Republic of Ireland and the 2030 World Cup
Ranked 56th in the world, 27th in UEFA. 14.7% to qualify in our simulations.
Chances at the 2030 World Cup
Republic of Ireland qualify in 14.7% of simulated campaigns: outsiders, but with a route that opens up often enough to be worth playing for. The single most likely outcome is not qualifying (85.3% of cycles).
When they are at the finals, Republic of Ireland get out of their group 36.3% of the time and win the tournament in <0.1% of all cycles.
A 64-team World Cup would change the picture: with the extra places the simulator assumes for that format, Republic of Ireland qualify in 24.2% of campaigns instead of 14.7%.
- Qualify14.7%
- Round of 325.3%
- Round of 161.2%
- Quarter-finals0.4%
- Semi-finals<0.1%
- Final<0.1%
- Champions<0.1%
The route to the finals
Europe's qualifying is played in twelve groups: each group winner qualifies, and the eight best runners-up play off for the last two places. Republic of Ireland come in at the group stage.
There are 14 places for the 53 nations that have to qualify.
UEFA qualifying in full: format, what is official and every nation's odds.
How strong are they?
Republic of Ireland have 1438.62 points in the FIFA ranking published on 7 October 2026, which places them 56th in the world and 27th of the 55 nations in Europe. The simulator uses that points total directly as the team's rating.
Their attack score is 68 and their defence score 69, on a scale of 1 to 100 built from the last 30 internationals. Attack and defence are closely matched, so the team's results follow its overall rating without leaning towards high- or low-scoring games.
| Opponent | Fixture | Expected goals | Win | Draw | Lose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | At home to the next side in the UEFA ranking | 1.57 – 1.24 | 44% | 28% | 29% |
 Spain | At home to UEFA's highest-ranked side | 0.30 – 2.46 | 3% | 14% | 83% |
 Argentina | Against the top-ranked side from another confederation, on neutral ground | 0.30 – 2.46 | 3% | 14% | 83% |
Around them in UEFA
| In UEFA | Nation | FIFA rank | Points | Qualifies | Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 |  Slovakia |
45 | 1477 | 21.6% | <0.1% |
| 25 |  Czechia |
51 | 1457 | 16.9% | <0.1% |
| 26 |  Slovenia |
52 | 1452 | 17.8% | 0% |
| 27 |  Republic of Ireland |
56 | 1439 | 14.7% | <0.1% |
| 28 | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
57 | 1429 | 13.1% | 0% |
| 29 |  Romania |
58 | 1429 | 11.6% | 0% |
| 30 |  Northern Ireland |
64 | 1384 | 10.5% | 0% |
Republic of Ireland at the World Cup
They have played at 3 World Cups, the first in 1990 and the most recent in 2002. Their best finish is the quarter-finals, in 1990. They have missed the last 6 World Cups.
Play it out: take Republic of Ireland through Europe's qualifying, or change their rating in the team editor and see what it takes.
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