The Republic of Ireland are preparing to face the Czech Republic in a World Cup playoff semi-final. Few would have imagined this possible after Ireland collected one point from their opening three qualifiers.
Having reignited their campaign with two Troy Parrott-inspired wins against Portugal and Hungary in November, Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side will take confidence and momentum into their bid to end a 24-year absence from the World Cup.
Coleman Calls on Ireland to Seize the Opportunity
Séamus Coleman believes the Republic of Ireland have “a duty” to lift the country by completing the job of qualifying for a World Cup finals for the first time since 2002.
Coleman insists recent history will be forgotten in Prague and he has urged the team to finish the job. The Republic and Everton captain said of previous playoff defeats: “The current group are all so young so I don’t think they are dwelling on that hurt too much.”
“We are just riding the wave of confidence we’ve got from the last two games. To see how the nation is feeling now is incredible. We’ve got a duty to try and make them even happier.”
Coleman’s Last Chance
At 37 and with injuries restricting his appearances for Everton, this is Coleman’s last chance to reach a World Cup. Coleman said: “Selfishly it would be amazing because as players you want to do as much as you can in the game, but from the aftermath of the last two games and seeing what it did to our country, it was incredible how it lifted our country and lifted our people.
“It genuinely made people happier and gave people something to get up in the morning and talk about, which is so important. So as much as we want to do it for ourselves and for the staff behind the scenes, we want to do it for the people of our country as well.”
Facing a Hostile Crowd in Prague
They have been allocated only 1,024 tickets for the semi-final but, having stunned a hostile crowd of almost 60,000 in Budapest with their last‑gasp win in November, Coleman says the Republic will not be intimidated in Prague. “This group has been through a lot,” the defender said.
“The manager has touched a lot this week on the hurdles the group has overcome and I think we are ready for it. It’s going to be tough, it’s going to be fiery out there and maybe two years ago it would have been a lot for the young lads to take, but I think now everyone has stepped up and are prepared for what’s to come.”
Hallgrímsson Extends Contract
Coleman’s confidence was shared at the pre-match press conference by Hallgrímsson, who recently extended his contract with the Football Association of Ireland until the end of the Euro 2028 campaign. The Czech Republic pose a conundrum ahead of the semi-final in the sense it will be Miroslav Koubek’s first game in charge.
A home playoff final against Denmark or North Macedonia awaits the winner of the semi-final at the 19,370‑capacity Fortuna Arena.