Stephen Kenny set for busy start to Ireland job as fixture schedule confirmed

Fri, 26 Jun, 2020 - 19:37

John Fallon

The original dates for the October and November fixtures in a group also containing Wales have been moved. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Uefa have confirmed Ireland’s schedule for the remainder of 2020, with potentially eight games being played between September and November.

It had already been confirmed that Stephen Kenny’s reign will commence in September with a Uefa Nations League double-header against Bulgaria and Finland.

However, the original dates for the October and November fixtures in a group also containing Wales have been moved.

That’s due to the play-offs for Euro 2020, pushed out by year to next summer due to Covid-19, will also be contested within the same 10-week period.

As Ireland will travel to Slovakia on Thursday, October 8, for the Euro play-off, their Nations League match against Wales at the Aviva Stadium has been moved to Sunday, October 11 (2pm). They complete the expanded international window with a third game in Helsinki against Finland (6pm, local time).

In the following month, should Ireland prevail against the Slovaks, they’ll visit either Bosnia-Herzegovina or Northern Ireland in the play-off final on Thursday, November 12. A friendly in Dublin is likely to be arranged if they get knocked out.

Concluding the Nations League schedule will be a pair of matches against Wales in Cardiff on Sunday, November 15 (5pm), and the hosting of Bulgaria three days later on Wednesday, November 18 (7.45pm).

Ireland’s seeding in the draw for the 2022 World Cup on November 29 will be determined by their ranking at the end of the Nations League. They are currently positioned 34 in the standings.

There will also be two berths on offer in the World Cup play-offs from the Nations League.