From Mike Tyson to Boris Becker and DJ Carey – the best sports books of 2025
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World Cup
Read more news and analysis on the Fifa World Cup.
Ken Early: Arne Slot is mild, understated – just like Liverpool’s response to every defeat
In an era that demands showmanship from managers, he is struggling to inhabit the role of leader
When is the World Cup draw and who could Ireland meet if they win playoffs?
Everything you need to know about the draw in Washington DC
A stranger in a pub in Spain hugged me like we were old friends after Parrott’s heroics
In the ensuing mayhem, a man I’d never met before hugged me like we were old friends
Republic of Ireland will be among fourth-ranked seeds for World Cup draw
World Cup draw will take place in Washington on Friday week
Cristiano Ronaldo clear to start World Cup after Fifa suspends two games of his ban
Fifa suspends two fixtures of three-match ban following red card in Dublin
‘From the highest of the highs to a low’: Troy Parrott still on goal trail despite ‘frustrating’ day
Sales of the Parrott jersey have gone through the roof in Alkmaar, with Shelbourne next on the striker’s hit list
Could this Republic of Ireland team reclaim the Tricolour?
In the taloned claws of the ‘patriots’, it becomes a weapon: an expression of naked racist hatred
Even the reporters broke character briefly during Irish football’s fairytale week
Heimir Hallgrímsson enjoyed his ‘told you so’ moment after remarkable double-header that revived World Cup hopes
Much-maligned World Cup format to thank for Ireland’s dream week
A 16-team tournament would have put paid to qualification hopes long ago
Malachy Clerkin: As the club industrial complex kicks in, this Ireland team has shortened the winter
Transfers, form, fitness: settle in for months of obsessing over the almost 40 players with a chance of making the squad in March
The Irish Times view on sporting hope: a way to navigate uncertainty
Reserves of hope were low until two implausible victories over Portugal and Hungary
Ken Early: How big a mess is the Czech football team right now?
Thursday’s playoff draw sees Ireland play the least intimidating opponents they could have been pitted against
What happened in Ireland’s World Cup playoff draw and what are our chances of qualifying?
Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men need to win two more games to make it to the tournament in North America next summer
World Cup playoffs: Cost of flights to Prague for Ireland match soar as some sell out
Ryanair adds 3,000 seats to cater for demands as ticket prices sky-rocket but there are alternatives
World Cup playoffs: Why draw against Czech Republic is good news for Ireland
In the News podcast: Winning in Prague would mean a home game in the Aviva
Czech Republic’s ongoing crisis could offer Ireland opportunity in playoff semi-final
Czechs operating under interim manager while federation withheld player bonuses after win over Gibraltar
World Cup playoff draw: Republic of Ireland to play Czech Republic
Northern Ireland to play Italy in March after tricky draw
‘Ireland is a very unpleasant and tenacious opponent’: Czech Republic react to World Cup playoff draw
The morale of Czech football is low after a defeat to the Faroe Islands last month
Heimir Hallgrímsson: ‘I know Prague is a tough place to go, but anything can happen in this game’
Ireland head coach hoping fans get a chance of a home playoff final at the Aviva Stadium
‘An impossibility made possible’: how tiny Curaçao made World Cup history
Caribbean island nation is the smallest to reach the finals tournament after appointing a wily coach and drawing on their diaspora
World Cup playoffs: Who are Ireland’s potential opponents and when is the draw?
Path to North America made clearer by Tuesday’s final group results
Scotland’s wild World Cup moment was built by collective will and individual brilliance
Steve Clarke’s history-making team has a ferocious work ethic that should typify what Scotland stands for
Ireland’s largely painful history of major tournament playoffs
Keep the faith, but the Republic of Ireland’s record doesn’t make for optimistic reading
Team-by-team guide to Ireland’s potential World Cup playoff opponents
Czech Republic have been in turmoil, while Wales end their campaign on a high
Who has qualified for the World Cup already and how did they do it?
Scotland joined 41 other qualified teams last night, with Ireland looking to join them in playoffs
‘I couldn’t get Diogo Jota out of my head’: Andy Robertson reflects on shared World Cup dream
Scotland captain was ‘in bits’ thinking about late friend
World Cup playoff: Ireland to face Poland, Wales, Czech Republic or Slovakia
Republic of Ireland to face away playoff semi-final
World Cup Fever: A Footballing Journey in Nine Tournaments by Simon Kuper - A life structured in four-year intervals
Kuper’s prose keeps the pages turning as the journey becomes a re-examination of the author’s life choices
‘They have represented the flag with distinction’: Ireland miss out on Under-17 World Cup quarter-final spot
Vinnie Leonard on target for Ireland but Switzerland prove too clinical to match
Ireland under-17s aiming to keep feelgood factor alive in World Cup last-16 clash
Defender Finn Sherlock says confidence is high ahead of Switzerland encounter
World Cup playoff draw: What needs to happen for Ireland to make Pot 2 on Thursday?
There’s a number of variables in play ahead of Thursday’s draw as the final qualifier groups are completed
Troy Parrott gave us a chance to be innocently happy. Whatever happens from here, that lasts forever
Over the campaign, this Ireland side showed themselves to be all the things you’d want from a team representing the country
Kevin Kilbane: Hallgrímsson can play both Parrott and Ferguson. He’ll soon figure out how
Manager is cemented in the job now if he wants to take Ireland on the Euro 2028 campaign
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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