Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has given a mixed response to Ireland's World Cup qualification draw, suggesting it could have been "worse and better at the same time."
On Friday, Ireland was drawn into a World Cup qualification group with Denmark/Portugal, Hungary, and Armenia.
The draw appears somewhat kinder to Ireland than in previous years, and Hallgrimsson offered a neutral response when asked for his thoughts on the draw in Zurich on Friday.
“Kind of neutral. Could have been worse, could have been better, so I think it’s a group that teams will take points from each other,” said the Icelander to reporters.
The Ireland boss also believes there won’t be a runaway winner in the group.
Ireland have been drawn in Group F of 2026 FIFA World Cup European Qualifying alongside Portugal or Denmark, Hungary & Armenia 🇮🇪
Fixture details to follow in due course#FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/8wP1XLPnFV
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) December 13, 2024
So looking at it, I don’t think there will be a runaway winner, which makes it more possible to qualify, so good for us.”
Ireland’s first-half display against England last month showcased defensive discipline, and perhaps, if Liam Scales hadn’t been sent off, the outcome might have been different. That first half was Ireland’s best tactical display in years. Hallgrimsson believes the Irish team is improving and making good progress ahead of the World Cup qualification campaign.
“We’ve been working a lot, especially on the defensive organisation. If not for the second half against England, I would have said statistically it was improving a lot. The chances we conceded, the goals we avoided—the statistics were good until that second half.
“So I think we’ve taken good steps. But if we want to qualify, we need points against Denmark/Portugal and Hungary. It’s always easier to win points without conceding goals ourselves, so we need to be spot on when it comes to those games in terms of organisation—that is always the priority.”
Ireland’s next game will be against Bulgaria in their Nations League League B/C relegation/promotion play-off. The games are scheduled for Thursday, 20 March, and Sunday, 23 March, 2025.
