PREVIEW - FIFA World Cup Qualifier - Republic of Ireland v Portugal

Republic of Ireland's Men's National Team look to secure a vital result in a penultimate FIFA World Cup Qualifier with Portugal tomorrow night in front of a sold-out Aviva Stadium. 

Heimir Hallgrímsson's side will be looking for back-to-back wins after defeating Armenia 1-0 last time out thanks to an Evan Ferguson goal. 

Ireland will be looking to use the confidence and momentum from their last home win into tomorrow’s clash at the Aviva Stadium tomorrow night will a full house expected before travelling to Budapest on Sunday to face Hungary who face Armenia prior to tomorrow night’s huge clash at the Aviva. 

Ireland lost out narrowly to Portugal when the two sides me after a Rúben Neves injury-time winner 

Match Details

Fixture: Ireland v Portugal
Competition: FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers
Date: Thursday, 13 November 2025
Kick-off: 7.45pm 
Location: Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Match Officials

Referee: Glenn Nyberg (SWE)
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist (SWE)
Fourth Official: Kristoffer Karlsson (SWE)
Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Richard Martens (NED)

Team News

Evan Ferguson and Sammie Szmodics remain out for the clash with Portugal through injury while Jayson Molumby and Ryan Manning miss the game through suspension following accumulated yellow cards. 

MD-1 Press Conference v Portugal

Republic of Ireland Head Coach Heimir Hallgrímsson:

“It's probably the one (match of my reign) that most is riding on, but like we've said before, we don't know how much is at stake until after the Armenia game against Hungary. 

“Then we can answer that question again, how much importance this game is. It might be relevant, might be irrelevant, but we at least need a point from this game. Of course, it's a World Cup riding on it if that's the case.

“That's one of the things that we have mentioned from our first meeting, that our approach is not going to change. We need to play a certain style versus Portugal, whether we need a win or a draw.

"We can't go all-in against a team like Portugal, it's not going to be a basketball match. Then we will take calculated risks if we need to score a goal later on in the game. We have a plan for it and the players must be ready psychologically for this encounter.

“The way the players have been behaving, knowing them, every true professional wants to play a game like this. There’s a lot riding on it and every player wants to play a game like this every week.

“My feeling from inside the group is positivity, the players are positive and we know we can get a result tomorrow.

“By far the biggest strength of Portugal is transitions when they win the ball, they have so much speed, they have so much individual quality that they will punish teams.

"We need to be sure we are not losing possession in dangerous areas and we always need to have a good defence, to try and not to give them the advantage of space and speed.”

Match Facts | Republic of Ireland v Portugal

• Ireland have beaten Portugal four times in 17 meetings drawing three times and losing 10
• Ireland’s last game with Portugal in the Aviva Stadium was a 0-0 draw in 2021
• A Steve Staunton goal in 1995 saw Ireland defeat Portugal 1-0 in a EURO Qualifier in the team’s last competitive win over tomorrow’s opponents
• The two sides first met each other on 16 June 1946
• Ireland’s first win over Portugal came in 1949 thanks to a 1-0 win
• Republic of Ireland have won three of their last five home matches (D2), as many as in their previous 12 combined (W3 D2 L7). Eire are looking to win consecutive home World Cup qualifiers in the same campaign for the first time since February 2009
• Heimir Hallgrímsson is unbeaten in all seven of his World Cup qualifying home matches as a manager (W5 with Iceland, W1 D1 with the Republic of Ireland).
• Portugal have won 15 of their last 16 qualifying matches for major tournaments (EURO/World Cup), although they drew 2-2 last time out against Hungary. Away from home, they’ve won their last seven by an aggregate score of 23-2
• Only two players have attempted more shots during UEFA World Cup qualifying than Cristiano Ronaldo (26), who has five goals in four appearances. He had five shots without scoring at the Aviva Stadium against the Republic of Ireland in November 2021 in a goalless draw.

Republic of Ireland Squad v Portugal

Goalkeepers: Caoimhin Kelleher (Brentford), Gavin Bazunu (Southampton), Mark Travers (Everton) 
Defenders: Seamus Coleman (Everton), Nathan Collins (Brentford), Dara O'Shea (Ipswich Town), Jake O'Brien (Everton), Jimmy Dunne (Queens Park Rangers), Liam Scales (Celtic), John Egan (Hull City), Kevin O'Toole (New York City) 
Midfielders: Josh Cullen (Burnley), Finn Azaz (Southampton), Conor Coventry (Charlton Athletic), Jack Taylor (Ipswich Town), Andrew Moran (LAFC), Jamie McGrath (Hibernian) 
Attackers: Troy Parrott (AZ Alkmaar), Adam Idah (Swansea City FC), Johnny Kenny (Celtic), Mikey Johnston (West Bromwich Albion), Chiedozie Ogbene (Sheffield United), Festy Ebosele (İstanbul Başakşehir)