The Republic of Ireland gave themselves hope of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup with their win over Portugal on Thursday, and they may not even have to make the qualifiers.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s red card and Troy Parrott’s goals saw Ireland beat Portugal 2-0.
There is an unlikely, but possible, way for Ireland to deal another blow to Portugal and qualify directly for the World Cup.
Can Ireland beat Portugal to qualify directly for the World Cup?
Currently, despite Thursday’s shock loss in which Ronaldo received a red card, Portugal leads Group 6 of the European World Cup qualifiers with 10 points.
Hungary ranks second with eight points, followed by Ireland with seven points, and Armenia with two points.
This weekend, Ireland travel to Budapest where they must beat Hungary to keep their qualification hopes alive.
If Ireland beat Hungary 3-0, and Portugal suffer a shock defeat to Armenia, they will be level on 10 points and a goal difference of +4.
A direct confrontation would then be used to separate Ireland and Portugal, which would be to the advantage of the Irish.
This is because Portugal only beat them 1-0 last month with a late Ruben Neves goal. Ireland’s 2-0 win on Thursday night means their head-to-head record will be better, and means they top Group F and automatically qualify for the World Cup.
But Portugal beat Armenia 5-0 in the first leg, with two goals from Ronaldo, who will be suspended from the next match.
The most likely scenario for Ireland is to advance to the two-legged qualifiers.
They still have to beat Hungary first, because a draw or defeat would end their campaign. But a win, or a Portugal win or draw with Armenia, would see the Irish finish second in Group F and then qualify for the qualifiers against another nation that also finished second in their group.
If Hungary beats Ireland, taking its points tally to 11, Portugal will need to beat Armenia to finish top of Group F and qualify directly for the World Cup.
Troy Parrott: Hungary ‘is the bigger game’
Parrott, champion of the Irish national team on Thursday, entered the team to replace the injured Evan Ferguson.
The former Tottenham academy player has found a goal-scoring model since moving to AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands. “It means everything,” he said after scoring two goals in the win over Portugal.
Ronaldo faces the risk of being suspended from the World Cup after Portugal’s first red card
– Cristiano Ronaldo red card: Ireland coach says it may have gotten into his head
“I felt emotions when I scored those goals that I’ve never felt before. I don’t even have the words to describe it. It’s a really special feeling. I’m so happy.”
“I know it’s a bit of a cliche, but I think Sunday now is probably the biggest game. We’ve given ourselves a good chance of getting second, so all the focus now is on Sunday.”
Parrott added: “I had a big night. I’m not disappointed in the past. It’s still frustrating that I had to wait so long for a night like this, but it just shows that I have a lot of belief in myself. And to see it come to fruition is really special.”
