PREVIEW | UEFA Regions’ Cup | Ireland v Belarus

Oct 30 2026

The message from Ireland forward Luke Casey ahead of their UEFA Regions’ Cup game against Belarus on Sunday, November 1st is simple: ‘Let’s pack out Turner’s Cross’.

Making the most of home advantage is top of the agenda for Jason Purcell’s squad as they prepare to kick off a three-game series in the Munster FA Turner’s Cross Stadium and look to secure a place in the Finals Tournament.

The Ireland squad is represented by the Munster region – after they won the FAI Amateur Inter-Provincial Tournament in March 2026 – and they will face opponents from Belarus (Sunday, November 1st), Malta (Wednesday, November 4th) and Croatia (Saturday, November 7th).

Cork native Casey is delighted that the games will be played in the Rebel County as he believes that the familiar surroundings and a passionate home crowd could provide an x-factor as Ireland aim to top Group 8.

“The support in Cork for football is great. I think there was 3,500 people at the FAI Intermediate Cup Final and another 2,500 at the FAI Junior Cup Final, so hopefully that sort of support comes out for our games as well,” said Casey.

“I’ve been lucky enough to go away to these tournaments in Bulgaria and Spain in the last number of years and when you are at home you want to make it count. I would urge anyone that has an interest to go in and have a look because the standard is really good and people will be surprised by the quality of an amateur international football tournament.

“In our squad there is a serious amount of ex-League of Ireland players. I’d say bordering on 50 per cent have played League of Ireland at some stage. With these tournaments you never know what you are coming up against, but I do know that the standard of amateur football in this country is really high and the amount of people who play in this country is really high. To be amongst the lucky 18 who get to represent the country is one of the things that I’m looking forward to most.”

Back with Coachford since 2025 following a spell with Rockmount, Casey has enjoyed a lot of domestic success – including lifting the FAI Junior Cup in October 2026 – and he now wants to transfer that to the international stage.

“We won’t know what the standard is like in the group until after the first game but that can be a good thing because it allows us to focus on ourselves. We’re not worried about the opposition, we’re focusing on doing the job ourselves to get a positive result in the first game and take it from there then,” said Casey.

“I’ve been lucky enough that when I’ve played in Turner’s Cross, probably 11 or 12 times, maybe more, I don’t think I’ve ever lost there. I’m familiar with playing there and I’ll be eager to visualise things because as an attacking player I want to contribute to the team, to get goals and assists, and help the team to win.

“There are plenty of players in our team that have quality; we have quality goalkeepers, quality defenders, quality midfielders and quality forwards. Hopefully it all comes to fruition and we can all help the team to win.”

Tickets for each of Ireland’s games will be available at the stadium, priced at €10 adults, €5 Under-16 / OAP, and Free for Under-12s.

Ireland Regions’ Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: Craig Dunphy (Villa), Shane Hallahan (Midleton)

Defenders: Jake Dillon (Fairview Rangers), Jason Cross (Fairview Rangers), Sean Guerins (BT Harps), John Tamen (Villa), Cian Murphy (Rockmount), Christopher McCarthy (Ringmahon Rangers)

Midfielders: Adam Conway (Villa), Matt Keane (Killarney Celtic), Conor Kilgannon (Villa), Conor Coughlan (Aisling Annacotty), Jamie O’Sullivan (Ringmahon Rangers), Keelan Crowley (College Corinthians)

Forwards: Eoin Hayes (Newmarket Celtic), Jack Cairns (Ringmahon Rangers), Luke Casey (Coachford), Eoin Murphy (Rockmount)

Staff: Jason Purcell (Head Coach), Stewart Fitzgerald (Assistant Head Coach), Greg Foley, Paul Breen (Coaches), Michael Costello (Goalkeeping Coach), Dr. Garret Linehan (Team Doctor), Pearse Foley (Physio), Tadgh O’Neill (Equipment Manager), Barry Cotter (Team Operations Manager)