WORLD CUP 2026 QUALIFYING GROUP F
Portugal v Republic of Ireland, Saturday 11 October, 7.45pm, Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon.
TV
Live coverage on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 7pm.
RADIO
Live commentary on RTÉ Radio One from 7pm.
ONLINE
Live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app.
WEATHER
A hot and dry day is forecast in Lisbon with high temperatures of 26c. It will be slightly cooler come kick off-time, but still in the low 20s with minimal winds.
IRELAND UP AGAINST IT ON THE ROAD
Heimir Hallgrímsson takes his Republic of Ireland side to Portugal with their World Cup qualification dreams hanging by a thread.
All of the optimism and hope that the manager and squad were talking up going into the first two games of the campaign quickly vanished after a chastening 2-1 defeat away to Armenia.
Ireland clawed back a 2-2 opening day draw with Hungary after a disastrous opening 20 minutes in the Aviva Stadium but their 2-1 defeat against Armenia and the nature of the Irish performance has left many wondering just where the team can go from here.
A trip to Lisbon to face the fifth ranked team in the world isn't the ideal game to bounce back from a disappointing defeat but with low expectations and the pressure off, Hallgrímsson will hope that a decent performance against Portugal could be the springboard for better things.
Few are giving Ireland a chance of causing what would be a major upset, with bookmakers offering as much as 19/1 for an Ireland win.
An unlikely point appears to be the most that Ireland can realistically hope for, and that would at least reignite the chance of finishing second in the group and progressing to the play-offs.
Portugal for their part come into the game on the back of five consecutive victories and will be expecting to extend their 100% record in the group.
HALLGRIMSSON MAKES THE CASE FOR THE DEFENCE
Seamus Coleman and John Egan return to the Ireland squad, hopefully adding some much needed defensive soliditity along with their vast experience.
Everton defender Coleman returns to the squad for the first time in over a year, the 36-year-old full-back replacing the injured Matt Doherty.
Egan is back in the squad for the first time since September 2023.
QPR defender Jimmy Dunne has drafted in as cover for Liam Scales, who has suffered a family bereavement. Scales misses the encounter with Portugal, but will be available for the clash with Armenia three nights later in Dublin.
The Ireland manager is well aware of just how important his side's defensive performance will be and he has challenged them to make amends after their awful display in Armenia.
Hallgrimsson said: "First of all, we know we need to have almost a perfect game to get something from this match. And if we do, we have a chance to steal a point or to win the game.
"Obviously, we need to try to keep a clean sheet - that's always going to make it easier. But for the players to have a good performance, yes, they would definitely believe more and give them more confidence. That was taken away from us, if I can say that, in Armenia.
"I think everyone that played this game in Armenia wants to correct what went wrong there, whether it was personal performance or collective performance.
"Everybody likes to have this opportunity that we have tomorrow to play against one of the best teams in the world and to correct what went wrong."
PORTUGAL LOOKING PAST IRELAND?
Ireland fans searching for a reason to believe that their side can cause a major upset in Lisbon may have been heartened by some quotes from Portugal boss Roberto Martinez this week that suggest he may be looking past Ireland and the qualification campaign.
Given their 100% record so far, Martinez could perhaps be forgiven for believing that his side already have the group sewn up but there is still a measure of surprise about how open the Portuguese boss is in his belief that his side can win the World Cup.
"It makes me a little uncomfortable to talk about it because we have two games to qualify and to talk about the World Cup without even qualifying," Martinez said before proceeding to talk about winning that World Cup for the first time.
"It’s a difficult conversation to have as a coach, but it’s true, there’s a feeling in the dressing room that we’re all working towards a dream.
"I think there’s a feeling that nothing would be more satisfying than winning the World Cup and our biggest goal is to do something that’s never been done: to give Portugal and the Portuguese people the World Cup they deserve."
Martinez’s belief is well founded given the strength and depth of his squad and their form. Such is the quality of the players at his disposal that Portugal are able to shrug off the absence of Joao Cancelo and Joao Neves without a drop in quality.
With Joao Felix and Pedro Neto set to playing off Cristiano Ronaldo and with Bruno Fernandes lurking about, Halgrimson will have to get creative in defence and midfield to try stop the Portuguese supply lines feeding their lethal attack.
Watch Portugal v Republic of Ireland in World Cup qualifying on Saturday from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to live radio commentary on Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
