Who can Republic of Ireland face in World Cup play-off?
Troy Parrott scored five goals in the last two group games to seal a play-off spot for the Republic of Ireland
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It was an exciting end to the Republic of Ireland's Group F campaign with attention now turning to the World Cup play-offs in March.
Heimir Hallgrimsson's side ended qualifying with back-to-back wins over Portugal and Hungary, allowing them to creep into second place behind the Portuguese.
Ranked 63rd in the world, the Republic of Ireland are placed in pot three and will travel to a pot two team in the play-off semi-final. They will learn their opponents in Thursday's draw at noon.
So the picture is now clear, who are the four teams the Republic of Ireland could face in their play-off semi-final?
Poland
Robert Lewandowski will look to fire Poland to a third World Cup in a row
World ranking: 33rd World Cup qualifying group: Second behind Netherlands Last World Cup: 2022
This is probably the draw that Republic of Ireland fans would most want to avoid - a Poland side that has qualified for the last two World Cups.
The standout name in the Polish ranks is talisman Robert Lewandowski. The Barcelona striker is his country's all-time leading goalscorer and scored four goals in seven appearances during qualifying.
Poland's attempt to qualify automatically was derailed by a shock 2–1 loss to Finland in June. They finished the campaign with a 1–1 draw against group winners the Netherlands and a 3–2 victory over Malta.
There isn't much history between the Republic of Ireland and Poland. Their most recent meeting was a 2018 friendly that ended 1–1.
Wales
Harry Wilson's hat-trick secured a home World Cup play-off semi-final for Wales
World ranking: 34th World Cup qualifying group: Second behind Belgium Last World Cup: 2022
If ever there was a way to secure a home play-off in style, Wales delivered it - thrashing North Macedonia 7–1 in Cardiff to seal second place in Group J.
Harry Wilson captained his country for the first time on the night and marked the occasion with a hat-trick.
After two defeats to group winners Belgium, Craig Bellamy's side had to fight for second place.
A 1–0 win at Liechtenstein, followed by an emphatic victory over North Macedonia, secured a home play-off for Wales, who also had a back-up route by topping their Nations League group.
There's no shortage of recent history between the Republic of Ireland and Wales.
The most memorable moment for the boys in green came in 2017, when James McClean scored the winner to secure a 2018 World Cup play-off for the Republic at the expense of the Welsh.
They've also met four times in the Nations League since, Wales winning three of those with one draw.
Czech Republic
Czech Republic secured a home World Cup play-off semi-final with a 6-0 win over Gibraltar
World ranking: 44th World Cup qualifying group: Second behind Croatia Last World Cup: 2006
Czech Republic rubber-stamped their Group L campaign with a 6-0 win over Gibraltar to ensure they finished in second spot behind Croatia.
Their bid to qualify automatically was seriously hampered by a 5-1 defeat at Croatia and a shock 2-1 defeat to the Faroe Islands.
Like the Republic of Ireland, they are hoping to end a long wait since their last appearance at a World Cup finals, which came in 2006, with a few near misses along the way.
The most recent encounter between the sides was a 2012 friendly in Dublin, where former Liverpool striker Milan Baros opened the scoring before a late Simon Cox equaliser levelled the match at 1-1.
Slovakia
Slovakia beat the Republic of Ireland on penalties in the Euro 2020 play-off semi-final
World ranking: 46th World Cup qualifying group: Second behind Germany Last World Cup: 2010
Slovakia's campaign began with great promise, defeating top seeds Germany 2–0.
Their first setback came on match-day three, with defeat in Belfast to Northern Ireland.
They may be lucky to find themselves in Pot Two after finishing the campaign with a controversial late winner over Northern Ireland, before a heavy 6–0 defeat to Germany.
Should the Republic of Ireland draw Slovakia, it would be history repeating itself, though this time with a place at the World Cup on the line.
The two countries met in Bratislava in a Euro 2020 qualifier play-off semi-final. The game ended in a drab 0–0 draw before Matt Doherty and Alan Browne missed from the spot, as the hosts secured a 4–2 penalty shoot-out win.
What happens next?
The draw for the 2026 World Cup play-offs take place in Switzerland on Thursday at noon.
Teams will be drawn into four paths, which each contain two semi-finals and a final.
Pot two teams, including Wales, will be at home to a pot three teams, including the Republic of Ireland, in the other four semi-finals.
Pot one sides will be drawn at home to the four Nations League winners, which includes Northern Ireland.
The winners of the respective semi-finals in each of the four paths will then meet in a final, and the four winners of each path will qualify for the World Cup finals.
There is an open draw for the final, which means seedings are not taken into consideration for which team will host the final.
The one-legged semi-final will be on 26 March, and the finals will be played on 31 March.