Ireland vs Portugal: World Cup qualifier – Ronaldo, team, start and lineups

Who: Ireland vs Portugal
What: UEFA World Cup qualifier, Group F
Where: Aviva Stadium successful Dublin, Ireland
When: Thursday astatine 7:45pm (19:45 GMT)

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Unbeaten Portugal (3-1-0) volition seal nonstop qualification to the FIFA World Cup 2026 if they bushed Ireland successful their penultimate Group F fixture astatine the Aviva Stadium.

Armed with a five-point lead, Roberto Martinez’s squad are successful the container spot to seal a seventh consecutive quality astatine football’s planetary showpiece.

Ireland (1-1-2), for their part, inactive person a mathematical accidental to support their World Cup aspirations live by causing a immense upset connected Thursday nighttime against an hostile that is 5th successful the FIFA satellite rankings.

They are presently 3rd successful the radical – but lone a constituent down second-placed Hungary with 2 matches inactive to play. Ireland past qualified for the World Cup successful 2006.

Here is each to cognize astir their Group F instrumentality clash:

Current Group F standings (two fixtures remaining):

• Portugal – 10 points (from 4 matches)
• Hungary – 5 points (from 4 matches)
• Ireland – 4 points (from 4 matches)
• Armenia – 3 points (from 4 matches)

How tin Portugal and Ireland inactive suffice for World Cup successful Group F?

Scenario 1: 

Group leaders Portugal necessitate a triumph against Ireland to guarantee nonstop World Cup qualification into adjacent year’s tournament, which is being held successful the United States, Canada and Mexico.

In this scenario, Portugal would person 13 points – an insurmountable pb implicit the different 3 teams successful the radical with conscionable 1 lucifer remaining.

Scenario 2:

If Portugal were to gully its last 2 fixtures against Ireland and Armenia, they would besides decorativeness apical of the Group F standings with 12 points from six matches.

Scenario 3:

If Portugal suffer its last 2 matches against Ireland and Armenia, and Hungary – which presently has 5 points – wins its last 2 fixtures against Armenia and Ireland, past Hungary would determination apical of Group F with 11 points vs Portugal’s 10 points.

If Ireland triumph their last 2 games, and Portugal suffer their last 2 games, past the teams would beryllium level connected 10 points astatine the apical of the standings with the radical victor being decided by extremity difference.

All 12 radical winners successful Europe suffice straight for the World Cup portion the runners-up spell connected to the playoffs for the remaining finals places taking spot successful March.

Hungary midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai’s equalising precocious extremity against Portugal successful Lisbon connected October 14, 2025, has kept the Group F contention for nonstop World Cup qualification live for his broadside and Ireland [Armando Franca/AP]

What happened successful Portugal’s past lucifer against Hungary?

Portugal were connected the brink of punching their summons to the World Cup arsenic they led Hungary 2-1 successful stoppage clip successful Lisbon, knowing a triumph would corroborate archetypal spot successful Group F.

However, Hungary snatched a precocious gully erstwhile Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai finished from adjacent scope successful wounded time.

What happened the past clip Portugal played Ireland?

The teams past played connected October 11 successful Lisbon.

Portugal’s Ruben Neves scored a stoppage-time extremity to snatch a melodramatic 1-0 location triumph successful Group F aft his teammate Ronaldo had a punishment saved earlier successful the lucifer arsenic Ireland threatened to clasp the unbeaten hosts to a draw.

Is the 2026 World Cup Ronaldo’s past large planetary tournament?

Yes. With Portugal connected the verge of qualifying for the World Cup, Ronaldo confirmed the tourney successful North America volition beryllium his swansong connected football’s biggest stage.

“Definitely, yes, due to the fact that I volition beryllium 41 years aged [at the World Cup],” said Ronaldo, who is besides the apical scorer successful past with 143 planetary goals.

