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Republic of Ireland national football team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Republic of Ireland women's national football team.

Republic of Ireland
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)The Boys in Green
The Green Army
AssociationFootball Association of Ireland (FAI)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachMartin O'Neill[1]
CaptainRobbie Keane
Most capsRobbie Keane (143)
Top scorerRobbie Keane (67)
Home stadiumAviva Stadium
FIFA codeIRL
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current31 Increase 11 (3 December 2015)
Highest6 (August 1993)
Lowest70 (June–July 2014)
First international
Republic of Ireland Irish Free State 1–0 Bulgaria Bulgaria
(Stade Colombes, France; 28 May 1924)
Biggest win
Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland 8–0 Malta Malta
(Dublin, Ireland; 16 November 1983)
Biggest defeat
Brazil Brazil 7–0 Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland
(Uberlândia, Brazil; 27 May 1982)
World Cup
Appearances3 (first in 1990)
Best resultQuarter-Finals 1990
European Championship
Appearances3 (first in 1988)
Best resultGroup Stage (although Ireland reached the Quarter-Finals in 1964 this was still considered a qualifer)
Summer Olympics
Appearances2 (first in 1924)
Best result5th, 1924

The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and plays its home fixtures at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

The team made their debut at the 1924 Summer Olympics, reaching the quarter-finals. Between 1924 and 1936, the team competed as the Irish Free State and from then until 1950, it was referred to by the FAI as Éire or Ireland. In 1953, FIFA decreed that for competitive matches in tournaments that both Irish teams may enter, the FAI team would be officially called the Republic of Ireland while the IFA team was to be named Northern Ireland.[2] Northern Ireland was allowed to use the title Ireland by FIFA in the Home International Competition until it was discontinued in 1984. Ireland was the first nation from outside the United Kingdom to defeat England at home at a fixture played at Goodison Park, Liverpool, in 1949. The team also reached the Quarter Final stage of the 1964 European Nations' Cup, where they lost to the eventual winners Spain.

Under the guidance of Jack Charlton, the team enjoyed its most successful era, reaching their highest FIFA ranking ever which was 6th in the world in August 1993, and qualifying for UEFA Euro 1988 in their first appearance at the UEFA European Championship, reaching the quarterfinals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup in their first ever appearance at the finals, and making the last 16 at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Charlton's successor Mick McCarthy lost out on the next two major tournaments but ultimately qualified for the 2002 World Cup, making it to the last 16. Under Giovanni Trapattoni, the team narrowly lost out on qualification for the 2010 World Cup during a controversial play-off, but went on to qualify for UEFA Euro 2012.

The team failed to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil which marked the end of Giovanni Trapattoni's tenure as manager. Ireland also fell to a record low FIFA ranking of 59th. The team fell further to a record low of 70th in June 2014.[3] For the next Euro qualifying campaign under manager Martin O'Neill, Ireland finished third behind Germany and Poland, but went on to qualify for Euro 2016 after a 3-1 aggregate win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the play-offs.

History

Irish Free State (1924–1936)

Between 1882 and 1924, Ireland was represented by a single national football team organised by the Belfast-based Irish Football Association (IFA). In 1920, Ireland was partitioned into Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State (the latter in turn becoming Éire or Ireland after adopting a new Constitution in 1937, followed by declaring itself a republic in 1948.) Following the initial political upheavals surrounding Partition, a Dublin-based organisation calling itself the Football Association of the Irish Free State (FAIFS) split from the IFA in 1921 and began organising its own league and national football team.[4]

In 1923, the FAIFS was recognised by FIFA as the governing body of the Irish Free State[5] and at the 1924 Summer Olympics, the Irish Free State made their international debut. On 28 May, at the Stade Olympique, they beat Bulgaria 1–0, with Paddy Duncan scoring the team's first ever goal. As a result of this they qualified for the quarter-finals.[6][7] On 14 June 1924, the Irish Free State made their home debut against the United States, who had embarked on a brief European tour after competing in the same Summer Olympics. Ed Brookes scored a hat-trick in a 3–1 home win at Dalymount Park.[8]

The Irish Free State did not play their next game until 21 March 1926. This was an away game against Italy which they lost 3–0. In subsequent years the status of the Olympic Games football competition was downgraded and as a result this game is widely regarded as the Irish Free State's first official game. On 25 February 1934, the Irish Free State made their FIFA World Cup debut, drawing 4–4 with Belgium at Dalymount Park in a 1934 FIFA World Cup qualifier. Paddy Moore scored all four of the Free State's goals and became the first player ever to score four goals in a FIFA World Cup game.[9]

Ireland (1937–1952)

After 1936, they reverted to the designation "Football Association of Ireland" and began to refer to their team as Éire or "Ireland". During this whole period, there were two Irish international football teams, chosen by two rival Associations. Both Associations, the Northern Ireland – based IFA and the Irish Free State – based FAI claimed jurisdiction over the whole of Ireland and considered themselves entitled to select players from the whole island. At least thirty-eight dual internationals were selected to represent both teams,[10] however the overwhelming majority of these were Southerners who also agreed to play for the IFA team, with only a bare handful "crossing the border" in the other direction.

A 2–0 win over England at Goodison Park on 21 September 1949, was the first time England suffered a home defeat by a team outside the Home Countries of Scotland, Wales and the Ireland team run by the Belfast-based Irish FA. FIFA eventually intervened when both teams entered 1950 FIFA World Cup qualification, the first time they had entered the same competition. Four players – Tom Aherne, Reg Ryan, Davy Walsh, Con Martin – actually played for the two different teams in the same FIFA World Cup tournament.[11] All four players concerned had been born in the Irish Free State and made their full international debut in FAI colours before agreeing to represent the IFA team. This may have alarmed the FAI, since they subsequently lobbied FIFA to prevent the IFA from picking Southern-born players (as well as attempting to exert pressure on the players themselves, sometimes through their clubs). FIFA's response was to restrict the eligibility of players on the basis of the (political) border, further ruling in 1953 that neither team could be referred to as Ireland in competitions which both teams were eligible to enter i.e. initially the FIFA World Cup and subsequently the European Nations Cup (now the UEFA European Football Championship). FIFA decreed that the FAI team officially be called the Republic of Ireland while the IFA team was to be named Northern Ireland.[12]

Republic of Ireland (1953–1968)

In 1953, FIFA renamed the team from "Ireland" to "Republic of Ireland". The 1958 FIFA World Cup qualifiers saw the Republic of Ireland drawn with England. In their home game against England, Alf Ringstead put the hosts 1–0 up before John Atyeo equalised in the last minute to salvage a 1–1 draw for England. Under the rules of the day, a win for the Republic of Ireland would have meant a play-off with England for a place in the FIFA World Cup.[9]

