World Cup Play-offs: What Ireland Need To Do To Qualify

The draw for the 2026 World Cup European play-offs was made on Thursday lunchtime, after a whirlwind week of qualifying drama for the Boys in Green. Troy Parrott was the man of the hour in Hungary, producing an incredible hat-trick to keep Ireland’s dreams alive. 

Ireland have found themselves in the hat thanks to Parrot, with two games standing in the way between them and next summer's competition in the USA, Mexico and Canada. 

In this article, I’ll be walking you through exactly what needs to happen for the Boys in Green to book their trip, how the play-off system works, and who they’ll be facing next March. The Irish have been handed a tough route, but it’s far from hopeless.

Have Ireland qualified for the 2026 World Cup?

The short answer is no, not yet. Ireland have secured a spot in the play-offs despite a frightful start to their qualifying campaign. It looked unlikely a month ago, but last week’s wins over Portugal and Hungary sealed a much-needed berth. 

The finals are on the horizon, provided Ireland beat Czechia in their single-legged away fixture. A victory in Prague would see Ireland host the Path D final in Dublin against the winner of Denmark vs. North Macedonia. Essentially, everything is still to play for.

How do the World Cup play-offs work?

With teams feeding in from both the qualification process and the Nations League, it’s fairly safe to say that the play-offs seem complicated at first glance, but they’re relatively straightforward to get your head around. The key thing you need to know is that Ireland are two games away from a first World Cup finals appearance since 2002. 

The format has seen a complete overhaul, with the old two-leg safety net now a thing of the past. The new format is cut-throat, determined by a one-off knockout game for both the semi-final and the final.

Here’s the basic structure of how the play-offs work:

• The European play-offs involve 16 teams. This includes the 12 runners-up from the main qualifying groups, along with four teams who secured their place through the 2024/25 Nations League. The latter sides are the highest-ranked Nations League group winners who did not finish second in their qualifying groups.

• The 16 teams are divided into four paths (A, B, C, and D), with four teams in each. Only one team from each path will secure a spot at the World Cup.

• The matches are single leg knockouts. The semi-finals are scheduled for Thursday, 26 March 2026 and the finals for Tuesday, 31 March 2026.

There was a bit of Irishluck in the draw, if you pardon the pun, too, with Ireland securing a crucial advantage in the draw for the final venue. Should Ireland progress from their semi-final they would host the final in Dublin, which is a massive boost.

Who has already qualified for the World Cup?

There are only six spots in the World Cup finals left up for grabs, which can only be obtained through the play-offs, which are split into two routes.

In the play-offs, four spots are available for the European sides and the remaining two berths go to the rest of the world. The European side of things involves 16 teams; the 12 group runners-up from qualifying and the four best-ranked Nations League group winners that didn’t qualify.

There are plenty of big names that have already sealed their spot in North America, including Thomas Tuchel’s England and the world champions Argentina, while Scotland’s incredible victory over Denmark last week saw them seal a finals berth at the eleventh hour.

As of November 2025, 42 nations have secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup next summer:

Africa: Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia.

Asia: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan.

Europe: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland.

Oceania: New Zealand.

North and Central America and the Caribbean: Canada (hosts), Curacao, Haiti, Mexico (hosts), Panama, United States (hosts).

South America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay.

When did Ireland last make the World Cup finals?

Ireland’s agonising wait of more than two decades for a World Cup return continues, with their last finals appearance coming back in 2002. That campaign, led by Mick McCarthy, is remembered fondly for an unbeaten group stage campaign, which included drawing 1-1 with Germany thanks to captain Robbie Keane’s late equaliser, before ultimately losing on penalties to Spain in the round of 16. 

Rose-tinted glasses aside, this era was also defined by the infamous pre-tournament bust-up between McCarthy and Roy Keane in Saipan, leading to Keane’s departure from the camp and a sensational tabloid frenzy. It is the inspiration for an upcoming film, starring a certain Steve Coogan of Alan Partridge fame.

Ireland have repeatedly fallen short since then, with the most painful near-miss coming in a play-off with France for a spot at the 2010 World Cup. Robbie Keane’s equaliser in Paris sent the match to extra time, but a controversial goal by William Gallas, following Thierry Henry’s deliberate (and now folkloric) double handball, ultimately edged out Giovanni Trapattoni’s side.

Qualification attempts since then have been rather subpar. Despite a promising spell under Martin O’Neill and attempts at a rebuild under both Stephen Kenny and John O’Shea, the results remain unchanged. Ireland have consistently failed to turn their potential into a spot on the world’s grandest stage and now find themselves at the last chance saloon if they are to finally return to the World Cup. 

What’s next for Troy Parrott after his Ireland heroics?

Troy Parrott is now a certified national hero. His hat-trick, clinched by a goal at the death in Budapest, single-handedly fired Ireland into the World Cup play-offs. 

The 23-year-old has taken the step up to the international stage in his stride, replicating his club form for his country. Since AZ Alkmaar purchased him for €8 million from Tottenham, he’s absolutely taken off in the Eredivisie, scoring seven goals so far this season.

That blistering run of form has put Parrott firmly on the radar of Europe’s elite. He’s currently 12/1 with bet365 to finish as top scorer in the Eredivisie this season, and it would be no surprise if Premier League sides were monitoring his progress, too.

As the figurehead for Ireland’s play-off push, he’s now being mentioned in the same breath as the injury-hampered Evan Ferguson, whose Roma form has been underwhelming so far this term. One thing is for sure, Parrott is now Ireland's main man, and continued heroics for club and country will only see his market value skyrocket.