Republic of Ireland National Football Team 

Share

Latest news on the Republic of Ireland national football team, the 'Boys in Green', covering fixtures, results, squad news, manager updates and the FAI.

The Republic of Ireland national football team represents the country in men's international football under the governance of the Football Association of Ireland, known as the FAI. Nicknamed the Boys in Green, the side has reached three FIFA World Cups and three UEFA European Championships across its history. Heimir Hallgrímsson has managed the team since July 2024, having previously led Iceland and Jamaica, while Nathan Collins has captained the side since 2025.

Ireland's bid to reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup produced one of the most dramatic qualifying campaigns in the team's recent history. They finished second in a qualifying group behind Portugal, with Troy Parrott's late goals away to Hungary securing a play-off place in November 2025. That run ended on 26 March 2026, when Ireland lost on penalties to Czechia in the World Cup play-off semi-final, extending the team's absence from a major tournament finals since UEFA Euro 2016. Attention has since turned to the next UEFA Nations League campaign and qualifying for Euro 2028.

The long wait for a return to major finals football has fuelled debate among supporters and pundits about recruitment and squad building under successive managers. Stephen Kenny, the manager at the time, left the role in November 2023 after a difficult spell that nonetheless saw younger players introduced to the senior set-up. Ireland's squads have also long relied on players who qualify through Irish ancestry rather than birth, often called the granny rule, a feature of the team's identity that continues to divide opinion. Off the pitch, the FAI has worked to strengthen its governance and finances following a leadership crisis in the late 2010s.

Beyond results, the team carries deep cultural weight in Ireland and among the Irish diaspora across Britain, the United States and Australia. Travelling supporters, known as the Green Army, have built a reputation for good humour and sportsmanship at tournaments and away fixtures alike. Young players breaking into the senior squad, such as Parrott's emergence as a match-winner, often become instant folk heroes, reflecting the emotional investment fans place in the side. The team also acts as a focal point for grassroots football development in cities, towns and villages across the country.

The team's roots trace back to the partition of Ireland in the early 1920s, when a Dublin-based association split from the Belfast-based body that had governed football across the whole island. Its golden era arrived under Jack Charlton in the late 1980s and early 1990s, featuring a famous win over England at Euro '88 and a run to the World Cup quarter-finals in 1990. Ireland reached two further World Cups, in 1994 and 2002, before a leaner period that nonetheless included a win over Italy at Euro 2016, the team's most recent appearance at a major finals.

Ireland's next major landmark is co-hosting Euro 2028 alongside England, Scotland and Wales, with Lansdowne Road in Dublin among the tournament's venues. Co-hosts are not automatically guaranteed a place at the finals, though UEFA has reserved safety-net slots for any hosts who miss out through normal qualifying. With a new qualifying cycle, a settled management team and a fresh generation of players coming through, there is plenty for followers of Irish football to track. This NewsNow feed brings together the latest fixtures, results, squad news and analysis on the Republic of Ireland national football team in one place.