Portugal begin the final stretch of their bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup on Thursday with a trip to face the Republic of Ireland.
The visitors are sitting pretty at the top of Group F and need just two points from their final two games to qualify for what Cristiano Ronaldo has already admitted will be his final World Cup tournament—assuming Portugal qualify.
They will hope to get the job done at the first attempt when they travel to face an Ireland side who are still in with a chance of qualifying. The dreams of Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side could, however, be crushed here if they fall to Portugal and Hungary beat bottom-side Armenia.
Here’s Sports Illustrated’s guide to this World Cup qualifier.
What Time Does Ireland vs. Portugal Kick Off?
- Location: Dublin, Ireland
- Stadium: Aviva Stadium
- Date: Thursday, Nov. 13
- Kick-off Time: 2.45 p.m. ET / 11.45 a.m. PT / 7.45 p.m. GMT
- Referee: Glenn Nyberg (SWE)
- VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)
Ireland vs. Portugal Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
- Ireland: 0 wins
- Portugal: 4 wins
- Draws: 1
- Last meeting: Portugal 1–0 Ireland (Oct. 11, 2025) – World Cup Qualifier
Current Form (All Competitions)
How to Watch Ireland vs. Portugal on TV
Ireland Team News
Roma loanee Evan Ferguson has been struck down by an ankle injury and is not part of the squad alongside Sammie Szmodics, Mark Sykes and Callum O’Dowda.
Ryan Manning and Jayson Molumby are both serving one-game suspensions but will hope to return to the squad in time to face Hungary, when Ireland’s World Cup quest could still be alive if they can secure a positive result here.
Ireland Predicted Lineup vs. Portugal
Ireland predicted lineup vs. Portugal (3-4-2-1): Kelleher; O’Brien, Collins, O’Shea; Coleman, Cullen, Taylor, Johnston; Ebosele, Azaz; Parrott.
Portugal Team News
Portugal have lost attacking duo Pedro Neto and Pedro Gonçalves to injury, with the pair returning to respective club sides Chelsea and Sporting CP.
The in-form Cristiano Ronaldo will lead the line as he looks to add to his record tally of 143 international goals.
Portugal Predicted Lineup vs. Ireland
Portugal predicted lineup vs Ireland (4-2-3-1): Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Inácio, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha; Bernardo, Fernandes, Leão; Ronaldo.
Ireland vs. Portugal Score Prediction
When these two sides met last month, Portugal were made to wait until the 91st minute for a winner which, in truth, their dominant performance completely deserved. They had over 70% possession and outshot Ireland 30–2.
Portugal are obvious favorites here, but that last meeting proves Ireland’s ability to frustrate their opponents and grind out an ugly result. A draw would be enough for the hosts to set up a straight shootout with Hungary in their next game.
Expect Ireland to play for the draw, but actually getting that point feels like a step too far against a Portugal side who will be determined to wrap up their spot at the World Cup as soon as possible.
Prediction: Ireland 0–2 Portugal
READ THE LATEST SOCCER NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MATCH REACTION
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ireland vs. Portugal—2026 World Cup Qualifier: Preview, Predictions and Lineups.