After reaching the quarter-finals of the 1964 European Nations' Cup, the Republic of Ireland were drawn to face Spain and Syria in 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification. Despite Syria's withdrawal, this was still considered a qualifying group with the Irish winning 1–0 at home and losing 4–1 away. This meant a play-off at the Parc des Princes in Paris, which Spain won 1–0[13] Eamon Dunphy made his Ireland début in this game.[13] The play-off was originally scheduled to take place at Wembley Stadium in London, home to a large Irish diaspora, but the FAI agreed with the Spanish FA to have the match moved to Paris, where a large Spanish diaspora lived.[14] The FAI was criticised for this move to boost revenue from gate receipts.[13]

Wilderness (1969–1985)

In 1969 the FAI appointed Mick Meagan as the first permanent manager of the national side. His two years in charge were marked by exceptionally poor results however, with the team losing 5 out of 6 matches and gaining just one point in their 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification, and doing no better in the UEFA Euro 1972 qualifiers, leading to his dismissal. His replacement, Liam Tuohy did a somewhat better in the 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification, and more importantly oversaw major improvements to the national team's training facilities and persuaded many English club sides to end their policies of not releasing Irish players for international games during the domestic season. Ultimately however, the team still failed to qualify for the World Cup, and Tuohy resigned following a dispute over his wages. Johnny Giles became the side's first player-manager in the 1970s. This was followed by the debut of a young Liam Brady and results improved markedly.[15] The side missed out on the 1978 FIFA World Cup by two points, having defeated France at home during qualification. After a less than impressive performance at the UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying, in which the team finished well behind group winners England and even Northern Ireland, Giles resigned, saying that he had taken the national side as far as he could.[16]

Eoin Hand took over as manager for the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and once more the Republic of Ireland narrowly missed out on qualification, this time on goal difference behind France who they had defeated at home once more. Disappointing qualifying campaigns for both the 1984 European Championship and 1986 FIFA World Cup followed, ending Hand's time in charge.

The Charlton years (1986–1995)

In 1986, the Republic of Ireland appointed Jack Charlton, a top rated English manager who had been part of England's World Cup winning side of 1966. During the 1970s, he had developed Middlesbrough into a side which provided many players to the dominant Liverpool team of the time.

Ireland playing Netherlands at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida, USA where they lost 2–0 in the Round of 16 of the 1994 FIFA World Cup

After taking charge of the Republic of Ireland, Charlton influenced changes in the national side which resulted in arguably the most successful period of its history, winning the Iceland Triangular Tournament by defeating Iceland and Czechoslovakia in May 1986[17] and qualifying for two FIFA World Cups and a European Championship.[18]

Ireland's first appearance at a major finals tournament came in UEFA Euro 1988, with qualification being secured through Gary Mackay's famous goal in Sofia that meant Scotland beat Bulgaria 1–0 and left Ireland on top of the group. In the finals in West Germany, Ireland beat England 1–0 in Stuttgart with a header from Ray Houghton, drew 1–1 with the Soviet Union in Hannover, with Ronnie Whelan the scorer, and lost to the Netherlands 1–0 in Gelsenkirchen, coming within 8 minutes of a draw that would have meant a semi-final place.

The Republic of Ireland's longest competitive winning streak was achieved in 1989 during the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. Five games against Spain, Northern Ireland, Hungary and Malta twice, were all wins for the Irish. Subsequently, the side made it to the 1990 FIFA World Cup (Italia '90). Three draws in the group stage against England, Egypt and the Netherlands was enough to make the knockout stage. Virtually the whole country watched as they beat Romania on penalties with Packie Bonner making a vital save and David O'Leary scoring the decisive spot-kick. Ireland were then beaten 1–0 by Italy in the quarter final in the Olympic Stadium, Rome. During the tournament the team had an audience with Pope John Paul II, and were the only team to do so.[19]

After missing out on UEFA Euro 1992 (despite being unbeaten in qualifying), the Republic of Ireland qualified for the 1994 FIFA World Cup (USA '94). In their first match, they beat the previous World Cup hosts and 3rd-place finishers Italy 1-0, in their opening game at Giants Stadium just outside New York City; but lost to Mexico 2-1 at the Citrus Bowl in the heat and humidity of Orlando, Florida; and they tied with Norway 0-0 at Giants Stadium. With these results, they made it to the second round, eventually losing 2–0 to the Netherlands in Orlando. In 1996, Ireland finished second behind Portugal in UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying Group 6 but narrowly missed out on UEFA Euro 1996 after losing by a score of 2–0 a play-off at Anfield between the two worst group runners-up to the Netherlands, the other worst runner-up, with Patrick Kluivert scoring both goals to send his team through.[13] It was Jack Charlton's final game as manager.[13]

Some success (1996–2002)

Charlton was replaced by Mick McCarthy but Ireland still missed out on the next two major tournaments. Ireland just managed to finish second to Romania in their 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign after Tony Cascarino scored a late goal to win the away match with Lithuania.[13] A play-off with Belgium followed, with the match at Lansdowne Road finishing in a 1–1 draw, the match in Belgium finishing 2–1 to the home team and substitute David Connolly being sent off in the latter, preventing Ireland from progressing to the 1998 FIFA World Cup.[13] FIFA awarded the FIFA Fair Play Award for 1997 to the Irish supporters "for their exemplary behaviour at Ireland team matches, especially the FIFA World Cup qualifying play-offs against Belgium".[20] Ireland's opponents in UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying Group 8 were Yugoslavia, Croatia, Malta and Macedonia.[13] Macedonia scored a last-minute equaliser that denied Ireland top spot in the group, instead they faced Turkey in a play-off to decide which team would participate in UEFA Euro 2000.[13] The match in Dublin finished in a 1–1 draw and Turkey qualified with the away goal after a 0–0 draw at the end of which Tony Cascarino became involved in a fight and retired from international football.[13]

Ireland took on both Portugal and the Netherlands in 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 2 and ended the group in second place with 24 points from ten matches; seven victories and three draws.[13] Despite this unbeaten run, Ireland were drawn in a play-off with Iran. The match in Dublin finished in a 2–0 victory to Ireland with goals from Ian Harte (penalty) and Robbie Keane, while the match in Tehran, played in front of 100,000 spectators, finished in a 1–0 for Iran, not enough to send them through.[13] So McCarthy did manage to lead Ireland to the 2002 FIFA World Cup (Korea/Japan '02), only for the team to lose inspirational captain Roy Keane due to the pair's infamous public spat in Saipan.[21] 1–1 draws with Cameroon and Germany were followed by a 3–0 victory over Saudi Arabia in Group E.[22][23][24] The Irish once again progressed to the knockout stage, only losing narrowly 3–2 on penalties to Spain in Suwon after Robbie Keane's last minute equalising penalty kick forced the game into extra-time.[25]

Decline (2003–2007)

After a poor start to qualifying for UEFA Euro 2004, McCarthy was replaced by Brian Kerr but he also struggled to guide the side to the tournament or the following 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and was sacked in October 2005.[26][27] Kerr was replaced by Steve Staunton (assisted by Bobby Robson in the position of "international football consultant") in January 2006.[28] Under Staunton, results varied widely but the team still failed to qualify for UEFA Euro 2008 and Staunton lost the position in October 2007.[29] His reign included a humiliating 5–2 defeat to Cyprus during UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group D, one of the worst defeats in the team's history.[30]

