Ireland’s Potential Play-off Opponents Narrow Down
Heimir Hallgrimsson’s Ireland team is gearing up to defend their Nations League B status in March. The potential play-off opponents for the Republic of Ireland have been narrowed down to five teams after the conclusion of the C league fixtures.
The Boys in Green will be facing off against Slovakia, Bulgaria, Armenia, or either Romania or Kosovo. The final pairing is still uncertain as UEFA is yet to make a decision regarding the incident during the game between Kosovo and Romania, where Kosovo players walked off the field due to alleged pro-Serbian chanting from fans in Bucharest.
Romania has a rich history in World Cup football, with their most notable achievement being reaching the quarter-finals in Italy in 1990. Although Ireland has faced Romania four times in the past, the last encounter was over two decades ago when Ireland secured a 1-0 victory under Brian Kerr in Dublin in May 2004. On the other hand, Ireland has never played against Kosovo at the international level.
Slovakia, who secured second place before their match against Estonia, faced Ireland in the Euro 2020 play-offs, resulting in a heartbreaking defeat on penalties in Bratislava. Armenia’s recent 2-1 victory over Latvia in the last round of Nations League C Group 4 fixtures secured them a spot in the play-offs. Ireland faced Armenia for the first time in September 2010, with Keith Fahey scoring the winning goal in Yerevan.
Bulgaria has a special place in Irish football history as the first team to compete against Ireland in a competitive match at the 1924 Paris Olympics. The teams have met 12 times since then, with their most recent encounter being a 0-0 draw in a Nations League match in November 2020.
The draw for the Nations League B/C promotion/relegation play-off will be held in Nyon on Friday, with the fixtures scheduled to take place over two legs in late March next year. As Ireland prepares to face one of their potential opponents, the anticipation and excitement among fans are growing. Stay tuned for more updates on the upcoming play-off matches.