World Cup

Read more news and analysis on the Fifa World Cup.

Sammie Szmodics one of three players ruled out of Ireland game against North Macedonia

Celtic defender Liam Scales likely to start at Aviva Stadium with Bosun Lawal in line for his first cap

Now for North Macedonia: Why you should go to Ireland’s least enticing home friendly ever

Officially the game is sold out, but chances are there’ll be plenty of empty seats at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday

From North Macedonia to Munster, it doesn’t pay for teams to be hopeless for long

More and more sports bodies realise the value of keeping teams in the running for glory for as long as possible

You have to wonder if the Ireland players were affected by people totally losing their heads

The emergence of the self-aware, self-memifying crowd has been an unfortunate development for Irish national team fan culture

‘Pain’ felt by Heimir Hallgrímsson after Prague loss shows how far Ireland have come

Manager made key changes after humiliating Armenia defeat that ultimately made the team better

Ken Early: Ireland’s loss to Czech Republic leaves us in a Kafkaesque nightmare

There’s little point raging at Ryan Manning, Finn Azaz, Alan Browne, Hemir Hallgrímsson or any other individual

A team of good eggs but room for a bad one: What we learned from Ireland’s qualifying campaign

Age profile of Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side is on the right side of 30 . . . just don’t mention penalty practice

Malachy Clerkin: A brutal end but the seeds sown by Ireland’s campaign will sprout long into the future

Just as nothing lifts the country like an Ireland football team going well, nothing hurts like the dashed hopes of nearly getting there

Peak audience of 1.6m tunes in for Ireland World Cup playoff defeat to Czech Republic

Game in Prague drew an average audience of 1.37 million

Ireland blew chance against the Czechs but Hallgrímsson can lead us forward

The defeat in the Czech Republic was painful but Ireland have shown they have a highly competitive squad, albeit it with one glaring weakness

‘There has to be a winner’: Unbridled joy in Czech fans’ favourite Dublin pub

Czech supporters met in Temple Bar‘s The Lundy Foot to watch their country’s playoff game against Ireland

Irish fans stumble out of a Prague pub, drunk and shell-shocked

World Cup: Hundreds of Irish fans in The Dubliner pub fell silent as Ireland lost the penalty shoot-out

Penalties in Prague, transgender athletes, and housing demolitions in Tipperary and Meath

Early Edition podcast: Today’s top stories from The Irish Times

This Ireland team gave everything in Prague. It wasn’t enough

Ireland let their grip on this game slip in the first half by giving away a penalty

Sammie Szmodics to remain in hospital in Prague as Ireland’s World Cup dream ends

Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson says Ipswich Town attacker was lined up to take a penalty in the shoot-out

 ‘It’s really hard to take’: Kevin Kilbane on Ireland’s World Cup playoff exit

America 2026 with Kevin Kilbane and Paul Howard

Czech Republic v Ireland: Heartbreak for Ireland as they lose on penalties - as it happened

Finn Azaz and Alan Browne miss from the spot after 2-2 draw in Prague in World Cup playoff

Ireland hearts are crushed after World Cup playoff – truly, sport is rubbish

At least we don’t have to delete all our social media stuff to ensure entrance to the USA

Ireland gave everything in war of attrition but the Czechs held their nerve in the shoot-out

For so long, Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side were good enough to go through but in the end, penalties sent them crashing out

Ireland suffer penalty heartbreak in Prague as Czech Republic march on to playoff final

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side were four minutes away from win in 90 minutes before Ladislav Krejčí’s equaliser

Thousands of Irish fans in Prague dare to hope: ‘We’re gonna nab it’

Last-minute tickets to World Cup playoff going for €300 on streets of Czech capital

‘Sort out The Parrot, will ye’ – Ireland fans arrive in Prague with tickets thin on ground

Tourists in Czech capital marvel at chanting Irish supporters as World Cup hopes build

Ken Early: Ireland may want to avoid penalties in the home of Antonín Panenka

Scorer in 1976 Euro final has seen penalty technique copied worldwide, and Czechs have shootout record

Ireland v Czech Republic: Passion, composure – and Troy Parrott – needed for this one

Séamus Coleman will be almost certain to start in Prague, but will it end with Caoimhín Kelleher having to save penalties?

Séamus Coleman: Ireland’s Mr Dependable will give it his all to make World Cup

Everton defender has stuffed so much credit in the bank that his lack of game-time at club level is not expected to be an issue

Italy v Northern Ireland: Expectation clearly lies with the home nation, says O’Neill

Gattuso says Italy are ready for direct, vertical football

Czech manager takes issue with interpretation of his Ireland comments

His new captain vows home team can get job done in World Cup playoff in Prague

‘We had to sleep in the airport for eight hours’: Ireland fans land in Prague for playoff

Supporters brave detours and ticketing woes to travel in their thousands for qualifier against Czechs

Ireland v Czech Republic: Squad updates, TV details and more

Everything you need to know before Thursday’s World Cup play-off semi-final in Prague

Ireland’s history of World Cup playoffs, from joy in Iran to that handball

America 2026 podcast

Thirty years of highs and lows: The most memorable moments from Ireland’s playoff history

Thirty years of highs and lows, including a farewell at Anfield, a melee in Turkey, joy in Iran and scandal in Paris

‘We want to do it for the people’: Séamus Coleman ready to give Ireland something to shout about in Prague

Heimir Hallgrímsson says Ireland ‘not overly-analysing’ Czechs amid squad upheaval

The playmakers: Finn Azaz and Pavel Sulc hold the keys to unlock defences in Prague clash

Czech Republic midfielder has attracted interest from English Premier League clubs for his displays with Lyon

Harvey Vale could be the wild card: Our writers pick their Ireland team to face Czech Republic

Spine of the team picks itself and then the conversation turns to Séamus Coleman’s fitness

Harvey Vale’s Ireland call-up may seem out of the blue, but it’s years in the making

Attacking midfielder started taking steps towards Irish citizenship during the Covid pandemic

‘You’re after getting yourself on page three’: Ireland fan from famous photo heads back to Prague

Globetrotting Karl McGrath heads for Czech capital to cheer on Boys in Green for World Cup qualifier

John Egan: ‘I think everyone knows how much playing for Ireland means to me’

Cork man’s persistence and training helped him return to the squad after a two-year gap in a career renaissance period

Czech Republic football embroiled in match-fixing scandal ahead of playoff with Ireland

Dozens arrested from Czech First League, lower divisions and youth competitions in connection with betting and influencing results

How Heimir Hallgrímsson found the formula for Ireland to use in the Czech Republic

Finn Azaz has become part of an attacking trio that will need to fire well if Ireland are to make the World Cup

Is Hallgrímsson right not to practise penalties? Previewing Ireland v Czech Republic

America 2026 with Kevin Kilbane and Paul Howard

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE...

Stardust

Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people

Common Ground

How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands