Explained – How can Ireland qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after beating Hungary?

The Republic of Ireland arrived late to the World Cup qualifying party but its horror wins, now three in a row, have kept it in the race to qualify for the tournament.

Ireland defeated Armenia 1-0 and defeated favorites Portugal 2-0.

And on Sunday it defeated Hungary to secure second place in its group in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. A Troy Parrott goal in the 96th minute to complete his hat-trick inspired Ireland to a 3-2 comeback victory in a must-win match in Budapest.

Higher-placed Hungary needed just a draw to secure second place and led 2-1 at half-time thanks to goals from Daniel Lukacs and Barnabas Varga, but Parrott’s second goal of the evening after 80 minutes and the last-gasp winner broke the hearts of the home side.

How can Ireland qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

The 2026 World Cup has reserved 16 slots for Europe in the tournament. Twelve of these will be confirmed in the first round, where group toppers will qualify directly.

Ireland cannot qualify via this route.

However, it has qualified for the second round, where it will be one of twelve runners-up from as many groups. There will be four more teams, determined based on the interim overall rankings of the 2024-2025 UEFA Nations League.

The best four teams from the play-offs will then complete the European selection for the World Cup.

Published on November 16, 2025