Republic of Ireland vs Portugal Preview

The Republic of Ireland welcome Portugal to the Aviva Stadium on Thursday evening for a crucial World Cup qualifying encounter that could define both nations’ paths to the 2026 tournament. Portugal arrive in Dublin as clear favourites having dominated recent encounters between these sides, but the home team will be buoyed by their victory over Armenia in their most recent qualifier. With both sides having contrasting recent form, this fixture promises to be a fascinating tactical battle as Ireland seek revenge for their defeat in Lisbon just over a month ago.

The hosts enter this fixture on the back of a morale-boosting 1-0 home victory over Armenia on October 14th, a result that ended a difficult run of form. Prior to that win, they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat away to Portugal on October 11th in a match where they competed well but ultimately lacked cutting edge in the final third. Earlier in this sequence, they lost 2-1 away to Armenia on September 8th and drew 2-2 at home with Hungary on September 6th. Their fifth most recent result was a goalless draw away to Luxembourg back in June. With just one win from their last five matches, Ireland will need to significantly improve their attacking output if they are to trouble a Portuguese side that has looked formidable throughout this qualification campaign.

Portugal come to Dublin unbeaten in their last five matches across all competitions, though their most recent outing ended in a frustrating 2-2 home draw with Hungary on October 14th. Prior to that, they secured a hard-fought 1-0 home victory over Republic of Ireland on October 11th, maintaining their perfect record in head-to-head encounters. Earlier in their recent run, they claimed an impressive 3-2 away win at Hungary on September 9th and thrashed Armenia 5-0 away on September 6th, demonstrating their clinical finishing and attacking prowess. In June, they also drew 2-2 at home to Spain in the Nations League. With four wins and one draw from their last five fixtures, Portugal have established themselves as one of the strongest sides in European qualifying and will be confident of securing maximum points in Dublin.

The head-to-head record overwhelmingly favours Portugal, who have won four of the last five meetings between these nations. Portugal secured a 1-0 home victory over Republic of Ireland in World Cup qualifying on October 11th, 2025. They also claimed a comfortable 3-0 home win in an international friendly on June 11th, 2024. The only point Ireland have taken from Portugal in recent years came in a 0-0 draw at home on November 11th, 2021, during World Cup qualifying. Portugal also won 2-1 at home in World Cup qualifying on September 1st, 2021. Portugal’s most emphatic victory came in a 5-1 thrashing of Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in an international friendly on June 11th, 2014. This dominant record gives Portugal a significant psychological advantage heading into Thursday’s encounter.

Irish supporters can watch this pivotal qualifier on RTE 2, RTE Player, and Amazon Prime Video, with coverage beginning ahead of the 19:45 GMT kick-off. British viewers can stream the match via Amazon Prime Video, while Portuguese fans can tune in on Sport TV1, Sport TV Multiscreen, and RTP 1. American audiences can watch on fuboTV and ViX.

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Republic of Ireland Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
W	Republic of Ireland	1 – 0	Armenia	World Cup Qualifying	Oct 14, 2025
L	Portugal	1 – 0	Republic of Ireland	World Cup Qualifying	Oct 11, 2025
L	Armenia	2 – 1	Republic of Ireland	World Cup Qualifying	Sep 8, 2025
D	Republic of Ireland	2 – 2	Hungary	World Cup Qualifying	Sep 6, 2025
D	Luxembourg	0 – 0	Republic of Ireland	International Friendly	Jun 10, 2025

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Portugal Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
D	Portugal	2 – 2	Hungary	World Cup Qualifying	Oct 14, 2025
W	Portugal	1 – 0	Republic of Ireland	World Cup Qualifying	Oct 11, 2025
W	Hungary	2 – 3	Portugal	World Cup Qualifying	Sep 9, 2025
W	Armenia	0 – 5	Portugal	World Cup Qualifying	Sep 6, 2025
W	Portugal	2 – 2	Spain	Nations League	Jun 8, 2025

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Head To Head Record

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
Portugal	1 – 0	Republic of Ireland	World Cup Qualifying	Oct 11, 2025
Portugal	3 – 0	Republic of Ireland	International Friendly	Jun 11, 2024
Republic of Ireland	0 – 0	Portugal	World Cup Qualifying	Nov 11, 2021
Portugal	2 – 1	Republic of Ireland	World Cup Qualifying	Sep 1, 2021
Republic of Ireland	1 – 5	Portugal	International Friendly	Jun 11, 2014

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TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Broadcaster
Ireland Republic	RTE Player, Amazon Prime Video, RTE 2
Portugal	Sport TV Multiscreen, RTP Play, Sport TV1, RTP 1
Great Britain	Amazon Prime Video
USA	fuboTV, ViX
Canada	DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada, Amazon Prime Video
Germany	DAZN Germany, Amazon Prime Video
France	L’Équipe Live Foot
Australia	Stan Sport