Team news and latest updates ahead of crucial World Cup play-off semi-final

Can the Republic of Ireland go one step closer to World Cup qualification?

The Republic of Ireland travel to Prague to face the Czech Republic tonight knowing they could move within one match of elusive World Cup qualification .

Ireland reached the play-offs in soul-stirring fashion in November, following up a memorable win over Portugal with late drama in Hungary , which saw Troy Parrott net a stoppage-time winner in Budapest to spark incredible scenes of celebration.

The result secured a second-place finish and a play-off spot for Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side, who have not played at a World Cup finals since 2002.

But to end that 24-year wait for qualification, they will first need to go through Czech Republic in enemy territory, which will earn them a finale showdown against either Denmark or North Macedonia in front of a rabid Dublin crowd on Tuesday 31 March.

Follow all the action from Czech Republic vs Ireland in our live blog below:
Ladislav Krejci, Czech Republic’s new captain after Tomas Soucek was stripped of the armband, was very confident ahead of tonight’s play-off.

"We will make it," the 26-year-old Wolves defender said of his country's bid to reach a first World Cup since 2006.

"We will reach our goal.

We will qualify for the World Cup."
'We know not to be over-ambitious'
Here’s more pre-match thoughts from Heimir Hallgrimsson who outlined what Ireland need to be aware of for tonight’s match.

"That's kind of the psychology for a game like this,” he said.

“We all know by now why we got good results and good performances, and that's the key, not be over-ambitious, stay on point, focus on why we are here and trying to improve that, not only this game, continuously."
This selection of 23 players will be whittled down even further when the team news drops later in this hour but here’s the full Irish squad tasked with getting past Czech Republic tonight.

Southampton midfielder Finn Azaz spoke to RTE about the magnitude of tonight's game for Republic of Ireland.

"Yeah, there's no point in denying it, it's a huge game but I think our mentality as a team is really strong and I think we know how big it is.

"But we also know that we're capable of winning the game.

The November camp showed us what we're capable of.

We're going into the knowing how big it is but also with the knowledge of what we're capable of now."
Troy Parrott on becoming Republic of Ireland’s hero, Mourinho’s impact and searching for ‘big moments’
It was a moment that caused many Irish people to lose their capacity for rational thought.

It was already the kind of high-stakes circumstance where the intensity of emotion overrides everything else, but there was none of that for the man at the centre.

Troy Parrott was alert to everything, which was exactly how he scored the goal that meant everything to a nation dreaming of reaching the Fifa World Cup 2026.

“It’s more of a mental thing,” the 24-year-old says now, sitting in a very relaxed mood in his Amsterdam apartment.

“It’s just getting in the box and hoping that the ball is going to fall.”
Troy Parrott on becoming Republic of Ireland’s hero and Mourinho’s impact
"It's important to be ready and visualise what's ahead of us," said Republic of Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson.

"It's important now to do a session at the stadium, for example, just to feel the atmosphere, see the stadium, feel the grass, etc, knowing what to expect, knowing what they are saying and how they see this game.

"And then it's just tactical, being ready for what they will throw at us and do what we need to do and just remind ourselves why we are in this position, continue to grow and do the same things that we have been doing.”
Ireland will need the fans support
Tonight’s play-off semi-final will see around 6000 Irish fans flock to Prague and the Fortuna Arena to, hopefully, witness history for their team and Coleman knows the impact they can have.

"It's incredible, it's what this football team can do, I've said it before the results last time, that this football team can lift the nation and we were proved right with that," he said.

"We're so grateful for their support, we're so grateful that they're getting here anyway they can, many flights, trains, whatever way they can to be part of it.

"As long as our supporters know that we don't take that for granted and we want to give them another good night."
Seamus Coleman remembers win over Hungary
Irish stalwart and former captain, Seamus Coleman, reflected on that win over Hungary but wants it to be the first part of the journey in reaching the World Cup.

"Yeah [Budapest was a highlight], but ultimately it has to count for something as well," he said.

"It was great at the time and memories that people will keep forever but it has to count for something, and that is starting tomorrow.

"Listen, when you put on the green shirt, you are representing your people and it is an emotional occasion.

We have enough tough days as well so [it is] important to soak in those good days."
Even getting to this stage of World Cup qualifying has been a rollercoaster ride for the Republic of Ireland.

Placed in a group with Portugal, Hungary and Armenia, Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side were not expected to make it this far and a third place finish was seen as the height of what they could achieve.

Belief in the camp was high and only grew following a 2-0 victory over Portugal back in November 2025.

That left a chance for the Irish to finish second in the group but they would need to also beat Hungary in their final match.

Troy Parrott, who had scored both equalisers, netted a third in the 96th minute to complete his hat-trick and secure a place in the play-offs for Ireland.

Czech football rocked by match-fixing scandal on week of World Cup play-off with Ireland
Czech football has been engulfed in a match-fixing scandal just days before the national team's World Cup play-off clash with the Republic of Ireland.

The Czech football association, the Fotbalova Asociace Ceske Republiky (FACR), revealed on Tuesday that it had initiated 47 disciplinary proceedings against players, club officials and referees largely on suspicion of bribery and match-fixing following a series of dawn raids.

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