Ireland national football team

The Republic of Ireland national football team , is the country's representative team in official competitions. It is organized by the Irish Football Association, part of UEFA.

The national team emerged in 1920 after the founding of the Irish Free State. Previously, the island of Ireland was represented by a single Irish team, whose first match was played in 1882. Since that date, the old team represented only the territory of Northern Ireland. Both the Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland teams continued to use the nickname "Ireland" and called up players from both territories for several decades. The dispute would not be resolved until 1954, when FIFA decided that both teams would be officially called "Northern Ireland" and "Republic of Ireland", although the latter is simply called "Ireland" on a daily basis in Spanish. In addition, most of their players currently play in the English Premier League, which has made this team more competitive.

Ireland qualified for an international tournament for the first time, in 1988 for that year's Euro Cup. He has participated in three World Cups, reaching the quarterfinals in Italy 1990 and the round of 16 in the United States 1994 and Korea Japan 2002 cups. But he could not qualify for the 2010 World Cup after losing in the playoff against France after a Thierry Henry's controversial goal pass with his hand. After the defeat against France, Ireland requested a replay of the match, however this request was officially denied by FIFA on November 20, 2009.

History

Irish Free State

Between 1882 and 1924, Ireland was represented by a unified national football team, organized by the Belfast-based Irish Football Association (IFA). In 1920, Ireland was divided into Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State (the latter, in turn, became Éire and Ireland after the adoption of a new Constitution in 1937, followed by its declaration as a republic). After the political upheavals surrounding partition, a Dublin-based organization calling itself the Football Association of the Irish Free State (FAIFS) split from the IFA in 1921 and began organizing its own league and national team. soccer.

In 1923, the FAIFS was recognized by FIFA as the governing body of the Irish Free State and at the 1924 Paris Olympics, the Irish Free State made its international debut. On May 28, at the Stade Olympique, they beat Bulgaria 1-0, after the historic goal scored by Paddy Duncan. As a result of this they qualified for the quarter-finals. On 14 June 1924, the Irish Free State made their home debut against the United States, who had embarked on a brief tour of Europe after competing in the same Olympic Games. Ed Brookes scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 win at Dalymount Park.

The Irish Free State did not play their next match until 21 March 1926, in an away match against Italy, which they lost 3-0. In the following years the situation of football at the Olympic Games declined and that match is considered the first official match of the Irish Free State. On February 25, 1934 they made their debut in the qualifying phase for the 1934 FIFA World Cup with a 4-4 win against Belgium at Dalymount Park. Paddy Moore scored all four Irish goals.

Problem of the «two Irelands» (1936-1953)

Immediately after partition, the Dublin Association was renamed the "Football Association of Ireland" but changed to the "Football Association of the Irish Free State" (FAIFS) following its admission to FIFA in 1924, at which time that its representative team called itself the "Irish Free State." However, from 1936 they returned to the name "Irish Football Association" and began to be called Éire or simply Ireland. Throughout this period, there were two Irish international football teams, chosen by two rival associations. These – the IFA of Northern Ireland and the FAI of the Irish Free State – claimed jurisdiction over the whole of Ireland and the right to select players from across the island. At least thirty-eight dual internationals were selected to represent the two teams, however, the vast majority of them were southerners who also agreed to play for the IFA team, while only a few crossed the line. border" in the other direction.

FIFA finally intervened when both teams participated in the 1950 World Cup qualifying round, the first time they had entered the same competition. Four players – Tom Aherne, Reg Ryan, Davy Walsh and Con Martin – played for both teams in that qualifying round. The four players in question were born in the Irish Free State and had, in fact, already made their debuts for the FAI colors before agreeing to represent the Northern Irish team. This alarmed the FAI, as they subsequently put pressure on FIFA to prevent the IFA from calling up southern-born players (as well as attempting to put pressure on the players themselves, sometimes through their clubs). FIFA's response was to restrict the eligibility of players on the basis of political boundaries, and in 1953 neither team could be referred to as "Ireland" in competitions in which both teams could participate, initially the World Cup. FIFA and, later, the European Nations Cup (now UEFA Euro). FIFA decreed that the FAI team would officially be called "Republic of Ireland", while the IFA team would be called "Northern Ireland".

