman    656'
7     Finn Azaz                      632'
8     Jayson Molumby     623'
9     Troy Parrott             620'
10    Ryan Manning        508'
11    Liam Scales                   436'
12    Josh Cullen                   428'
13    Jason Knight          389'
14    Evan Ferguson        367'
15    Adam Idah                 282'
16    James Abankwah   265'
17    Jack Taylor                   255'
18    Festy Ebosele           191'
19    Conor Coventry       167'
20    Jamie McGrath     148'
21    Jack Moylan                144'
22    Mark Travers          135'
23    Will Smallbone        107'
24    Mikey Johnston       95'
25    Jaden Umeh              92'
26    Sammie Szmodics   87'
27    John Egan                  83'
28    Alan Browne                78'
29    Max O'Leary                76'
30    Matt Doherty         69'
31    Corrie Ndaba         67'
32    Robbie Brady         63'
33    Kasey McAteer        61'
34    Killian Phillips              56'
35    Johnny Kenny        52'
36    Tom Cannon              50'
37    Will Ferry                      50'
38    Andrew Moran      50'
39    Dawson Devoy      48'
40    Tayo Adaramola    47'
41    Mark McGuinness    47'
42    Jimmy Dunne             42'
43    Harvey Vale                 42'
44    Bosun Lawal                37'
45    Millenic Alli               33'
46    Aidomo Emakhu     33'
47    Mason Melia                  26'
48    Josh Keeley                   22'
49    Rory Finneran           22'
50    Joe Hodge                    7'
51    Kian Leavy                      7'
52    Adam Brennan        4’

Ireland MNT | 2025/26 Season Stats

Data based on 11 matches played (September 2025 – June 2026)
Goals Scored: 18
Goals Conceded: 10
Attempts On Goal: 115
Attempts On Target: 46
Attempts Off Target: 69
Corners Taken: 46
Offsides: 24
Fouls Committed: 86
Fouls Suffered: 91
Yellow Cards: 20
Red Cards: 1

Ireland MNT Match Details - 2025/26 Season

Ireland 2 – 2 Hungary (06.09.2025)
FIFA 2026 World Cup Qualifier
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Attendance: 51,137
Ireland: Caoimhín Kelleher (GK); Jake O’Brien, Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea; Matt Doherty (Chiedozie Ogbene 66), Josh Cullen (Jack Taylor 66), Jason Knight (Kasey McAteer 90), Ryan Manning; Finn Azaz (Mikey Johnston 78), Sammie Szmodics (Adam Idah 78); Evan Ferguson.

Armenia 2 – 1 Ireland (09.09.2025)
FIFA 2026 World Cup Qualifier
Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium, Yerevan
Attendance: 13,144
Ireland: Caoimhín Kelleher; Jake O’Brien, Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea; Chiedozie Ogbene (Kasey McAteer 46), Josh Cullen (Killian Phillips 70), Jason Knight, Ryan Manning (Liam Scales 81); Finn Azaz (Mikey Johnston 70); Jack Taylor (Adam Idah 46), Evan Ferguson.

Portugal 1 – 0 Ireland (11.10.2025)
FIFA 2026 World Cup Qualifier
Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon
Attendance: 48,821
Ireland: Caoimhín Kelleher; Jake O’Brien, Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea; Festy Ebosele (Mikey Johnston 64), Jayson Molumby, Josh Cullen, Ryan Manning; Chiedozie Ogbene (Will Smallbone 77), Seamus Coleman (John Egan 86); Evan Ferguson (Troy Parrott 77).

Ireland 1 – 0 Armenia (14.10.2025)
FIFA 2026 World Cup Qualifier
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Attendance: 42,292
Ireland: Caoimhín Kelleher; Jake O’Brien, Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea; Finn Azaz, Will Smallbone (Jack Taylor 81), Jayson Molumby, Ryan Manning; Festy Ebosele (Troy Parrott 65), Seamus Coleman (Chiedozie Ogbene 65); Evan Ferguson (Adam Idah 81).