The Trapattoni years (2008–2013)

Irish celebrating qualification for UEFA Euro 2012

Giovanni Trapattoni was appointed manager in February 2008 following a spell with assistant coach Don Givens in charge.[31] Trapattoni went through all ten first round 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying games unbeaten, winning four of the ten games.[32] Ireland lost out on a place in the 2010 FIFA World Cup after a controversial narrow loss to France in the play-offs. Ireland went down 0–1 in the first leg, and lost 2–1 on aggregate, with William Gallas scoring a controversial goal in extra time in the second leg after Thierry Henry had handled the ball before crossing for Gallas to score.[33] This followed another controversy over FIFA's last-minute decision to seed the play-off draw.[34]

In 2011, Ireland hosted and won the inaugural Nations Cup with wins against Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland without conceding a goal.[35]

In their Euro 2012 qualifying group Ireland finished second, losing only the home fixture against Russia. They thus reached the play-offs and were drawn against Estonia, whom they beat 5–1 on aggregate. UEFA Euro 2012 was Ireland's first major tournament since 2002, but in Group C they lost all three matches, against Croatia, Spain and Italy. UEFA announced a special award for the fans of the Irish team, who notably sang in the last few minutes against Spain, despite trailing 4–0.[36]

Irish team in September 2013

Ireland were drawn in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group C alongside Germany, Sweden, Austria, Faroe Islands and Kazakhstan.[37] On 12 October, Ireland suffered their largest ever competitive home defeat, 6–1 against Germany in the Aviva Stadium.

Ireland lost against Sweden and Austria in early September 2013, effectively ending the 2014 World Cup qualification campaign, and Giovanni Trapattoni resigned as team manager the following day.[38]

Noel King was appointed interim senior manager on 23 September 2013 following the resignation of Giovanni Trapattoni.

On 5 November 2013, the Football Association of Ireland announced that Martin O'Neill would be Trapattoni's replacement as manager, with former team captain Roy Keane as his assistant. They assumed their roles when the team met on 11 November where they won against Latvia 3–0 and drew against Poland 0–0 .[1]

Recent history (2014–present)

For the UEFA Euro 2016 qualification phase, the Republic of Ireland were drawn in Group D against Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Poland, and Scotland.[39] The team played against Gibraltar for the first time, beating them 7–0, and scored an away draw against World Cup champions, Germany, a few days later in October 2014.[40]

On 8 October 2015, The Republic of Ireland beat World champions Germany 1-0 in the Euro 2016 qualifiers at the Aviva Stadium Dublin. Shane Long scored the game's only goal with an excellent finish[41] in the 70th minute, rewarding the Republic of Ireland's impressive defensive display.[42] The result, hailed as one of the Republic of Ireland's greatest,[43] guaranteed[44] the Republic of Ireland a play-off place at least, with hopes of automatic qualification still a reality going into the final group game against Poland in Warsaw.[45] A win, or a score draw of 2-2 or more[44] would guarantee at least second place in the group, and ensure automatic qualification[46] for the UEFA Euro 2016 Finals in France. However, the Republic of Ireland lost 2-1 to Poland,[47] meaning they will enter into the play-off draw to be made on Sunday, 18 October 2015.[48]

The draw for the Euro 2016 Play-off was made in Nyon, Switzerland, on Sunday, October 18, 2015.[49] Ireland were unseeded in the draw, meaning they could face one of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Sweden or Hungary.[50] Ireland were drawn against Bosnia and Herzegovina, the best seeded team in the play-off.[51] The only previous meeting between the teams resulted in a 1-0 win for The Republic of Ireland in a friendly in 2012 - Shane Long with the game's only goal.[52] Owing to injuries and suspensions, Ireland had only the "B" squad available for the first leg of the play-off, played in Bilino Polje Stadium. A goal from Robbie Brady almost secured a victory for the Irish until Edin Džeko equalized 1–1 to end of the match. In the second leg played at the Aviva Stadium, Jonathan Walters, a God among men,[53] scored two goals leading to a 2-0 victory for the Irish. In the end Ireland won the play-off by 3-1 on aggregate, qualifying them for Euro 2016.[54]

The FIFA World Cup 2018 qualification draw took place on 25 July 2015 when the team were drawn in Group D against Austria, Georgia, Moldova, Serbia, and Wales.[55]

Team image

Kit

Ireland players (L-R) Robbie Keane, Liam Lawrence, Keith Andrews and Greg Cunningham in a 2010 friendly against Algeria

Traditionally, the team has played in a home strip of green shirt, white shorts, and green socks. The second strip is usually the reverse of these colours, although there have been exceptions, such as an orange shirt in the late 1990s. Squad numbers are either white with an orange trim, on the home shirts, or green with an orange trim. The FAI logo appears at the bottom of the numbering.

A limited edition grey shirt was used just once, in a match against Wales on 17 November 2007.[56] A black jersey with a green stripe across the chest was worn in the final game of the 2011 Nations Cup against Scotland and in a friendly against Italy in Liège in Belgium.[57][58]

The current kit has been supplied by Umbro since 1994. In March 2009, Umbro signed a deal with the FAI to keep them as kit suppliers to the team until 2020.[59]

Historical kits

Home

Classic
1978–83
1983–84
1984–85
1985
1988
1990[60]
1994
1998
2002[61]
2004
2006
2012
2015

Away

1990
1994
2010
2012[62]
2013
2015

Home stadium and other venues

Main articles: Lansdowne Road and Aviva Stadium
Ireland versus Argentina at the Aviva Stadium on 11 August 2010

Since the 1980s, most home matches have been played at Lansdowne Road, Dublin, the national rugby stadium owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU). The ground was closed for redevelopment in 2007, with the replacement ground, the Aviva Stadium, opening on 14 May 2010. The first soccer match in the Aviva was Manchester United against a League of Ireland XI side, managed by Damien Richardson, on 4 August 2010.[43] Manchester United won the game 7–1, with Park Ji-Sung scoring the first ever goal in the Aviva Stadium.[63] Aviva Stadium is jointly owned by the IRFU and FAI, although it will return to solely IRFU ownership on expiry of the current 60-year lease.[64] The first football international played at Lansdowne Road by a FAI team was a friendly against Italy in 1971 (an IFA team first played in 1878 against England[65]); a 5–0 victory over San Marino in a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group D match on 15 November 2006 was the last game there before the reconstruction.[66] The all-seater capacity of Lansdowne Road prior to the renovation was 36,000, although higher attendances, using the standing only areas, were permitted for friendly matches. The Aviva Stadium's status as an all-seater increased capacity for competitive games to 51,700. The opening game at the Aviva Stadium, a controversial 1–0 friendly defeat to Argentina, was noted for Robbie Keane securing his membership in the FIFA Century Club and manager Giovanni Trapattoni's absence due to surgery, with assistant manager Marco Tardelli taking charge.[67][68]

Main article: Croke Park
Croke Park, the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association, has been used for Irish matches.

