Preview:Republic of Ireland vs Hungary - prediction, team news, lineups

Republic of Ireland and Hungary kick-start their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign with an encounter at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday evening.

Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side and Marco Rossi’s men will compete in Group F alongside UEFA Nations League holders Portugal and European minnows Armenia.

Match preview

Heimir Hallgrimsson is tasked with leading Republic of Ireland to their first World Cup tournament since 2002, and after experiencing a shaky start to his reign, the Icelandic boss has since overseen a promising upturn in form.

A heavy 5-0 defeat away against England in the UEFA Nations League represents Ireland’s only loss across their last six matches in which they have celebrated three victories, including a 4-2 aggregate triumph over Bulgaria in March to avoid relegation from League B.

The Boys in Green have since played out back-to-back draws in friendlies with Senegal (1-1) and Luxembourg (0-0) in June, and they will head into Saturday’s clash with Hungary seeking to put together a five-game unbeaten run for the first time since enjoying a run of eight matches without defeat between September 2021 to March 2022.

Ranked 60th in the world by FIFA, Ireland are also unbeaten in their last three internationals at the Aviva Stadium and have won their last two home encounters with Hungary, including a 2-1 friendly victory in June last year, so there is reason for Hallgrimsson and co to be optimistic of success.

Hungary are ranked 22 places higher than Ireland in the current FIFA World Rankings, but they are not travelling to Dublin in the highest of spirits following a poor run of form over the last 12 months.

Since losing that aforementioned away match in Ireland, Nemzeti Tizenegy have come out on top in only three of their last 14 internationals in all competitions (D4 L7), crashing out in the group stage of Euro 2024 and suffering relegation from League A in the Nations League following a heavy 6-1 aggregate defeat to Turkey in the playoffs.

Under pressure to turn Hungary’s fortunes around, head coach Marco Rossi ended his team’s five-match winless streak by guiding them to a 2-1 away victory over Azerbaijan in their most recent friendly fixture in June - just their second win in eight games on the road.

Hungary are now bidding to make a bright start to their World Cup qualification campaign having failed to qualify for the main tournament in their previous nine attempts, but success is not a given on Saturday, as they have not won any of their last five meetings (D3 L2) with Ireland since a 4-0 victory in qualifying back in 1969.

Republic of Ireland form (all competitions):

W L W W D D

Hungary form (all competitions):

L D L L L W

Team News

In-form Ireland striker Troy Parrott, who has scored 10 goals in seven games for AZ Alkmaar at the start of this season, has been forced to withdraw from the squad due to injury. New Swansea City signing Adam Idah could therefore lead the line with Roma loanee Evan Ferguson.

Hallgrimsson has been boosted by the return of goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu who has recovered from last season's knee injury, while attacker Chiedozie Ogbene also makes a comeback for the first time since October 2024 following his recovery from a long-term Achilles problem.

Stoke City defender Bosun Lawal and Celtic forward Johnny Kenny have both been handed their first senior call-ups and could make their international debuts this weekend, although they are both likely to begin as substitutes.

As for Hungary, Daniel Lukacs, Rajmund Molnar, Barna Toth, and Bence Otvos are four uncapped players who have been called up by Rossi, the latter of whom has shaken off an injury issue to join up with the 27-man squad.

Liverpool duo Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez are both expected to start in midfield and defence respectively - of the 54 goals scored by players in Rossi’s squad, 16 of those (29.6%) have been scored by captain Szoboszlai, who also netted a stunning long-range free kick in Liverpool’s 1-0 Premier League win over Arsenal last weekend.

Rossi will weigh up whether to begin with a back four or back five, but regardless of the formation, experience centre-back Willi Orban is expected to be named in the starting lineup, as is striker Barnabas Varga, who has netted 10 goals in 11 games for Ferencvaros this season.

Republic of Ireland possible starting lineup:

Kelleher; Doherty, Collins, O'Shea, Manning; Johnston, Cullen, Knight, Azaz; Idah, Ferguson

Hungary possible starting lineup:

Dibusz; Nego, Orban, Szalai, Kerkez; A. Toth, Schafer, Szoboszlai; Lukacs, Varga, Sallai

We say: Republic of Ireland 1-1 Hungary

Three of the last five meetings between these two nations have ended as 0-0 draws and another tight, low-scoring affair cannot be ruled out this weekend.

Ireland will back themselves to prevail on home soil, but we feel that Hungary will show signs of improvement and may do enough to claim a share of the spoils.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.