Republic of Ireland

The 1958 World Cup qualifying round paired the Republic of Ireland with England. In his match in Dublin against England, Alf Ringstead put the hosts 1-0 ahead before John Atyeo equalized in the last minute to rescue a 1-1 draw for England. By the rules of the time, a victory for the Republic of Ireland would have meant a play-off with England for a place in the World Cup.

After reaching the quarter-finals of Euro 1964, the Republic of Ireland faced Spain and Syria in qualifying for the 1966 FIFA World Cup. Despite Syria's withdrawal, they still continued considering a classification group despite having only two members. The Irish team beat the Spanish 1-0 at Dalymount Park, but lost 4-1 at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán stadium. This meant a play-off at the Parc des Princes in Paris, which Spain won 1-0. The play-off was originally scheduled to take place at Wembley Stadium in London, home to a large Irish diaspora, but the FAI agreed with the Spanish Football Federation to move the match to Paris, where he lived. a large Spanish diaspora. The FAI was criticized for this measure to increase revenue from the box office.

In 1965, the Irish team made history by selecting Manchester United full-back Shay Brennan for the senior team. This was the first time that a player born outside of Ireland was selected to play for the national team because he had an Irish father. Since then, many of Ireland's most notable players have been born in England, including Mark Lawrenson, David O'Leary, John Aldridge, Tony Cascarino and David Kelly. Since then, several Scottish-born players, including Ray Houghton, have represented Ireland due to their Irish ancestry. The selection rules were later relaxed to allow the selection of players with an Irish grandfather.

In 1969, the FAI appointed Mick Meagan as the new manager. His two years in charge were marked by exceptionally poor results, however, the team lost five of six matches and gained just one point in their qualification for the 1970 World Cup, and did not improve in the qualifiers for Euro 1972, which led to his dismissal. His replacement, Liam Tuohy, did little better in qualifying for Germany 1974 and, more importantly, oversaw major improvements to the national team's training facilities and convinced many English clubs to end their policies of not releasing Irish players for international matches. However, the team ultimately failed to qualify for the World Cup and Tuohy resigned following a dispute over his salary. A run of poor results in the late 1960s and early 1970s continued until Johnny Giles became the first player-manager in the 1970s. This was followed by the debut of a young Liam Brady and results improved markedly. The team missed the 1978 World Cup by two points, having defeated France at home during qualification. After a less than impressive performance in qualifying for Euro 1980, in which the team finished well behind group winners England and Northern Ireland, Giles resigned, saying that he had taken the national team this far. as he could.

Eoin Hand took over management of the team in the 1982 World Cup qualifying campaign, and once again the Republic of Ireland fell behind France on goal difference. The qualifying stages were disappointing for both the 1984 European Championship and the 1986 World Cup, ending Hand's coaching era.

The Golden Generation (1986-1995)

In 1986, Ireland appointed Jack Charlton, a top English manager who had been part of England's 1966 World Cup-winning team. During the 1970s, he had turned Middlesbrough into a team that provided many players to the Liverpool team.

After taking charge of Ireland, Charlton influenced the changes in the national team that resulted in its most successful period in its history, qualifying for two World Cups and a European Championship. The players who stood out the most in this period were Paul McGrath, Packie Bonner, Niall Quinn and the Liverpool trio of Ray Houghton, John Aldridge and Ronnie Whelan.