With the announcement of the rebuilding of Lansdowne Road, a new venue was required to stage the Republic of Ireland's home internationals. The only stadium in Ireland deemed suitable to stage international football was the 84,500 capacity Croke Park, home of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). To accommodate this, the GAA temporarily relaxed its rule governing the playing of "foreign" games on its property. Initially, four UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group D matches were played at Croke Park in 2007, resulting in two wins and two draws.[69] The GAA initially agreed to allow the FAI use until the end of 2008, and later extended the permission until the completion of Aviva Stadium. The Hill 16 end of Croke Park is a terrace, which means like Lansdowne Road before it, the capacity of the stadium was reduced to around 74,500 for competitive matches as temporary seating must be used.

Prior to the 1980s, the Republic of Ireland played most home games at Dalymount Park, home of Bohemians, but progressively more games were played at Lansdowne Road following a safety review which reduced Dalymount's capacity. The last international match played there was against Morocco in 1990. The Republic of Ireland have also played home matches in Tolka Park (twice) and the RDS Arena in Dublin as well at the Mardyke and Flower Lodge grounds in Cork. These games in Cork were, until 2009, the only two home Irish internationals played outside of Dublin. During the construction of the Aviva Stadium, two friendly games were played in Thomond Park, Limerick, in 2009.[70][71] Two further friendlies were played in the RDS Arena in May 2010.[72][73]

Media coverage

Ireland matches are broadcast by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), Sky Sports, and Setanta Ireland. Sky Sports shows most of Irelands friendly matches, while RTE shows competitive games such as World Cup and European Championship qualifiers.[74][failed verification] RTÉ briefly lost its broadcast rights in 2002 when the FAI controversially sold them in a multi-million deal to Sky Sports, a subscription based satellite channel.[75] The decision was criticised by fans and politicians,[76][77] and the Consumers' Association of Ireland (CAI) described the FAI as "greedy".[78] The FAI was eventually forced to reverse its decision and to allow RTÉ to continue its broadcasts after the government intervened to stop the sale of important Irish sporting events to non-terrestrial television broadcasters.[79] RTÉ will hold the rights until 2018.[80]

Controversies

The selection[81][82][83] of young Northern Irish born players, especially those who have already represented Northern Ireland at youth level, into Republic of Ireland national teams has been controversial,[84] as these players are able to claim Irish nationality even though born and brought up outside the Republic's territory. This has led to accusations of unfairness and predatory behaviour.[85][86] In Northern Ireland it is seen by Northern Ireland supporters as having the effect of dividing international football in their country along sectarian lines, whereby Nationalists will declare for the Republic of Ireland while Unionists continue to play for Northern Ireland.[87] It has also been argued that it is actually the sectarian divisions, which already existed in Northern Irish football, that are a factor in a number of players switching to the Republic.[88][89] Traditionally, those in the North who identify as Irish, predominantly Catholics and nationalists, support the Republic of Ireland team.[90]

Staff

The senior men's management team are as follows:[91]

Martin O'Neill is the team manager.
Position Name Appointed
Manager Martin O'Neill 5 November 2013 [1]
Assistant manager Roy Keane 5 November 2013 [1]
Goalkeeping coach Seamus McDonagh 8 November 2013 [92]
Scout Frank Stapleton
High Performance Director Ruud Dokter 5 April 2013 (commenced 1 August) [93][94]

Squad

Current squad

The following players were named in the squad for the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying play-off matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina on 13 and 16 November 2015.[95][96]
Caps and goals as of 16 November 2015 after the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK David Forde (1979-12-20) 20 December 1979 (age 44) 23 0 England Millwall
23 1GK Darren Randolph (1987-05-12) 12 May 1987 (age 37) 6 0 England West Ham United
16 1GK Stephen Henderson (1988-05-02) 2 May 1988 (age 36) 0 0 England Charlton Athletic
4 2DF John O'Shea (Vice-captain) (1981-04-30) 30 April 1981 (age 43) 109 3 England Sunderland
2 2DF Ṡéamus Coleman (1988-10-11) 11 October 1988 (age 36) 32 0 England Everton
17 2DF Stephen Ward (1985-08-20) 20 August 1985 (age 39) 31 2 England Burnley
3 2DF Marc Wilson (1987-08-17) 17 August 1987 (age 37) 24 1 England Stoke City
12 2DF Ciaran Clark (1989-09-26) 26 September 1989 (age 35) 17 1 England Aston Villa
5 2DF Richard Keogh (1986-08-11) 11 August 1986 (age 38) 11 1 England Derby County
15 2DF Cyrus Christie (1992-09-30) 30 September 1992 (age 32) 3 1 England Derby County
7 3MF Aiden McGeady (1986-04-04) 4 April 1986 (age 38) 79 5 England Everton
6 3MF Glenn Whelan (1984-01-13) 13 January 1984 (age 40) 70 2 England Stoke City
8 3MF James McCarthy (1990-11-12) 12 November 1990 (age 34) 33 0 England Everton
11 3MF James McClean (1989-04-22) 22 April 1989 (age 35) 31 4 England West Bromwich Albion
20 3MF Wes Hoolahan (1982-05-20) 20 May 1982 (age 42) 27 2 England Norwich City
18 3MF Darron Gibson (1987-10-25) 25 October 1987 (age 37) 25 1 England Everton
19 3MF Robbie Brady (1992-01-14) 14 January 1992 (age 32) 21 4 England Norwich City
21 3MF Jeff Hendrick (1992-01-31) 31 January 1992 (age 32) 20 0 England Derby County
22 3MF Harry Arter (1989-12-28) 28 December 1989 (age 34) 1 0 England Bournemouth
10 4FW Robbie Keane (Captain) (1980-07-08) 8 July 1980 (age 44) 143 67 United States LA Galaxy
9 4FW Shane Long (1987-01-22) 22 January 1987 (age 37) 59 14 England Southampton
14 4FW Jonathan Walters (1983-09-20) 20 September 1983 (age 41) 38 10 England Stoke City
13 4FW Daryl Murphy (1983-03-15) 15 March 1983 (age 41) 19 0 England Ipswich Town

