Republic of Ireland begin their 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifying campaign against Hungary in UEFA Group F.
Victory could see Ireland or Hungary go top if they can better the result of Armenia’s clash against Portugal.
Team News
Troy Parrott has withdrawn from Ireland’s squad due to injury and been replaced by Johnny Kenny.
Hungary have a full squad available for selection.
When is Kick-Off?
Ireland host Hungary at Aviva Stadium on Saturday 6 September at 7:45pm BST, untelevised live in the UK.
Stat Attack
- Ireland have won one of four previous World Cup qualifiers against Hungary (W1, D1, L2).
- Hungary have won one of two previous World Cup qualifiers away to Ireland (W1, L1).
- Ireland have scored three goals and conceded twice in two World Cup qualifiers at home to Hungary.
- Ireland have scored five goals in three of their four matches in 2025, courtesy of five different goalscorers.
- Hungary’s three goals in two away games in 2025 were all scored before half time (W1, L1).
Prediction
Unbeaten so far this calendar year despite keeping a single clean sheet, Ireland certainly can come into this game with some confidence but they will need to stay as defensively tight as they’ve been so far if want to beat Hungary’s strong attack.
Hungary though have been inconsistent this past 12 months with just two victories and are lacking goalscoring experience in their midfield and forward selections, but Dominik Szoboszlai nevertheless will be their most dangerous threat with his attacking quality in midfield.
Nevertheless I feel that this could be quite a tight game to call so am going for a draw.
Prediction: ROI 1-1 Hungary
Result: ROI 2-2 Hungary