Ireland's first appearance at a major finals came at Euro 1988. With Ireland's matches now complete, qualification was secured thanks to Gary Mackay's 87th-minute goal in Sofia as Scotland beat Bulgaria by 1-0; the Scottish victory left Ireland at the top of the group. Despite the forced absence of Liam Brady and Mark Lawrenson, in the West German final, Ireland surprised Europe by beating England 1-0 in Stuttgart with a header from Ray Houghton in his senior debut; tied 1-1 with the Soviet Union in Hannover, with Ronnie Whelan as the scorer; and lost to eventual champions Holland 1-0 in Gelsenkirchen, seven minutes away from a draw that would have meant a place in the semi-final.

Ireland's longest competitive winning streak was achieved in 1989 during the 1990 World Cup qualifying campaign. Five games against Spain, Northern Ireland, Hungary and Malta twice, were all victories. Subsequently, the team reached the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Three draws in the group stage against England, Egypt and the Netherlands were enough to reach the round of 16. Virtually the entire country watched as Romania was beaten on penalties, with Packie Bonner making a vital save and David O'Leary scoring the decisive penalty. Ireland were then beaten 1-0 by hosts Italy in the quarter-finals at Rome's Olympic Stadium. During the tournament, the team had an audience with Pope John Paul II, the only team to do so.

After missing Euro 1992 (despite being undefeated in qualifying), Ireland qualified for the 1994 World Cup, held in the United States, through a qualifying group that again included Spain and Northern Ireland, and ended with the The Republic finished above the European champions, Denmark, by a very narrow margin (goals scored). In their first match in the 1994 final, they beat the previous hosts of the Cup of the World and third place, Italy, 1-0 in their first game at Giants Stadium outside New York City, but lost to Mexico 2-1 in the Citrus Bowl in the heat and humidity of Orlando, Florida. They finished the group stage with a 0-0 draw with Norway at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. With these results, they reached the second round and eventually lost 2-0 to the Netherlands in Orlando.

Ireland finished second behind Portugal in Group 6 of Euro 1996 qualifying, but narrowly missed the Euro 1996 finals after losing 2-0 to the Netherlands in a play-off, played at Anfield between the two worst group runners-up, with Patrick Kluivert scoring both goals to qualify his team. It was Jack Charlton's last game as manager.

Post Golden Generation and decline (1996-2007)

Charlton was replaced by Mick McCarthy, but Ireland still lost the next two major tournaments. Ireland barely managed to finish second behind Romania in their 1998 World Cup qualifying campaign after Tony Cascarino scored a late goal to win the away match with Lithuania. A play-off with Belgium followed, with the match at Lansdowne Road ending in a 1-1 draw, the match in Belgium finished 2-1 for the home team and substitute David Connolly was sent off in the latter, preventing Ireland from qualifying for the Cup. FIFA awarded the 1997 FIFA Fair Play Award to Irish supporters 'for their exemplary behavior in Irish national team matches, especially in World Cup qualifying matches. FIFA against Belgium".

Ireland's opponents in Euro 2000 qualifying Group 8 grouped together with Yugoslavia, Croatia, Malta and North Macedonia. North Macedonia scored a last-minute equalizer to deny Ireland first place in the group; instead, they faced Turkey in a play-off to decide which team would participate in Euro 2000. The match in Dublin ended in a 1–1 draw, although Turkey qualified via the away goals rule after a 0–0 draw, at the end of which Tony Cascarino became involved in a fight and retired from international football.

Ireland faced Portugal and the Netherlands in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers in UEFA Group 2, finishing the group in second place with 24 points from 10 games (seven wins and three draws). Despite this unbeaten run, Ireland drew in a play-off with Iran. The match in Dublin ended in a 2-0 victory for Ireland with goals from Ian Harte (penalty) and Robbie Keane, while the match in Tehran, played in front of 100,000 spectators, ended in a 1-0 victory for Iran. McCarthy managed to lead Ireland to the final stages of the 2002 World Cup, although only for the team to lose inspirational captain Roy Keane due to the pair's infamous public dispute in Saipan. 1-1 draws with Cameroon and Germany were followed by a 3-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Group E. The Irish once again advanced to the knockout stage, narrowly losing 3-2 on penalties to Spain in Suwon after Robbie Keane's last-minute equalizing penalty forced the match into extra time.