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up to the squad during the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Shay Given (1976-04-20) 20 April 1976 (age 48) 133 0 England Stoke City v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 13 November 2015 INJ
GK Keiren Westwood (1984-10-23) 23 October 1984 (age 40) 18 0 England Sheffield Wednesday v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 13 November 2015 INJ
GK Rob Elliot (1986-04-30) 30 April 1986 (age 38) 3 0 England Newcastle United v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 13 November 2015 INJ
DF Alex Pearce (1988-11-09) 9 November 1988 (age 36) 6 2 England Derby County v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 16 November 2015 PRE
DF Shane Duffy (1992-01-01) 1 January 1992 (age 32) 1 0 England Blackburn Rovers v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 16 November 2015 PRE
DF Paul McShane (1986-01-06) 6 January 1986 (age 38) 31 0 England Reading v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 13 November 2015 INJ
DF Greg Cunningham (1991-01-31) 31 January 1991 (age 33) 4 0 England Preston North End v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 13 November 2015 PRE
MF Alan Judge (1988-11-11) 11 November 1988 (age 36) 0 0 England Brentford v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 16 November 2015 PRE
MF Paul Green (1983-04-10) 10 April 1983 (age 41) 20 1 England Rotherham United v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 13 November 2015 PRE
MF David Meyler (1989-05-29) 29 May 1989 (age 35) 13 0 England Hull City v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 13 November 2015 INJ
MF Anthony Pilkington (1988-06-06) 6 June 1988 (age 36) 8 1 Wales Cardiff City v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 13 November 2015 PRE
MF Eunan O'Kane (1990-07-10) 10 July 1990 (age 34) 0 0 England Bournemouth v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 13 November 2015 PRE
MF Stephen Quinn (1986-04-04) 4 April 1986 (age 38) 12 0 England Reading v.  Germany, 8 October 2015 INJ
FW Kevin Doyle (1983-09-18) 18 September 1983 (age 41) 61 14 United States Colorado Rapids v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 16 November 2015 PRE
FW Simon Cox (1987-04-28) 28 April 1987 (age 37) 30 4 England Bristol City v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 13 November 2015 PRE
FW Anthony Stokes (1988-07-25) 25 July 1988 (age 36) 9 0 Scotland Celtic v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 13 November 2015 PRE
FW David McGoldrick (1987-11-29) 29 November 1987 (age 36) 2 0 England Ipswich Town v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 13 November 2015 INJ
FW Adam Rooney (1988-04-21) 21 April 1988 (age 36) 0 0 Scotland Aberdeen v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 13 November 2015 PRE
Notes
  • INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
  • PRE Preliminary squad.
  • RET Retired from international football.

Previous squads

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

See also: Republic of Ireland national football team – record in major tournaments and Republic of Ireland at the FIFA World Cup

Ireland Competed as "Irish Free State". Paddy Moore (v. Belgium) became the first player anywhere to score 4 goals in a World Cup match. For the 1950 FIFA World Cup, after 3 qualified teams withdrew, FIFA invited the FAI to compete as a replacement: they declined.[97] During qualification for the 1962 FIFA World Cup, it was the only qualifying tournament in which the team had a 0% record. During qualification for the 1966 World Cup, Ireland reached their first playoff against Spain. Goal difference did not count, so a playoff was played in Stade Colombes, Paris and Ireland failed to progress. Ireland almost qualified but lost on goal difference to France in a tough and tight group. Fans lamented some controversial refereeing decisions[98]

For the 1990 FIFA World Cup Ireland reached the quarter finals of the tournament for the first time in their history. It was Ireland's first ever participation in a FIFA World Cup. Ireland played England in the first drawing 1–1.[99] Ireland drew the next 2 games but ultimately qualified for the knockout stages where they played Romania. The match ended 0–0 and Ireland won on Penalties 5–4 which sent Ireland into the quarter final showdown against the tournament host Italy. Ireland lost 1–0 via a Salvatore Schillaci goal at the 38 minute and sent the Irish out of the competition.

Ray Houghton scored against Italy at the 1994 FIFA World Cup

In 1994 Ireland participated in their second consecutive World Cup.[100] This time they were drawn with Mexico, Norway and Italy. Ireland won their first game against Italy which was the first time Ireland had won a World Cup match and their first ever victory over Italy with a spectacular goal from Ray Houghton. Ireland lost against Mexico in the second group match and drew with Norway but still made to the knockout phase where they faced Holland. Ireland lost 2–0.

For the 1998 qualification campaign, Ireland scraped into the playoffs largely due to Tony Cascarino's 7 goals in 10 games. They lost in the playoff against Belgium, drawing 1–1 in the first leg then losing 2–1 in the second leg.[101] Although for next campaign Ireland were drawn with 2 big European nations, Holland Portugal. Ireland went the whole campaign unbeaten, beating Holland 1–0 in the process courtesy of a Jason McAteer goal that helped Ireland qualify.[102]

Main article: Saipan Incident

At the start of the tournament, captain Roy Keane and manager Mick McCarthy where involved in a "bust up" and Keane was sent home. Despite this McCarthy did not call up a replacement and continued with 22 players. Ireland drew in their first match against Cameroon and in their second match they drew again against the tournaments runner up Germany. In Ireland's final group game they defeated Saudi Arabia which was their second ever victory in a FIFA World Cup and progressed them to the round of 16. Ireland met Spain and lost in penalty shoot out.[103]

With failure to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Ireland reached a playoff against France for a place at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[104]

Main article: 2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches

France's Thierry Henry's handball stirred international controversy after the move set up William Gallas to score in extra-time of the second leg of the playoff; the referee did not notice and allowed the goal to stand, leading to widespread media controversy, protests at the French embassy in Dublin and comments from senior government officials from both countries.[105][106][107]

FIFA World Cup FIFA World Cup Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D * L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA Position
Uruguay 1930 Did not enter – – – – – – –
Italy 1934 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 6 9 3/3
France 1938 2 0 1 1 5 6 2/2
Brazil 1950 4 1 1 2 6 7 2/3
Switzerland 1954 4 2 0 2 8 6 2/3
Sweden 1958 4 2 1 1 6 7 2/3
Chile 1962 4 0 0 4 3 17 3/3
England 1966 3 1 0 2 2 5 Lost Playoff
Mexico 1970 6 0 1 5 3 14 4/4
West Germany 1974 4 1 1 2 4 5 2/3
Argentina 1978 4 1 1 2 2 4 3/3
Spain 1982 8 4 2 2 17 11 3/5
Mexico 1986 8 2 2 4 5 10 4/5
Italy 1990 Quarter-Finals 7th 5 0 4 1 2 3 8 5 2 1 10 2 2/5
United States 1994 Round of 16 15th 4 1 1 2 2 4 12 7 4 1 19 6 2/7
France 1998 Did not qualify 12 5 4 3 24 11 2/6 Lost Playoff
South Korea Japan 2002 Round of 16 12th 4 1 3 0 6 3 12 8 3 1 25 6 2/6 Won Playoff
Germany 2006 Did not qualify 10 4 5 1 12 5 4/6
South Africa 2010 12 4 7 1 13 10 2/6 Lost Playoff
Brazil 2014 10 4 2 4 16 17 4/6
Russia 2018 Qualification begins September 2016 0 0 0 0 0 0 4/6
Total Quarter-Finals 3/20 13 2 8 3 10 10 129 51 38 40 186 158
Draws include knockout matches decided by penalty shootout.

UEFA European Championship

Irish line up for Ireland's fixture against Croatia
See also: Republic of Ireland at the UEFA European Football Championship

In 1964 Ireland reached the quarter finals of qualifying for the European Championship.[108]

Ireland did not qualify for a European Championship until the 1988 UEFA European Championship. On 12 June 1988 in Stuttgart the Irish football team took to the pitch in its first match at a major championship finals competition. Ray Houghton of Liverpool FC scored the only goal of the match as Ireland recorded a memorable and historic victory. Ireland took on the former Soviet Union next and took the lead late in the first half via a spectacular volley from Liverpool's Ronnie Whelan. Unfortunately for both Whelan and Ireland the lead was cancelled out midway through the second half by Oleh Protasov as the match ended in a 1–1 draw.[109] In their final match Holland won 1–0 and the Irish were heading home.

