Republic of Ireland vs. Portugal: How to watch, date, time, live stream, TV channel for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifier

Hoping to reach the playoffs for the 2026 World Cup, the Republic of Ireland will welcome Portugal to the Aviva Stadium on Thursday for their penultimate UEFA Group F qualifier.

Heimir Hallgrimsson's side are third in the table after beating Armenia 1-0 on October 14, though while they are currently just one point behind second-placed Hungary, that gap could be extended to four before kick off.

As for Roberto Martinez's Lusos, they are on the cusp of qualifying for next summer's tournament, and a win would guarantee their spot in North America.

Here, Sports Mole provides all the details you need to know about how to tune in to Thursday's World Cup qualifying action.

What time does Republic of Ireland vs. Portugal kick off?

The Boys in Green will kick off against Portugal at 7:45pm on Thursday, November 13 for viewers in the UK.

Where is Republic of Ireland vs. Portugal being played?

The Selecao will travel to Dublin's Aviva Stadium, which is home to both the Irish national football and rugby union teams.

The venue has a capacity of 51,711 for football matches but can host 65,000 spectators for concerts.

How to watch Republic of Ireland vs. Portugal in the UK

TV channels

This game will be broadcast on the Premier Sports 1 TV channel.

Streaming

Supporters can stream the qualifier on the Premier Sports Player app.

The contest will also be available to stream on a pay-per-view basis via the Amazon Prime Video app, which features Premier Sports content.

Highlights

Goals are set to be posted by the PremSportsTV X (formerly Twitter) account, while highlights will be uploaded to the PremSportsTV YouTube channel later in the evening.

Who will win Republic of Ireland vs. Portugal?

Ireland will come into this game knowing what result they need before of their final-day showdown with Hungary on Sunday, something that Hallgrimsson described as an advantage.

If Dominik Szoboszlai's Magyarok beat Armenia, then the Boys in Green will need to pick up at least a point against Portugal, but should they draw, then Thursday's hosts will be able to go into the weekend's clash with a chance of making the playoffs regardless of their result against Martinez's men.

Striker Evan Ferguson - who scored the winner against Armenia last time out - will miss this match with an ankle injury, though Troy Parrott, who has netted 12 goals and provided one assist in just 931 minutes for AZ Alkmaar this term (a rate of one goal scored every 77.6 minutes), should be on hand to offer an outlet up top.

In any case, Hallgrimsson will be hopeful that his team can take something from this contest, especially with Ireland currently on a five-game unbeaten streak on their own turf.

Portugal will be aiming to rubber-stamp their ticket to the 2026 World Cup with another triumph over their Group F opponents, but they are sure to face a resilient defensive unit once again, just as they did in the reverse fixture when it took a stoppage-time header from Ruben Neves to secure a 1-0 victory.

Expect to see an Irish side that sits deep for large periods, and if they only require a point on Thursday, then they may stay compact for the entirety of the game and grind out a draw, but opening up in search of a winner could see the Boys in Green caught on the counter.