Legendary Troy Parrott hat-trick earns Republic of Ireland a World Cup playoff spot with dramatic win over Hungary

Troy Parrott has declared that he will "never have a better night in his whole life" after scoring an epic hat-trick to send Republic of Ireland into the World Cup playoffs.

On the back of their famous 2-0 win over Portugal on Thursday, the Boys in Green made their way to Budapest to face Hungary knowing that only victory would do if they wanted to retain hope of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

When Hungary took a third-minute lead and found themselves 2-1 up heading into the final 10 minutes, it appeared that they had one foot in March's playoff rounds.

However, after initially scoring a 15th-minute penalty, Parrott netting in the 80th minute to get Republic of Ireland back on level terms before prodding home in the sixth minute of added-on time to secure one of the nation's most famous wins in living memory.

While Heimir Hallgrimsson's team must still win two matches for the country to reach their first World Cup since 2002, they have incredibly shaken off a five-game winless streak to beat Armenia, Portugal and Hungary in consecutive matches.

Parrott in dreamland after "fairytale" two matches

With 33 goals and seven assists from 61 appearances for AZ Alkmaar since the start of 2024-25, Parrott is one of the emerging strikers across Europe.

Nevertheless, he has scored five goals in two pivotal international matches having previously only netted five times in 31 appearances for Republic of Ireland.

Troy Parrott, take your place on the pantheon of Irish greats ??pic.twitter.com/KATKNMZO4g

— Ireland Football ⚽️?? (@IrelandFootball) November 16, 2025

Reacting to his heroics, Parrott told RTE Sport: "I said against Portugal that this is what dreams are made of, but I think tonight, I will never have a better night in my whole life.

"It is a fairytale. You can't even dream about something like that. I have no words to describe the emotions right now."

He added: "I am really emotional right now. What a night. This is why we love football, things like this can happen.

"I love where I am from and it means the world to me. My family are here, and this is the first time I have cried in years! I really can't believe it."

What next for Republic of Ireland?

All eyes will now be on Thursday's playoff draw as Republic of Ireland learn who will stand in their way during March's playoffs.

The list of teams to feature in that stage will not be known until after Tuesday's final World Cup qualifiers.

Despite being destined to improve on their 62nd place in the FIFA World Rankings before the draw is made, Republic of Ireland are highly likely to be unseeded and will face an away semi-final tie.