It was not until 2011 were Ireland clinched a place at UEFA Euro 2012 with 5–1 aggregate victory over Estonia.[110] Ireland lost all 3 games and conceded 9 goals which was Ireland's worst performance in major tournament to date.[111]

Championship record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA Position
France 1960 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 2 4 Preliminary round
Spain 1964 6 2 2 2 9 12 Quarter-final
Italy 1968 6 2 1 3 5 8 3/4
Belgium 1972 6 0 1 5 3 17 4/4
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976 6 3 1 2 11 5 2/4
Italy 1980 8 2 3 3 9 8 3/5
France 1984 8 4 1 3 20 10 3/5
West Germany 1988[112] Group stage Group 2 (3/4) 3 1 1 1 2 2 8 4 3 1 10 5 1/5
Sweden 1992 Did not qualify 6 2 4 0 13 6 2/4
England 1996 11 5 2 4 17 13 2/6 Lost Playoff
Belgium Netherlands 2000 10 5 3 2 15 7 2/5 Lost Playoff
Portugal 2004 8 3 2 3 10 11 3/5
Austria Switzerland 2008 12 4 5 3 17 14 3/7
Poland Ukraine 2012[113] Group Stage Group C (4/4) 3 0 0 3 1 9 12 7 4 1 20 8 2/6 Won Playoff
France 2016 Qualified 12 6 4 2 22 8 3/6 Won Playoff
Total Group stage 2/14 6 1 1 4 3 11 113 46 33 34 166 132

Other tournaments

Year Position GP W D L GS GA
France 1924 Olympics 5th 2 1 0 1 2 2
United Kingdom 1948 Olympics 17th 1 0 0 1 1 3
Brazil 1972 Brazil Independence Cup 13th 4 2 0 2 7 7
Japan 1984 Kirin Cup 2nd 4 1 2 1 2 2
Iceland 1986 Iceland Triangular Tournament 1st 2 2 0 0 3 1
United States 1992 U.S. Cup 3rd 3 1 0 2 3 5
United States 1996 U.S. Cup 2nd 3 1 1 1 6 4
United States 2000 U.S. Cup 2nd 3 1 2 0 5 4
England 2004 Unity Cup 2nd 2 1 0 1 1 3
Republic of Ireland 2011 Celtic Nations Cup 1st 3 3 0 0 9 0
Total 24 13 3 8 38 29

Opponents

See also: Matches of the Republic of Ireland national football team

The team's head-to-head records against all 76 nations whom they have played to date, including friendly internationals:[114] Three of these teams no longer exist (Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia), so Ireland have played against 73 of the current 209 FIFA members: 50 UEFA, 8 CONMEBOL, 7 CAF, 6 CONCACAF and 5 AFC members as of 11 October 2014.[115] The only UEFA members against whom Ireland have not played are: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, Slovenia, and Ukraine. Ireland have been drawn in the same 2018 World Cup qualification group as Moldova, and are scheduled to play them for the first time on 9 October 2016.[citation needed]

As of 16 November 2015.

