Ireland vs Hungary Prediction for 7 September 2025 - Football

🔊 Which team will kick off their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign with a win? Ireland and Hungary are likely to battle it out for the second spot in Group F, which offers a ticket to the playoffs. Portugal are clear favorites in this quartet, while Armenia have the slimmest chances of avoiding the bottom of the standings. Therefore, the clash in Dublin at the Aviva Stadium holds significant importance.

Head-to-Head

📊 Hungary haven't defeated Ireland since 1969. However, there haven't been many encounters since then. Notably, last year's friendly at the Aviva Stadium ended with a victory for the hosts (2-1), with a goal in stoppage time.

Ireland Team Overview

🟢 In the latest Nations League campaign, Ireland competed in Division B. They conceded seven unanswered goals to England and four to Greece. However, against Finland, they put up a fight. The "Boys in Green" secured a narrow away victory (2-1) with a decisive goal in the 88th minute. Their home win proved to be more challenging (1-0), especially as the Finns missed a penalty. Ultimately, Ireland faced Bulgaria in the playoffs and clinched two victories (2-1; 2-1), maintaining their place in Division B.

🟠 In June, the "Green Army" played two friendly matches and extended their unbeaten run. First, they drew with Senegal (1-1), and then they couldn't find the net against Luxembourg, but managed to keep a clean sheet.

Hungary Team Overview

🔴 In the previous Nations League campaign, Hungary managed just one win, defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0. It was a tough ask to achieve more with Germany and Netherlands in their group. However, the Magyars managed to take points off both teams at home, though they suffered heavy defeats on the road. Ultimately, they finished third in the group and faced Turkey in the playoffs. Unfortunately, Marco Rossi's side lost both encounters (1-3; 0-3) and were relegated from Division A.

🟢 In June, Hungary played two friendly matches but failed to impress. They were narrowly defeated by a not fully-strength Sweden side (0-2), followed by an unconvincing win over Azerbaijan (2-1).

Latest news

Ireland

🎙 Ireland's assistant coach John O'Shea expects the team to deliver a refreshing performance against Hungary on Saturday: “The squad is brimming with confidence, judging by how the players have kicked off the season... Many in the team are in high spirits, even considering the transfer windows and all that comes with players moving clubs. Now, they are calm and fully focused. The team has a great vibe. However, we need to be more proactive in matches; that's the key to success.”

✅ The Republic of Ireland are preparing for the match with a full squad.

Hungary

🎙 Hungarian national team player Zsolt Nagy (Puskás Akadémia) shared his thoughts on the upcoming fixture: "Everyone understands the significance of the first World Cup qualifying match. We know the Irish well, having played against them last year, and that game didn't go as planned. Despite dominating possession, we ended up losing. The most crucial thing is ensuring our defense is solid, which will be our primary focus. Of course, we also aim to avoid the mistakes we made back then."

❌ András Schäfer has suffered a muscle injury and will miss the next two matches. Roland Sallai is also dealing with some health issues; he missed training and worked out separately from the rest of the team.

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

The main referee for the match is Harm Osmers from Germany. Last season, he officiated 15 Bundesliga matches, averaging 3.6 yellow cards per game. In the current season, Osmers has overseen two games in Germany, including the Super Cup, issuing four cautions in each. This mirrors his average in the last Nations League campaign.

Over the past year, Ireland have had the edge in yellow cards (2.6 compared to 2.1), with their matches averaging 5.1 cautions. Considering the referee's recent statistics, a bet on total yellow cards over 3.5 seems worth considering.

⚽️ Goal Prediction

Hungary perform best at home. On the road, they score less but concede significantly more. In fact, in 10 of their last 11 matches, they've scored no more than one goal. The Irish team focuses on a strong defense, making it difficult to break through their solid backline. In this scenario, betting on total goals by the visitors under 1.5 appears to be a sensible choice.

🚩 Corner Prediction

Ireland are considered a strong home team, capable of putting on an impressive attacking display. This is reflected in their corner statistics; in 12 of their last 14 home games, the 'Green Army' have earned at least four corners. This matches the average corners conceded by Hungary's opponents. John O'Shea has urged his compatriots to be more assertive in the upcoming match. Therefore, a bet on total home corners over 3.5 is likely to pay off.

There's no clear favorite in the upcoming clash, as reflected in the odds for each side's victory. Essentially, this match serves as a playoff for second place in the group, making it a must-win for Ireland. Hungary, however, would be content with a draw since they'll have another head-to-head encounter at home in the second round. Therefore, we suggest a potential scoreline of 1-1.

Hungary have scored fewer than two goals in 10 of their last 11 matches, while Ireland managed just one goal in each of their home games during the last World Cup qualifying campaign. Given this, the upcoming match is unlikely to be high-scoring, so our potential bet is – both teams to score (yes).