A general view of the Aviva Stadium(Image: Getty)
It’s the fixture nobody wished to participate in – a lesser substitute for the widely criticised World Cup third-place play-off.
Just as those involved in that match would prefer to either be battling for silverware or heading home, the same undoubtedly applies to all the play-off casualties forced to honour friendly fixtures on Tuesday evening.
Ireland and North Macedonia aren’t alone in this situation.
Slovakia and Romania (defeated in Path C), Albania and Ukraine (Path B), and Northern Ireland and Wales (Path A) are all taking part in the first-ever UEFA TV Rights Obligated Wooden Spoon Series.
However, with a match scheduled, Heimir Hallgrímsson is determined to maximise the opportunity.
And having avoided defeat during regular time in his previous four outings – Armenia, Portugal, Hungary and Czechia – he’s keen to maintain that positive run.
The Aviva Stadium has officially sold out, but following the spot-kick heartbreak in Prague, numerous tickets have appeared on secondary market platforms.
Whether you’re attending in person or viewing from your sofa, here’s everything you need to know about the fixture…
What time is kick-off?
The match kicks off at 7.45pm.
Where can I watch it?
RTÉ2 for television viewers, and RTÉ Player for those streaming online. You will not be able to watch the game in the United Kingdom, with Prime Video instead streaming the play-off final between Denmark and Czech Republic
Can I still buy tickets through official channels?
Numerous ‘verified resale tickets’ remain available through Ticketmaster.
Team news
Sammie Szmodics remains sidelined while undergoing concussion protocols. Jack Taylor travelled back home over the weekend due to his wife’s illness, though manager Heimir Hallgrímsson confirmed on Monday that her condition had improved. Meanwhile, Robbie Brady experienced hamstring tightness following the match against Czechia, prompting a precautionary return to Preston rather than risking him in a friendly fixture.
Starting XI prediction
Caoimhin Kelleher; Jimmy Dunne, Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea; Seamus Coleman, Jayson Molumby, Jason Knight, Liam Scales; Harvey Vale, Finn Azaz; Troy Parrott.
What are the odds?
Ireland are priced at 6/10, North Macedonia at 4/1, while a draw stands at 27/10.
What are they saying?
Heimir Hallgrímsson: “For me, the most important thing is the performance that we show; that we continue to grow. Normally if you have good performance, and how we’ve been playing, we will win this game [tonight] if we continue to play the same way. That’s where my confidence is. It’s just a side effect. The margins in football are always… It’s the most popular sport in the world and you can always have surprises. It’s never a given that you win or lose a game. That is why the sport is the most popular in the world.”
Dara O’Shea: “It’s a massive disappointment for us as players and the fans that we don’t have that game and an opportunity to go to the World Cup. But we’re professionals and you have to move on to the next game and the next game is really important for us as a group. Everything we’ve created now, the feeling we have within the group, the confidence… So it’s important to go out tomorrow with a solid performance that we are proud of and people can be proud of too to continue on our run. We spoke about how we’re building towards Euro 2028 now and it’s important that we keep going in the right direction and I feel we have been. That confidence that’s in the group, it’s important to keep it there and keep pushing on and building and growing as a team.”