Ireland 2 – 0 Portugal (13.11.2025)
FIFA 2026 World Cup Qualifier
Aviva Stadium, Dublin 
Attendance: 50,737
Ireland: Caoimhín Kelleher; Jake O’Brien, Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea, Liam Scales (Jimmy Dunne 86); Seamus Coleman, Chiedozie Ogbene (Mikey Johnston 86), Josh Cullen, Jack Taylor (Conor Coventry 69), Finn Azaz (Festy Ebosele 79); Troy Parrott (Adam Idah 69).

Hungary 2 – 3 Ireland (16.11.2025)
FIFA 2026 World Cup Qualifier
Puskas Arena, Budapest
Attendance: 59,411
Ireland: Caoimhín Kelleher; Jake O’Brien (Ryan Manning 46), Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea; Seamus Coleman (Festy Ebosele 60), Josh Cullen (Jack Taylor 81), Jayson Molumby (Johnny Kenny 60), Liam Scales; Chiedozie Ogbene (Adam Idah 53), Finn Azaz; Troy Parrott.

Czechia 2 – 2 Ireland (26.03.2026) (4-3 pens)
FIFA World Cup 2026 - Play-Off Semi-Final
Fortuna Arena, Prague
Attendance: 19,137
Ireland: Caoimhín Kelleher; Jake O’Brien, Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea, Ryan Manning (Robbie Brady 66); Seamus Coleman (Jimmy Dunne 96), Jack Taylor (Alan Browne 66), Jayson Molumby (Sammie Szmodics 104, Harvey Vale 115); Chiedozie Ogbene (Adam Idah 96), Finn Azaz, Troy Parrott.

Ireland 0 – 0 North Macedonia (31.03.2026)
International Friendly
Aviva Stadium, Dublin 
Attendance: 39,560
Ireland: Caoimhín Kelleher (Mark Travers 60); John Egan (Jake O’Brien 71), Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea; Seamus Coleman (James Abankwah 60, Alan Browne 83), Jayson Molumby (Bosun Lawal 60), Jason Knight, Liam Scales; Chiedozie Ogbene (Johnny Kenny 83), Finn Azaz (Harvey Vale 60); Troy Parrott (Adam Idah 71).

Ireland 5 – 0 Grenada (16.05.2026)
International Friendly
Estadio Enrique Roca, Murcia (Spain)
Attendance: 873
Ireland: Max O’Leary (Josh Keeley 74); James Abankwah, Mark McGuinness (Tom Cannon 46), Dara O’Shea; Jason Knight, Conor Coventry (Andrew Moran 46), Jayson Molumby (Rory Finneran 74), Tayo Adaramola (Will Ferry 46); Chiedozie Ogbene (Millenic Alli 63), Jack Moylan; Adam Idah (Aidomo Emakhu 63).

Ireland 1 – 0 Qatar (28.05.2026)
International Friendly 
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Attendance: 28,941
Ireland: Caoimhín Kelleher; Seamus Coleman, Jake O’Brien, Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea (James Abankwah 46); Jayson Molumby, Jamie McGrath; Chiedozie Ogbene (Jaden Umeh 75), Jack Moylan (45 sent off), Liam Scales (Corrie Ndaba 75); Troy Parrott.

Canada 1 – 1 Ireland (06.06.2026)
International Friendly
Stade Saputo, Montreal
Attendance: 19,619
Ireland: Mark Travers; Jake O’Brien, Nathan Collins, James Abankwah; Seamus Coleman (Killian Phillips 69), Conor Coventry (Joe Hodge 87), Dawson Devoy (Jamie McGrath 46), Corrie Ndaba (Liam Scales 46); Chiedozie Ogbene (Adam Brennan 90), Jaden Umeh (Mason Melia 69); Troy Parrott (Kian Leavy 87).