After a poor start in qualifying for Euro 2004, McCarthy was replaced by Brian Kerr, but he too struggled to guide the team to the tournament or the subsequent 2006 World Cup in Germany, and was eventually sacked in October 2005. Kerr was replaced by Steve Staunton (assisted by Bobby Robson in the role of 'international football consultant') in January 2006. Under Staunton, results varied widely, but the team still failed to achieve qualify for Euro 2008 and Staunton lost the spot in October 2007. Their reign included a humiliating 5-2 defeat to Cyprus during Group D qualifying, one of the worst defeats in the team's history.

Latest matches and upcoming matches

Updated to the last game played on September 10, 2023.

Date	City	Local	Outcome	Visitor	Competition
22-03-2023	Dublin	IrelandIRL	3:2 (2:2)	LatviaLatvia	Friendly Party
27-03-2023	Dublin	IrelandIRL	0:1 (0:0)	FRAFrance	Euro Cup 2024
16-06-2023	Athens	GreeceGRE	2:1 (1:1)	IRLIreland	Euro Cup 2024
19-06-2023	Dublin	IrelandIRL	3:0 (0:0)	GIBGibraltar	Euro Cup 2024
07-09-2023	Saint-Denis	FranceFRA	2:0 (1:0)	IRLIreland	Euro Cup 2024
10-09-2023	Dublin	IrelandIRL	1:2 (1:1)	NEDNetherlands	Euro Cup 2024
13-10-2023	Dublin	IrelandIRL	-:	GREGreece	Euro Cup 2024
16-10-2023	Faro-Loulé	GibraltarGIB	-:	IRLIreland	Euro Cup 2024
18-11-2023	Amsterdam	NetherlandsNED	-:	IRLIreland	Euro Cup 2024
21-11-2023	Dublin	IrelandIRL	-:	NZLNew Zealand	Friendly Party

Statistics

Soccer World Cup

Edition	Outcome	Position	PJ	PG	PE	P	GF	GC	Dif.	Goleador
1930	No.
1934	He didn't qualify.
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990	Final rooms	8°	5	0	4	1	2	3	-1	Kevin Sheedy and Niall Quinn (1)
1994	Final Octavos	16°	4	1	1	2	2	4	-2	Ray Houghton and Aldridge (1)
1998	He didn't qualify.
2002	Final Octavos	12°	4	1	3	0	6	3	3	Robbie Keane (3)
2006	He didn't qualify.
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026	To dispute
Total	3/22	42°	13	2	8	3	10	10	0	Robbie Keane (3)

Euro Cup

Edition	Outcome	Position	PJ	PG	PE	P	GF	GC	Dif.	Goleador
1960	He didn't qualify.
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988	Group phase	5°	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	Whelan and Houghton (1)
1992	He didn't qualify.
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012	Group phase	16°	3	0	0	3	1	9	-8	Sean St Ledger (1)
2016	Final Octavos	15°	4	1	1	2	3	6	-3	Robbie Brady (2)
2020	He didn't qualify.
2024	To dispute
Total	3/16	26°	10	2	2	6	6	17	-11	Robbie Brady (2)

UEFA Nations League

Year	L	G	Round	PJ	PG	PE	P	GF	GC	Dif.	Goleador
2018-19	B	4	Third place	4	0	2	2	1	5	-4	Shaun Williams (1)
2020-21	B	4	Third place	6	0	3	3	1	4	-3	Shane Duffy (1)
2022-23	B	1	Third place	6	2	1	3	8	7	+1	Egan and Obafemi (2)
Total			3/3	16	2	6	8	10	16	-6	Egan and Obafemi (2)

Players

Last call

The following players were summoned for the friendly match against LVALatvia and the party against FRAFrance by classification for Eurocopa 2024

