Republic of Ireland Men's Football Team

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Republic of Ireland defender Jimmy Dunne said his debut for his country "feels like a long time coming".

The Dundalk native won his first international cap as he came off the bench to help Republic of Ireland pick up a 2-1 win against Bulgaria at home in their Nations League B play-off, and a 4-2 aggregate victory.

The 27-year-old was delighted to finally make his international bow after first entering the Irish senior set-up in 2018 and having previously rejected the chance to declare for Northern Ireland.

"I'm not embarrassed to admit it is one of the proudest moments of my life - my mum and family were there so I'm incredibly proud," he told BBC Sport NI.

"Days like today make me realise that I'm glad nothing has changed [in switching international allegiances], and I stuck with it. I'm 27 now but hopefully I have a long career and there are plenty more chances to play for my country.

"Sometimes I had to park it in the back of my mind [playing for the Republic of Ireland], but I've known I've always really wanted to do it. It's a marker but I want to kick on."

The Queens Park Rangers defender praised Irish boss Heimir Hallgrimsson for giving him his debut in the promotion/relegation play-off second leg and for the advice the Icelandic coach has given him during this camp.

"There was a lot at stake tonight so it could have been very easy for the manager to stick to what he knows but he has put a lot of trust in me, and he has guided me," Dunne added.

The defender believes that the Republic are moving in the right direction ahead of the World Cup qualifiers starting in September.

"I haven't been part of this group previously and there has been a lot of criticism, but I don't think there has been any hangover from the England game [in November], we are really together, and we really believe, so there is no reason why these lads can't kick on and do wonderful things."

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Northern Ireland will take on Germany in World Cup qualifying Group A after Julian Nagelsmann's side beat Italy in the Nations League play-offs.

Germany led 2-1 after the first leg in the San Siro and raced into a 3-0 advantage in the second leg at Signal Iduna Park.

Italy fought back to level the game at 3-3 on the night, but it wasn't enough as Germany progressed 5-4 on aggregate to reach the semi-finals.

They will now be top seeds in Group A of the World Cup qualifiers, which start in September as it is a four-team group.

Germany were Northern Ireland's opposition in the Euro 2020 qualifiers with the Germans triumphing 2-0 in Belfast before going on to earn a thumping 6-1 victory in Frankfurt.

Michael O'Neill's side will be away against Germany on Sunday, 7 September and the return encounter in Belfast on Monday, 13 October.

Meanwhile, Portugal will be in Republic of Ireland's group after overcoming Denmark 5-3 on aggregate in their play-offs quarter-final.

Portugal will host the Irish in Group F on 11 October with the return match in Dublin on 13 November.

Only group winners will secure automatic spots in the USA, Canada and Mexico with the 12 runners-up going through to play-offs, where four qualifying berths will be available.

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The Republic of Ireland have confirmed summer friendlies against Senegal and Luxembourg.

Heimir Hallgrimsson's side take on Bulgaria in a two-legged Nations League play-off this week before attention turns to the qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup.

The Republic of Ireland will host Senegal, who are 17th in the Fifa world rankings, at the Aviva Stadium with the exact date in June yet to be finalised.

They will then travel to Luxembourg on 10 June in the final game before they begin their World Cup qualifying campaign against Hungary, Armenia and either Portugal or Denmark.

Hallgrimsson said: "I'm delighted the association has been able to secure top quality opposition in Senegal, testing ourselves against a top tier international side is crucial for the players' development but also for our preparations for World Cup qualifying which starts in September.

"Luxembourg [will be a] different type of test for our players away from home and crucially, our final game before the World Cup campaign starts."

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Ross County forward Ronan Hale is now eligible to play for Northern Ireland.

International clearance for the Belfast-born 26-year-old has come through from Fifa after a number of months of waiting for paperwork to be finalised.

Hale had previously represented the Republic of Ireland at under-19 and under-21 level.

The former Larne and Cliftonville forward, who has scored five times in 20 Scottish Premiership games for Ross County this season, is now available to be selected by Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill.

Hale, who started his career at Birmingham City, has also had spells will Derry City, Crusaders and St Patrick's Athletic.

He scored two goals in last season's Irish Cup final to help Cliftonville to their first truimph in the competition since 1979.

He then moved to Scottish Premiership side Ross County for an undisclosed fee on a three-year deal.

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The Republic of Ireland will face Bulgaria in their Nations League relegation/promotion play-off in March.

Heimir Hallgrimsson's side are fighting to stay in League B after finishing third in Group B2 behind England and Greece.

The Republic's only two victories in the group came against Finland, who were automatically relegated to League C.

Their campaign ended with a heavy 5-0 defeat by England at Wembley.

Hallgrimsson said he was "lost for words" following the match and said his side "gave up" as England scored three goals in the space of five minutes following Liam Scales' red card.

Bulgaria finished second in Group C3 behind Northern Ireland.

Michael O'Neill's side lost 1-0 to Bulgaria in Plovdiv but ran out 5-0 winners at Windsor Park.

Bulgaria, who are ranked 84th in the world compared to the Republic in 63rd, twice drew with Belarus and had a win and draw against Luxembourg in the group.

The first leg of the play-off will take place in Bulgaria on Thursday, 20 March before the second leg at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday, 23 March.