Ireland to face Bulgaria in Nations League relegation play-off

The Republic of Ireland will play Bulgaria in the Nations League promotion/relegation play-offs in March.
The two-legged meeting has Ireland travelling to Plovdiv for the first-leg on Thursday, March 20th with the second leg in Dublin on Sunday, March 23rd.
If Heimir Hallgrímsson’s Irish team lose to Bulgaria they will be relegated to League C for 2026.
The Uefa play-offs ensure that Ireland will be drawn in a four-team World Cup qualification group on December 13th.
This allows Ireland to avoid playing qualifiers in June, when the majority of Irish players based in the EFL Championship are lacking match fitness.
Bulgaria are ranked 84th in the world, 21 places below Ireland. Ilian Iliev’s side struggled during this year’s Nations League C campaign, finishing second behind Northern Ireland with two wins, three draws and a 5-0 defeat at Windsor Park last month.
Hallgrímsson, who was present at the draw in Nyon, Switzerland, is presumably pleased to avoid Slovakia and Armenia after recent defeats to both nations.
More to follow…