Czechia vs Ireland - Match preview and team news

Czechia and the Republic of Ireland go head-to-head in a FIFA World Cup 2026 UEFA qualifying play-off semi-final in Prague on Thursday.

Both sides know a win at the Fortuna Arena would move them to within one game of securing a place at the finals. The victor set to host either Denmark or North Macedonia in a play-off final next week.

Advertisement

Czechia vs Ireland – Match preview and team news

Date: Thursday, 26th March.

Kick-off: 7:45pm BST.

Venue: Fortuna Arena, Praha.

Czechia team news

Czechia will once again lean on seasoned campaigners Vladimir Coufal and Tomas Soucek, while Bayer Leverkusen forward Patrik Schick is expected to lead the line having scored four goals in six qualifiers to date.

Experienced winger Vaclav Cerny has declined a call-up for family reasons, and Celtic striker Tomas Cvancara has been left out of the squad, with coach Miroslav Koubek openly questioning his level of commitment.

Adam Hlozek remains absent as he continues to struggle with a fitness problem. Uncapped goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek has been drafted in after catching the eye during Braga’s run to the Europa League quarter-finals.

Advertisement

Ireland team news

Heimir Hallgrimsson, recently rewarded with a new contract after Ireland’s impressive end to their World Cup qualifying campaign, is remaining faithful to the same core principles that carried his side into the play-offs.

With a fully fit squad at his disposal, he is expected to line Ireland up in a similar fashion to the games against Portugal and Hungary. However, Ireland will be without Festy Ebosele and Liam Scales, who are suspended. Ryan Manning may replace the latter at left wing-back.

Troy Parrott is set to spearhead the attack once again, while the vastly experienced Seamus Coleman is poised to start in defence, even if he is not yet ready to complete the full 90 minutes.

Advertisement

Elsewhere, the team largely picks itself. Jason Knight is likely to come into midfield in place of the injured Josh Cullen, and newcomer Harvey Vale hoping to make a strong impression on his debut, even if that impact has to come from the bench.

Form

Czechia

Czechia come into the play-off buoyed by a 6-0 thrashing of Gibraltar in their last World Cup qualifying outing. That result helped restore confidence after an earlier shock 2-1 defeat to the Faroe Islands in Group L.

That setback ultimately cost former coach Ivan Hasek his job, with Koubek now tasked with guiding the side back to the World Cup via the play-offs for a second successive qualifying cycle.

Advertisement

Ireland

Ireland finished their group campaign in spectacular style, stitching together three consecutive victories to clinch a play-off place and transform the mood around Hallgrímsson’s reign.

A tense 1-0 win over Armenia was followed by that statement 2-0 success against 10-man Portugal in Dublin, before Parrott’s stunning treble in Budapest capped a 3-2 thriller over Hungary.

Predicted lineups

Czechia: Kovar; Coufal, Vitik, Krejci, Jurasek; Cerv, Soucek; Provod, Sulc, Karabec; Schick

Ireland: Kelleher; Coleman, O’Brien, Collins, O’Shea, Manning; Molumby, Knight, Azaz; Ogbene, Parrott

How to watch Czechia vs Ireland

In the UK, Czechia vs Ireland will be shown live on Amazon Prime Video’s pay-per-view service.

Advertisement

Read Also – Tottenham eye Sebastian Kehl to lead recruitment overhaul

See More – Five Talking Points Ahead of European World Cup Play-offs

Follow the Football Faithful on Social Media:

Click here to read article