Friendlies can help Republic of Ireland prepare for World Cup campaign
The Icelander, who is eight games into the role and to date has enjoyed modest success, took up the reins targeting qualification for next summer's finals, and now has just two matches left in which to finalise his plans.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the talking points surrounding the first of them.
FT | League B status retained! pic.twitter.com/9HCqWcdyjz
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) March 23, 2025
Ireland may have slipped to 60th place in FIFA's world rankings, but they will head into the Senegal game with four wins in eight outings under their new head coach. While home and away defeats to England and Greece may not have come as a surprise, home and away wins over Finland and Bulgaria brought a more positive conclusion to the Nations League campaign, and Hallgrimsson's team will run out at the Aviva Stadium with three victories in their last four matches.
Our 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture schedule has been revealed 🇮🇪🤩
We'll begin our campaign at home to Hungary next September 💪
Secure your seat for an exciting 2025 season now 🎟️👉 https://t.co/B27o62TWUp pic.twitter.com/6fP2g37Iz4
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) December 13, 2024
Every step the Icelander has taken so far has been geared towards preparing his team for World Cup qualification. That process begins in September when Ireland face Hungary and Armenia away in fixtures which could go a long way towards determining how they fare in a four-team group which also includes Portugal. The friendlies against Senegal and Luxembourg – in which most of Hallgrimsson's Sky Bet Championship players will not be involved – provide a final chance to nail down a plan.
Successive Ireland managers have bemoaned a lack of players playing regularly in Premier League teams, and one has taken decisive action during the current window. Goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, who has established himself as Hallgrimsson's number one, was allowed to leave the camp to tie up an £18million switch from Liverpool to Brentford which he will hope gives him the football he craves and in turn, secure his place in the national team.
Evan Ferguson, Troy Parrott and Adam Idah find themselves battling for a place in Ireland's starting line-up with their new boss still working to find the right balance in attack. AZ Alkmaar's Parrott has been the man in form and Celtic frontman Idah ended an at times difficult season with 20 goals and two trophies, while Ferguson, who spent the second half of the campaign on loan at West Ham from Brighton, barely kicked a ball in anger.
Senegal are ranked 19th in the world for a reason, and a glance at the list of players available to head coach Pape Thiaw illustrates why they are so highly-regarded. Among his big names are Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye, Villarreal's Pape Gueye, Pape Matar Sarr of Tottenham, Crystal Palace striker Ismaila Sarr and Chelsea counterpart Nicolas Jackson.
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