Against Region P W D L GF GA GD Win % First match Last match
 Albania UEFA 4 3 1 0 6 2 +4 75% 1992-05-26 2003-06-07
 Algeria CAF 2 1 0 1 3 2 +1 50% 1982-04-28 2010-05-29
 Andorra UEFA 4 4 0 0 11 2 +9 100% 2001-03-28 2011-10-07
 Argentina CONMEBOL 4 0 0 4 0 5 −5 0% 1951-05-13 2010-08-11
 Armenia UEFA 2 2 0 0 3 1 +2 100% 2010-09-03 2011-10-11
 Australia AFC 2 1 0 1 2 4 −2 50% 2003-08-19 2009-08-12
 Austria UEFA 14 2 3 9 17 36 −19 14.29% 1952-05-07 2013-09-10
 Belgium UEFA 14 4 5 5 24 25 −1 28.57% 1928-02-12 1997-11-15
 Bolivia CONMEBOL 3 2 1 0 5 1 +4 66.67% 1994-05-24 2007-05-26
 Bosnia and Herzegovina UEFA 3 2 1 0 4 1 +3 66.67% 2012-05-26 2015-11-16
 Brazil CONMEBOL 6 1 1 4 2 12 −10 16.67% 1974-05-05 2010-03-02
 Bulgaria UEFA 10 3 4 3 11 8 +3 30% 1924-05-28 2009-06-06
 Cameroon CAF 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0% 2002-06-01 2002-06-01
 Canada CONCACAF 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3 100% 2003-11-18 2003-11-18
 Chile CONMEBOL 6 2 1 3 6 6 0 33.33% 1960-03-30 2006-05-24
 China AFC 2 2 0 0 2 0 +2 100% 1984-06-03 2005-03-29
 Colombia CONMEBOL 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100% 2008-05-29 2008-05-29
 Costa Rica CONCACAF 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0% 2014-06-06 2014-06-06
 Croatia UEFA 7 2 3 2 8 8 0 28.57% 1996-06-02 2012-06-10
 Cyprus UEFA 10 8 1 1 27 9 +18 80% 1980-03-26 2009-09-05
 Czech Republic UEFA 8 2 2 4 9 13 −4 25% 1994-06-05 2012-02-29
 Czechoslovakia UEFA 12 4 1 7 14 29 −15 33.33% 1938-05-18 1986-05-27
 Denmark UEFA 13 5 5 3 20 16 +4 38.46% 1956-10-03 2007-08-22
 Ecuador CONMEBOL 2 1 1 0 4 3 +1 50% 1972-06-18 2007-05-23
 Egypt CAF 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0% 1990-06-17 1990-06-17
 England UEFA 16 3 8 5 14 20 −6 18.75% 1946-09-30 2015-06-07
 Estonia UEFA 5 4 1 0 12 2 +10 80% 1924-06-03 2011-11-15
 Faroe Islands UEFA 4 4 0 0 11 1 +10 100% 2004-10-13 2013-06-07
 Finland UEFA 5 3 2 0 11 2 +9 60% 1949-09-08 2002-08-21
 France UEFA 15 4 5 6 14 18 −4 26.67% 1937-05-23 2009-11-18
 Georgia UEFA 7 7 0 0 15 4 +11 100% 2003-03-29 2015-09-07
 Germany a UEFA 20 6 5 9 24 35 −11 30% 1935-05-08 2015-10-08
 Germany 'B' UEFA 2 1 0 1 1 3 −2 50% 1975-03-01 1981-05-21
 Gibraltar UEFA 2 2 0 0 11 0 +11 100% 2014-10-11 2015-09-04
 Greece UEFA 3 0 1 2 0 2 −2 0% 2000-04-26 2012-11-14
 Hungary UEFA 11 2 5 4 16 21 −5 18.18% 1934-12-15 2012-06-04
 Iceland UEFA 7 5 2 0 16 6 +10 71.43% 1962-08-12 1997-09-06
 Iran AFC 3 2 0 1 4 2 +2 66.67% 1972-06-11 2001-11-15
 Israel UEFA 5 1 3 1 8 6 +2 20% 1984-04-04 2005-06-04
 Italy UEFA 13 2 3 8 9 20 −11 16.67% 1926-03-21 2014-05-31
 Italy 'B' UEFA 1 0 0 1 1 2 −1 0% 1927-04-23 1927-04-23
 Jamaica CONCACAF 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100% 2004-06-02 2004-06-02
 Kazakhstan UEFA 2 2 0 0 5 2 +3 100% 2012-09-07 2013-10-15
 Latvia UEFA 5 5 0 0 14 1 +13 100% 1992-09-09 2013-11-15
 Liechtenstein UEFA 4 3 1 0 14 0 +14 75% 1994-10-12 1997-05-21
 Lithuania UEFA 4 3 1 0 5 1 +4 75% 1993-06-16 1997-09-10
 Luxembourg UEFA 5 5 0 0 14 2 +12 100% 1936-05-09 1987-09-09
 North Macedonia UEFA 6 4 1 1 11 5 +6 66.67% 1996-10-09 2011-06-04
 Malta UEFA 7 7 0 0 24 2 +22 100% 1983-03-30 1999-09-08
 Mexico CONCACAF 5 0 4 1 5 6 −1 0% 1984-08-08 2000-06-04
 Montenegro UEFA 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0% 2008-09-10 2009-10-14
 Morocco CAF 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100% 1990-09-12 1990-09-12
 Netherlands UEFA 21 7 3 11 28 39 −11 33.33% 1924-06-02 2006-08-16
 Nigeria CAF 3 0 1 2 2 6 −4 0% 2002-05-16 2009-05-29
 Northern Ireland UEFA 10 4 4 2 17 4 +13 40% 1978-09-20 2011-05-24
 Norway UEFA 18 7 8 3 29 19 +10 38.89% 1937-10-10 2010-11-17
 Oman AFC 2 2 0 0 6 1 +5 100% 2012-09-11 2014-09-03
 Paraguay CONMEBOL 2 2 0 0 4 1 +3 100% 1999-02-10 2010-05-25
 Poland UEFA 27 6 10 11 29 43 −14 22.22% 1938-05-22 2015-10-11
 Portugal UEFA 13 4 2 7 10 20 −10 33.33% 1946-06-16 2014-06-10
 Romania UEFA 5 2 2 1 4 2 +2 40% 1988-03-23 2004-05-27
 Russia UEFA 7 1 3 3 7 10 −3 14.29% 1994-03-23 2011-09-06
 San Marino UEFA 2 2 0 0 7 1 +6 100% 2006-11-15 2007-02-07
 Saudi Arabia AFC 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3 100% 2002-06-11 2002-06-11
 Scotland UEFA 11 4 3 4 9 12 −3 36.36% 1961-05-03 2015-06-13
 Serbia b UEFA 7 2 2 3 7 9 −2 28.57% 1955-10-19 2014-03-05
 Slovakia UEFA 4 1 3 0 4 3 +1 25% 2007-03-28 2011-09-02
 South Africa CAF 2 2 0 0 3 1 +2 100% 2000-06-11 2009-09-08
 Soviet Union UEFA 8 3 1 4 8 8 0 37.5% 1972-10-18 1990-04-25
 Spain UEFA 26 4 7 15 18 54 −36 15.38% 1931-04-26 2013-06-11
 Sweden UEFA 10 3 2 5 13 16 −3 30% 1949-06-02 2013-09-06
  Switzerland UEFA 15 7 3 5 17 10 +7 46.67% 1935-05-05 2005-10-12
 Trinidad and Tobago CONCACAF 1 0 0 1 1 2 −1 0% 1982-05-30 1982-05-30
 Tunisia CAF 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 100% 1988-10-19 1988-10-19
 Turkey UEFA 13 5 6 2 27 15 +12 41.67% 1966-11-16 2014-05-25
 United States CONCACAF 9 5 2 2 20 13 +7 55.56% 1924-06-14 2014-11-18
 Uruguay CONMEBOL 3 0 1 2 3 6 −3 0% 1974-05-08 2011-03-29
 Wales UEFA 13 5 3 5 16 13 +3 41.67% 1960-09-28 2013-08-14
Total 76 nations 528 210 143 175 741 656 +85 39.77%
a.^ "Germany" includes nine games against West Germany which were played between 1950 and German reunification in 1990.
b.^ "Serbia" includes two games against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia which existed between 1992 and 2003.

Honours

Jack Charlton is Ireland's most successful manager

Friendly titles

Winners (1): 2011
Winners (1): 1986

Other awards

Winners (1) 1997
Holders (2): 30 March 1977 – 1 July 1977, 31 March 2004 – 29 May 2004

Recent results and forthcoming fixtures

See also: Republic of Ireland national football team 2010s results

Ireland began their qualification campaign for the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament with a 1–2 away victory against Georgia.[116] This was followed by a 7–0 home victory against Gibraltar,[117] and on 14 October 2014, the team played a 1–1 away draw against world champions, Germany, when a goal by John O'Shea won Ireland a late point in the 94th minute.[118] They then suffered their first defeat of the campaign to Scotland; losing 1-0, before scoring another late goal through Shane Long to make it 1-1 and earn a well-deserved point against Poland at home. They then drew 1-1 at home to Scotland, before winning 3 games in a row against Gibraltar, Georgia and Germany; 4-0, 1-0 and 1-0 respectively. Shane Long scored the memorable winner against the World Champions Germany. However, in their last group game, they lost 2-1 away to Poland and missed out on an qualifying spot, finishing third in the group and advancing to the play-offs. They were drawn against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the play-offs. They drew the first leg away 1-1, and won the second leg 2-0, winning 3-1 on aggregate and qualifying for UEFA Euro 2016 in France.

