IRELAND MANAGER HEIMIR Hallgrimsson says he is most pleased with home advantage in a prospective World Cup play-off final following today’s draw in Zurich.
Ireland must beat Czechia away from home on 26 March before then beating either Denmark or North Macedonia in Dublin five days later to qualify for next summer’s World Cup.
Ireland’s seeding meant they knew they would be away from home for the semi-final, but have been granted a home final thanks to the luck of the draw.
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“I didn’t really care who the opponent would be because all the teams are ranked above us”, Hallgrimsson told reporters from Zurich.
“For me there was not much of a difference between the four teams because they are at home. We played the Czech Republic with Iceland we lost there so I know it is a tough place to go there but anything can happen in this game like we saw in Hungary. But the most exciting thing is if we win the first game then we get a home game for the play-off final. We are kind of happy with that.”
The Czechs finished second in their group behind Croatia, but endured an up-and-down campaign that included a shock 2-1 defeat to the Faroe Islands, after which manager Ivan Hasek was fired.
Asked if that stunning reversal gave him optimism, Hallgrimsson said, “Well, we lost to Armenia and almost fired the coach then so it is a similar situation then.
“It is just going to be a Cup final. You know how these games are. You just have to be focused and prepared and ready for when it comes. It is a long time until March and a lot of things can happen between now and then.”
Hallgrimsson’s prime source of optimism is his players’ performances in their stunning back-to-back victories against Portugal and Hungary.
“There is obvious positivity and optimism at the moment”, said Hallgrimsson. “Even with us missing a lot of key players from the squad now so hopefully we will even have a stronger squad going there. Whether the optimism from the recent games will still be in their heads in March, we just don’t know.
“But that is why it is important to look back, to not only celebrate the wins, but remember why it happened and to keep on working and improving this squad because when the games become bigger, we need to improve ourselves.
“I would say the most pleasing thing about this draw was to have a home match. What it means is that, first of all, we can produce a really important, exciting game for our fans.
“If we can give them that much, that will mean so much more that’s connected to the fans being supportive. It’s financial: it’s everything for the association to get this match in Ireland.
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“But what the fans have done is they have created an environment in the Aviva that is unique, and just to have a game with them supporting us will, and can be, a major difference than playing, let’s say, in Denmark or wherever, whoever will be our opponent. It’s massive to have a home game if we can manage to win the first one.”
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'The most exciting thing is if we win the first game, then we get a home game for the play-off final'
IRELAND MANAGER HEIMIR Hallgrimsson says he is most pleased with home advantage in a prospective World Cup play-off final following today’s draw in Zurich.
Ireland must beat Czechia away from home on 26 March before then beating either Denmark or North Macedonia in Dublin five days later to qualify for next summer’s World Cup.
Ireland’s seeding meant they knew they would be away from home for the semi-final, but have been granted a home final thanks to the luck of the draw.
“I didn’t really care who the opponent would be because all the teams are ranked above us”, Hallgrimsson told reporters from Zurich.
“For me there was not much of a difference between the four teams because they are at home. We played the Czech Republic with Iceland we lost there so I know it is a tough place to go there but anything can happen in this game like we saw in Hungary. But the most exciting thing is if we win the first game then we get a home game for the play-off final. We are kind of happy with that.”
The Czechs finished second in their group behind Croatia, but endured an up-and-down campaign that included a shock 2-1 defeat to the Faroe Islands, after which manager Ivan Hasek was fired.
Asked if that stunning reversal gave him optimism, Hallgrimsson said, “Well, we lost to Armenia and almost fired the coach then so it is a similar situation then.
“It is just going to be a Cup final. You know how these games are. You just have to be focused and prepared and ready for when it comes. It is a long time until March and a lot of things can happen between now and then.”
Hallgrimsson’s prime source of optimism is his players’ performances in their stunning back-to-back victories against Portugal and Hungary.
“There is obvious positivity and optimism at the moment”, said Hallgrimsson. “Even with us missing a lot of key players from the squad now so hopefully we will even have a stronger squad going there. Whether the optimism from the recent games will still be in their heads in March, we just don’t know.
“But that is why it is important to look back, to not only celebrate the wins, but remember why it happened and to keep on working and improving this squad because when the games become bigger, we need to improve ourselves.
“I would say the most pleasing thing about this draw was to have a home match. What it means is that, first of all, we can produce a really important, exciting game for our fans.
“If we can give them that much, that will mean so much more that’s connected to the fans being supportive. It’s financial: it’s everything for the association to get this match in Ireland.
“But what the fans have done is they have created an environment in the Aviva that is unique, and just to have a game with them supporting us will, and can be, a major difference than playing, let’s say, in Denmark or wherever, whoever will be our opponent. It’s massive to have a home game if we can manage to win the first one.”
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2026 world cup qualifier Czechia Republic Of Ireland the Heimir republic