N.o	Name	Position	Age	PJ	Goles	Equipment
1	Gavin Bazunu	Porter	21 years	14	0	Southampton
16	Caoimhin Kelleher	Porter	24 years	10	0	Liverpool
23	Mark Travers	Porter	24 years	3	0	Bournemouth
2	Séamus Coleman	Defence	34 years	68	1	Everton
3	Andrew Omobamidele	Defence	21 years	6	0	Norwich City
4	Dara O'Shea	Defence	24 years	18	0	West Bromwich
5	John Egan	Defence	30 years	32	3	Sheffield United
7	Matt Doherty	Defence	31 years	35	1	Atletico de Madrid
12	Nathan Collins	Defence	22 years	12	1	Wolverhampton Wanderers
6	Josh Cullen	Camper center	27 years	24	0	Burnley
8	Alan Browne	Camper center	28 years	29	5	Preston North End
11	James McClean	Camper center	34 years	98	11	Wigan Athletic
13	Jeff Hendrick	Camper center	31 years	78	2	Reading
14	Jayson Molumby	Camper center	24 years	19	0	West Bromwich
15	Mark Sykes	Camper center	26 years	1	0	Bristol City
17	Jason Knight	Camper center	22 years	18	1	Derby County
18	Jamie McGrath	Camper center	27 years	7	0	Dundee United
21	Will Smallbone	Camper center	23 years	1	0	Stoke City
9	Michael Obafemi	Delantero	23 years	9	2	Burnley
10	Adam Idah	Delantero	22 years	14	0	Norwich City
19	Evan Ferguson	Delantero	18 years	4	1	Brighton & Hove Albion
20	Chiedozie Ogbene	Delantero	26 years	15	4	Rotherham United
22	Mikey Johnston	Delantero	24 years	2	0	Vitória de Guimarães
DT	Stephen Kenny	Coach	51 years	27

More participations

Updated as of March 31, 2023

Top scorers

Updated as of March 31, 2023

Uniform

Coaches

Between 1921 and 1969 a committee of selectors chose the team, sometimes a coach or team manager was appointed; Mick Meagan was the first manager to select the team. The coaches from the periods when the national team was known as the Irish Free State or simply Ireland, are obscure and many are not known today, however it is known that Val Harris and Bill Lacey They led the Irish team in the 1930s. Below is a list of the coaches of the Irish team, from 1951 onwards, since it became the Republic of Ireland:

Coach	Race	Parties	Winners	Empatized	Lost	Percentage victories (%)
Doug Livingstone	1951 - 1953
Alex Stevenson
Johnny Carey	1955 - 1967
Noel Cantwell	1967
Charlie Hurley	1967 - 1969
Mick Meagan	1969 - 1971	12	0	3	9	0.00
Liam Tuohy	1971 - 1973	10	3	1	6	30.00
Seán Thomas (provisional)	1973	1	0	1	0	0.00
Johnny Giles	1973 - 1980	37	14	9	14	37.84
Alan Kelly Mr. (provisional)	1980	1	1	0	0	100.00
Eoin Hand	1980 - 1985	40	11	9	20	27.50
Jack Charlton	1986 - 1995	94	47	30	17	50.00
Mick McCarthy	1996 - 2002	68	29	19	20	42.65
Don Givens (provisional)	2002	1	0	1	0	0
Brian Kerr	2003 - 2005	32	17	11	4	53.13
Steve Staunton	2006 - 2007	17	6	5	6	35.29
Don Givens (provisional)	2007 - 2008	2	0	1	1	0
Giovanni Trapattoni	2008 - 2013	12	4	7	1	33.33
Noel King	2013	2	1	0	1	50
Martin O'Neill	2013 - 2018	55	19	20	16	37.3
Mick McCarthy	2018 - 2020	6	4	0	9	66.7
Stephen Kenny	2020 - Present	0	0	0	0	0