Schedule

As of 12 December 2015
Date Competition Venue Opponent Result Scorers
29 March 2015
Euro 2016 qualifier
Dublin, Ireland
 Poland
1 – 1
Sławomir Peszko 26', Shane Long 90+1' [119]
4 June 2015
Training match
Dublin, Ireland
 Northern Ireland
0 – 0
Unofficial training match behind closed doors.[120][121]
7 June 2015
Friendly match
Dublin, Ireland
 England
0 – 0
[122]
13 June 2015
Euro 2016 qualifier
Dublin, Ireland
 Scotland
1 – 1
Jonathan Walters 38', John O'Shea 47' (o.g.) [123]
4 September 2015
Euro 2016 qualifier
Faro, Portugal
 Gibraltar
0 – 4
Cyrus Christie 27', Robbie Keane 49', 51' (pen), Shane Long 79' [124]
7 September 2015
Euro 2016 qualifier
Dublin, Ireland
 Georgia
1 – 0
Jonathan Walters 69' [125][126][127]
8 October 2015
Euro 2016 qualifier
Dublin, Ireland
 Germany
1 – 0
Shane Long 70' [128]
11 October 2015
Euro 2016 qualifier
Warsaw, Poland
 Poland
2 – 1
Grzegorz Krychowiak 13', Jonathan Walters 16' (pen), Robert Lewandowski 42' [129][130]
13 November 2015
Euro 2016 play-off
Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
1 – 1
Robbie Brady 82',[131][132]
16 November 2015
Euro 2016 play-off
Dublin, Ireland
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
2 – 0
Jonathan Walters 24' (pen), 70',[133][134]
25 March 2016
Friendly match
Dublin, Ireland
  Switzerland
–
[135]
29 March 2016
Friendly match
Dublin, Ireland
 Slovakia
–
[136]
27 May 2016
Friendly match
Dublin, Ireland
 Netherlands
–
[137]
13 June 2016
Euro 2016
Paris, France
 Sweden
–
[138]
18 June 2016
Euro 2016
Bordeaux, France
 Belgium
–
[139]
22 June 2016
Euro 2016
Lille, France
 Italy
–
[140]
5 September 2016
World Cup 2018 qualifier
Belgrade, Serbia
 Serbia
–
[141]
6 October 2016
World Cup 2018 qualifier
Dublin, Ireland
 Georgia
–
[141]
9 October 2016
World Cup 2018 qualifier
Chișinău, Moldova
 Moldova
–
[141]
12 November 2016
World Cup 2018 qualifier
Vienna, Austria
 Austria
–
[141]
24 March 2017
World Cup 2018 qualifier
Dublin, Ireland
 Wales
–
[141]
11 June 2017
World Cup 2018 qualifier
Dublin, Ireland
 Austria
–
[141]
2 September 2017
World Cup 2018 qualifier
Tbilisi, Georgia
 Georgia
–
[141]
5 September 2017
World Cup 2018 qualifier
Dublin, Ireland
 Serbia
–
[141]
6 October 2017
World Cup 2018 qualifier
Dublin, Ireland
 Moldova
–
[141]
9 October 2017
World Cup 2018 qualifier
Cardiff, Wales
 Wales
–
[141]

FIFA rankings

[142]

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
10 9 28 36 47 56 35 31 17 14 14 12 24 49 35 38 35 36 22 42 67 64 31

Records

Robbie Keane, top goalscorer and the most capped player
Shay Given, most capped goalkeeper and the second most capped player
  Players still active are highlighted in green

Most capped players

As of 16 November 2015[143]
# Player National
career 		Caps Goals
1. Robbie Keane 1998– 143 67
2. Shay Given 1996– 133 0
3. Kevin Kilbane 1997–2011 110 8
4. John O'Shea 2001– 109 3
5. Steve Staunton 1988–2002 102 7
6. Damien Duff 1998–2012 100 8
7. Niall Quinn 1986–2002 91 21
8. Tony Cascarino 1985–2000 88 19
9. Paul McGrath 1985–1997 83 8
10. Packie Bonner 1981–1996 80 0

Record goalscorers

As of 16 November 2015[143]
# Player National career Goals Caps Average
1. Robbie Keane 1998– 67 143 0.47
2. Niall Quinn 1986–2002 21 91 0.23
3. Frank Stapleton 1977–1990 20 71 0.28
4. Don Givens 1969–1981 19 56 0.34
John Aldridge 1986–1997 19 69 0.28
Tony Cascarino 1985–2000 19 88 0.22
7. Noel Cantwell 1953–1967 14 36 0.39
Shane Long 2007– 14 59 0.24
Kevin Doyle 2006– 14 61 0.23
10. Jimmy Dunne 1930–1939 13 15 0.87
Gerry Daly 1973–1986 13 48 0.27

Managers

Between 1921 and 1969 a committee of selectors chose the team, on occasions a coach or team manager was appointed; Mick Meagan was the first manager to actually select the team.[144] Managers from the periods in which the national side was known as the Irish Free State or simply Ireland are obscure and many are not currently known, however it is known that Val Harris, Bill Lacey and Alex Stevenson managed the side.[145]

Manager records

As of 16 November 2015
Manager Career P W D L GF GA GD Win % Loss % Notes
Mick Meagan 1969–1971 12 0 3 9 7 26 −19 0% 75%
Liam Tuohy 1971–1973 10 3 1 6 11 20 −9 30% 60%
Seán Thomas 1973 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0% 0% Caretaker
Johnny Giles 1973–1980 36 13 9 14 48 45 3 38.9% 38.9%
Alan Kelly, Sr. 1980 1 1 0 0 2 0 2 100% 0% Caretaker
Eoin Hand 1980–1985 39 11 9 19 47 56 −9 28.2% 51.3%
Jack Charlton 1986–1995 93 47 29 17 132 67 65 50.5% 18.3% Qualified for Euro 1988, and World Cups 1990 and 1994
Mick McCarthy 1996–2002 68 29 19 20 113 68 45 42.6% 29.4% Qualified for 2002 World Cup
Don Givens 2002 and
2007–8 		3 0 2 1 2 3 −1 0% 33.3% Caretaker
Brian Kerr 2003–2005 33 18 11 4 39 20 19 54.5% 12.1%
Steve Staunton 2006–2007 17 6 6 5 24 19 5 35.3% 29.4%
Giovanni Trapattoni 2008–2013 64 26 22 16 86 64 22 40.6% 25% Qualified for Euro 2012
Noel King 2013 2 1 0 1 3 4 −1 50% 50% Caretaker
Martin O'Neill 2013– 22 9 8 5 35 19 16 40.9% 22.7% Qualified for Euro 2016

Pictures

  • Roy Keane was team captain from 1997 to 2002. He is now the assistant manager.
    Roy Keane was team captain from 1997 to 2002. He is now the assistant manager.
  • Shay Given is Ireland's second most capped player and played in two major tournaments.
    Shay Given is Ireland's second most capped player and played in two major tournaments.
  • Ronnie Whelan played in two World Cups and one European Championship.
    Ronnie Whelan played in two World Cups and one European Championship.
  • John Aldridge scored 19 goals for Ireland played in two World Cups and one European Championship.
    John Aldridge scored 19 goals for Ireland played in two World Cups and one European Championship.
  • Mick McCarthy captained Ireland in the 1990 World Cup and managed Ireland in the 2002 World Cup.
    Mick McCarthy captained Ireland in the 1990 World Cup and managed Ireland in the 2002 World Cup.
  • Richard Dunne played in 2 major championships and won 80 caps.
    Richard Dunne played in 2 major championships and won 80 caps.

See also

Notes

References

  1. ^ a b c d New Senior international management team confirmed Football Association of Ireland, 2013-11-05.
  2. ^ http://nifootball.blogspot.com/2010/03/northern-ireland-programmes-1882-1889.html
  3. ^ FIFA Rankings FIFA.com. Retrieved: 2014-03-13.
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  12. ^ Byrne, op. cit., pg 68.
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