The is the
Football team of the
Republic Of Ireland and is governed by the
Football Association Of Ireland (FAI). It is a member of both
UEFA and
FIFA , and although they had been involved in international competition since the 1930s, the team did not qualify for any international tournaments until
Euro 88 in Germany. That achievement was followed by reaching the quarter-finals of the
1990 World Cup . The Irish also reached the second round in the
1994 and
2002 World Cups.
Between 1882 and 1924
Ireland was represented by a single
National Football Team organised by the
Belfast - based
Irish Football Association . Then in 1920 Ireland was
Partitioned into
Northern Ireland and
Southern Ireland . In 1922, Southern Ireland became the
Irish Free State , which in turn became the
Republic Of Ireland . Amid these political upheavals the
Football Association Of Ireland , emerged in
Dublin in 1921 and began organising both its own
League and its own national football team.
In 1923 the FAI was recognised by
FIFA as the governing body of the Irish Free State
1 and at the
1924 Olympics , the Irish Free State national football team made their international debut. On May 28 at the
Stade Olympique , they beat
Bulgaria 1-0, with
Paddy Duncan scoring the teams first ever goal. On June 14 1924, the Irish Free State made their home debut against the
United States , who had embarked on a brief European tour after competing in the same Olympics.
Ed Brookes scored a
Hat-trick in a 3-1 home win at
Dalymount Park . Contemporary records, such as the FAI annual report, regarded the 1924 games as full internationals, despite featuring amateur teams. After the 1960s these games were reclassified as amateur internationals. However in June 1999
FIFA declared that early Olympic internationals could be considered as full internationals [http://www.bohemian-fc.com/home/dalymount_park/internationals_in_Dalymount/ ].
The Irish Free State did not play their next game until March 21 1926. This was an away game against
Italy which they lost 3-0. This was the first international to feature professional players. On February 25 1934 the Irish Free State made their
World Cup debut, drawing 4-4 with
Belgium at Dalymount Park in a
Qualifier .
Paddy Moore scored all four of the Free State’s goals and became the first player ever to score four goals in a World Cup game.
Between 1924 and 1936 the FAI only selected players from the Free State and called their team the ''Irish Free State''. However after 1936 the FAI referred to their team as ''Ireland'' and began to select players born in
Northern Ireland . During this era there were, in effect, two ''Ireland'' teams, chosen by two rival associations. Both associations, the Northern Ireland - based IFA and the Irish Free State - based FAI claimed jurisdiction over the whole of
Ireland and selected players from the whole island. This situation eventually led FIFA to intervene, after complaints from the FAI. Ryan, op. cit. pg 59.. FIFA subsequently restricted players' eligibility based on the political border and in 1953 ruled neither team could be referred to as ''Ireland'', decreeing that the FAI team be officially designated as the ''Republic of Ireland'' while the IFA team was to become
Northern Ireland Byrne, op. cit., pg 68. The FAI continued to refer to their team as ''Ireland'' until the game against
Luxembourg on March 7 1954.
Since the 1980s, most home matches have been played at
Lansdowne Road ,
Dublin , the national rugby stadium owned by the
Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU). This ground is closed for redevelopment until 2009. The first football international played there was a friendly against
Italy in 1971; a 5-0 victory over
San Marino in a
Euro 2008 qualifying match on
15 November 2006 was the last game there before the reconstruction. The all-seater capacity of Lansdowne Road prior to the renovation was 36,000, although higher attendances, using the standing only areas, were permitted for friendly matches. The all seater new stadium will increase capacity for competitive games to 50,000.
Prior to the 1980s, the Republic of Ireland played most home games at
Dalymount Park , home of
Bohemian FC , but progressively more games were played at Lansdowne following a safety review which reduced Dalymount's capacity and the last international match played there was against
Morocco in 1990. The Republic of Ireland has also played home matches in
Tolka Park (twice) and the
Royal Dublin Society in Dublin as well in Cork venues
Mardyke and
Flower Lodge .
With the announcement of the rebuilding of Lansdowne Road, a new venue was required to stage Ireland's home internationals. The only stadium in Ireland capable of holding international football was
Croke Park , home of the
Gaelic Athletic Association . To accommodate this, the GAA temporarily relaxed its rule governing the playing of foreign games on its property. Initially, four Euro 2008 qualifiers will be played at Croke Park during 2007.
- 1930 ''Did not enter''
- 1934-1986 ''Did not qualify''
- 1990 -
- 1994 - Round of 16
- 1998 - ''Did not qualify''
- 2002 - Round of 16
- 2006 - ''Did not qualify''
- 1960-1984 - ''Did not qualify''
- 1988 - Round 1
- 1992-2004 - ''Did not qualify''
''see also ''
This squad is for the two upcoming
Euro 2008 Qualifiers against
Slovakia and
Czech Republic on
8 September ,
2007 and
12 September ,
2007 respectively.
;Goalkeepers
;Defenders
;Midfielders
;Strikers
September 21 , 1949 . Goodison Park ; Friendly;
England's first defeat at home to a non-Home Nation side
; European Championship qualifier;
Republic of Ireland's first competitive game at Lansdowne Road
October 14 , 1987 : Lansdowne Road; European Championship qualifier;
Enabled qualification to first ever major tournament (Euro 88) when on November 11, 1987, Bulgaria lost their last home qualifying game to Scotland 0-1.
, Stuttgart ; European Championship first round
Upset victory in Ireland's first ever match in a major tournament
, Cagliari ; World Cup first round
Ireland's first ever match in a World Cup Finals tournament
Genoa ; World Cup second round;
David O'Leary 's famous penalty brought Ireland into last eight
, East Rutherford ; World Cup first round;
Unexpected victory over the side who later lost the final on penalties, it was also Ireland's first World Cup win
; Friendly;
Stadium rioting by English Hooligan s causes match to be abandoned.
November 15 , 2006 : Lansdowne Road; European Championship qualifier;
The last Ireland match at Lansdowne Road before redevelopment.
; European Championship qualifier;
Ireland play in Croke Park in a competitive fixture for the first time.
- ''Between 1921 and 1969 a committee of selectors chose the team. However on occasions a coach and / or team manager was appointed. Mick Meagan was the first manager to actually select the team.''
As of
2 June ,
2007 , the players with the most caps for the Republic of Ireland are:
See
Here for top goal scorers per country.
