Heimir Hallgrímsson sounded upbeat on Friday evening after Ireland learned their potential World Cup opponents. The draw took place in Washington D.C. and included Ireland’s playoff path, even though qualification is still not guaranteed.
Ireland must first come through March’s playoff tournament. If they do, they will join Mexico, South Korea, and South Africa in the group stage. The games would take place in Guadalajara, Atlanta, and Mexico City. Many supporters see the draw as favourable, especially as Ireland avoided the biggest teams in the tournament.
Hallgrímsson spoke to the Irish media after the draw. He described the group as “beatable” and made clear that Ireland would not fear any of the three nations.
“It’s exciting. We are not there yet, but it’s exciting to be a part of it.
I think it’s a quite equal group in a way. It’s not like a Brazil or an Argentina that normally are favourites in the group.
But anyway, it’s a beatable group if we think [of] ourselves in it. It’s a group we would fancy qualifying from.
We know we need to focus on what’s ahead and keep our eye and focus on the next opponent, which is Czech Republic”.
Hallgrímsson also noted that drawing one of the host nations adds a unique challenge. Playing Mexico at the Azteca Stadium is daunting, but he believes the atmosphere could also work to Ireland’s advantage. He added that the team would have preferred more games in the United States due to the strong Irish presence there.
Heat will be another major factor. Hallgrímsson said they will need to prepare carefully for conditions in June.
“We at least know we are in Mexico, and there’s going to be heat there in June for sure. It’s not an air-conditioned stadium in Mexico, so that would be one puzzle that we need to solve, but we haven’t started thinking about that yet.
“It’s a very short turnaround from the games in March, and then final preparation for the World Cup… We need to get serious now and use this moment and try to prepare as well as possible.”
Even though Ireland have not qualified yet, Hallgrímsson is already planning as though they will be there. His confidence will be welcomed by supporters hoping for a return to the World Cup stage.