“I gave everything for football. I’ve been successful the crippled for the past 25 years. I did everything. I person galore records successful the antithetic scenarios successful the clubs and besides successful the nationalist teams.

“I’m truly proud. So let’s bask the moment, unrecorded the moment.”

Ronaldo’s Portugal tin suffice for their seventh World Cup successful a enactment with a triumph implicit Ireland connected November 13, 2025 [File: Pedro Nunes/Reuters]

Head-to-head

This is lone the 18th gathering betwixt the European sides with Portugal winning 10 and Ireland winning four.

Ireland’s past triumph came successful a affable successful 2005, courtesy of Andy O’Brien’s solitary onslaught successful Dublin. There person been 4 consequent matches, of which Portugal person won three.

Ireland’s past competitory triumph against Portugal came successful a European Championships qualifier successful 1995.

The fixture dates backmost to 1946 and began with a 3-1 location triumph for Portugal successful a friendly.

Portugal’s form

W-W-W-W-D (most caller effect last)

Ireland’s form

D-D-L-L-W (most caller effect last)

Portugal squad news

Chelsea winger Pedro Neto has withdrawn from Martinez’s squad aft helium suffered a groin wounded successful his side’s 3-0 Premier League triumph implicit Wolves connected Saturday. Rafael Leao is the astir apt replacement for Neto.

Sporting Lisbon midfielder Pedro Goncalves is besides retired for a period aft an undisclosed wounded playing against Santa Clara connected the weekend.

“[I’m] retired of these adjacent 2 games and not being capable to beryllium contiguous successful the World Cup qualifiers. Something I ever dreamed of was representing the National Team, and not being capable to spell hurts. Now it’s clip to retrieve properly, adjacent though I’m not doing what I emotion the most! Thank you to the squad for the effort until the end! We inactive person a batch to achieve,” Goncalves wrote connected societal media.

Ronaldo, who has yet to people distant to Ireland successful 4 vocation meetings, volition pb the enactment for Portugal.

Ireland squad news

In a large stroke to Ireland’s chances, prima striker Evan Ferguson is retired of the Portugal fixture with an ankle contented and is successful uncertainty for their last World Cup lucifer against Hungary, which whitethorn determine who finishes 2nd successful Group F.

Manager Heimir Hallgrimsson volition besides beryllium without 3 different injured regulars successful the squad: Callum O’Dowda (minor knock), Mark Sykes (shin) and Sammie Szmodics (knee).

Ryan Manning and Jayson Molumby are serving 1 lucifer suspensions.

Injured guardant Evan Ferguson, who has scored 3 of Ireland’s 4 goals successful World Cup qualifying, volition beryllium sorely missed arsenic an attacking enactment against Portugal [File: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images]

Predicted starting lineups:

Ireland: Kelleher (goalkeeper); O’Brien, O’Shea, Collins; Coleman, Cullen, Taylor, Johnston; Ebosele, Azaz; Parrott

Portugal: Costa (goalkeeper); Cancelo, Dias, Inacio, Mendes; Fernandes, Vitinha, Neves, Bernardo, Ronaldo, Leao

What the coaches had to say:

Hallgrimsson:

“If Armenia wins oregon determination is simply a draw, a triumph successful Hungary is capable for us, truthful that is 2 of 4 scenarios for us,” the Ireland manager said.

“If Hungary win, we request astatine slightest a draw, but if they triumph by 2 oregon 3 goals, we volition request a gully [against Portugal] and triumph by possibly 3 goals distant successful Hungary.

“We volition cognize what we request successful this crippled against Portugal earlier we footwear off, which is simply a payment to us, but it doesn’t alteration however we commencement and play the game, but whitethorn request to instrumentality calculated risks arsenic the crippled progresses.”

Martinez:

“November is ever a hard stage. Even so, our absorption is connected qualifying for the World Cup. … We person to improve, particularly successful the last 20 minutes of games,” Portugal’s manager said.