VERA PAUW'S Ireland will play Scotland in the upcoming European second-round play-offs after Scotland beat Austria 1-0 in their play-off on Thursday.
Scotland substitute Abi Harrison scored the winning goal for the Scottish team. The game between the sides will be played next Tuesday.
🔥🙏Thanks for making the ‘impossible-to-understand’ understandable! 😂💚🇮🇪👏👊
Explainer: The Republic of Ireland’s World Cup qualifying route after Scotland’s win over Austria https://t.co/uZW6kVD5KG— Vera Pauw (@verapauw) October 6, 2022
You'd think that beating Scotland would propel Ireland to their first major tournament in their history, but it's more complicated than that.
For Ireland to reach the World Cup in New Zealand and Australia next year, they must become the top-two ranked team from the three play-off winners.
The rest will enter ten-team inter-confederations in New Zealand this February.
Ireland's group results and second round result of the play-offs results are included together to decide who automatically gets a World Cup spot.
Ireland currently needs results to go their way if they are to make it to the showpiece event in 2023.
If Vera Pauw's win and either Switzerland or Iceland slips up against Wales or Portugal respectively, Ireland are going to the World Cup.
If the Swiss or Icelanders do not win in 90 minutes and the game goes to extra-time, that counts as a draw, and they'd only get one point. The same of course applies to Ireland.
Ireland basically can have much easier passage to the tournament, if they win and others lose in the nuts and bolts of it.
If Ireland finish third, they'll particapate in that inter-confederation playoff tournament
This is a 10-nation tournament that will determine the final three qualifiers for the World Cup. Ireland, should they end up in tournament, would be top seeds in their group, facing the winners of a game between two lower seeds – win that, and it's party time.
Current table
Ireland's game will kick off at Hampden Park at 8pm next Tuesday
