Ireland Need a Miracle to Qualify for World Cup 2026

Portugal vs Republic Ireland

Ireland aren’t planning on giving up their hopes of progressing to World Cup 2026, despite being in a precarious position in the ongoing qualifiers. According to AZ Alkmaar striker Troy Parrott in a recent interview, it ain’t over until it’s over.

The Boys in Green only have one point after the first two matchdays. After salvaging a point in a 2-2 draw against Hungary, Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men suffered a huge 2-1 upset against Armenia to cap off their woeful September international break.

Up next for Ireland is a visit to the Estadio Jose Alvalade this Saturday to take on Portugal, who have taken the top spot in Group F with six points. Roberto Martinez’s men won their opening two matches against Armenia (5-0) and Hungary (3-2), making them the favourites to progress directly to next year’s showpiece event.

Can the Boys in Green put up a fight against the hosts? Read more below in today’s SBOTOP preview.

 

Talking Points

Portugal’s Ronaldo can smash another scoring record

Cristiano Ronaldo continues to put up a fight against Father Time, as he’s on the brink of breaking another scoring record. The 40-year-old striker is still scoring for fun at both club and international level. He has kicked off the 2025-26 campaign on a positive note, having scored five goals in six matches for Al-Nassr across all competitions.

It’s an open secret that Ronaldo is chasing the massive milestone of 1,000 career goals, and he can inch closer this international break. He will seek to score his 40th goal in World Cup qualifying, a record that would make him the competition’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing Guatemala legend Carlos Ruiz (39 goals).

​Last September, Ronaldo bagged a brace against Armenia and converted an important penalty against Hungary. He has had the luck of not getting injured, so Ronaldo should continue to start up front for the Selecao alongside Pedro Neto, Bruno Fernandes, and Bernardo Silva.

Meanwhile, head coach Roberto Martinez made one squad change by dropping Joao Neves for Nuno Tavares. Neves is dealing with a thigh injury that kept him out of PSG’s recent matches against Marseille, Auxerre, Barcelona, and Lille. Interestingly, Tavares was also called up to replace fellow full-back Diogo Dalot in the last international break under the same circumstances.

 

Ireland sweating on striker’s fitness

The Republic of Ireland are hoping that Evan Ferguson is 100-per cent fit against Portugal, as the AS Roma loanee is their most in-form attacker. Ferguson has scored two of the Boys in Green’s last three goals, with Adam Idah scoring the other one against Hungary.

It was reported that Ferguson is dealing with an ankle injury, which caused him to miss the 2-1 victory against Fiorentina last week. If Ferguson misses this Saturday, Idah will likely take his spot in the starting lineup, with Troy Parrott and Chiedozie Ogbene as the backups.

Another key player for Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side is their first-choice goalkeeper, Caoimhin Kelleher. The 26-year-old is finding his feet as Brentford’s top shot stopper this term. 

 

History

Saturday marks the 17th competitive encounter between Portugal and the Republic of Ireland. Portugal have the edge in the overall head-to-heads with nine victories, while Ireland have four wins and three draws. Portugal are unbeaten in their last four (W3, D1).

Portugal have been World Cup regulars, and their best finish was fourth in the 2006 edition. During the 2022 World Cup, the Selecao reached the quarter-finals but surprisingly lost 1-0 to Morocco, who eventually finished fourth in the quadrennial tournament after a Cinderella run.

On the other hand, Ireland will aim to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 2002. Their best finish in the showpiece event was reaching the quarter-finals in the 1990 edition.

 

Betting Tip

As expected, the World Cup 2026 odds back Portugal to breeze past the Republic of Ireland this Saturday evening. The Selecao are at 1.14 odds to win, whereas the Boys in Green are huge 12.50 underdogs, and a draw is at 6.70 in the 1X2 market.

Portugal have been scoring goals for fun in the qualifiers, so we expect them to be in the World Cup 2026 highlights reel anew this weekend. Besides our recommended bet, bettors can also add Over 3.00 at 1.81, Over 3.25 at 2.11, and even Total Goals 4-6 at 2.47 to the parlay. Furthermore, a Correct Score of 3-0 in favour of Portugal – the result of their last meeting – could yield a decent payday of 6.10.

   

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