The Republic of Ireland pulled off one of the great comebacks in World Cup qualifying history, as they beat Hungary 3-2 in Budapest on Sunday to reach the playoffs for the 2026 World Cup.
Troy Parrott’s hat trick left him in tears as Ireland fans everywhere rejoiced as they finished second in Group F and are now heading to the UEFA playoffs for a spot at their first World Cup finals since 2002.
They will play a one-off playoff semifinal in March 2026, then if they win that they will play a final with the winner qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
A few weeks ago Heimir Hallgrimsson’s Ireland looked down and out in qualifying but won all of their final three qualifiers, including a memorable 2-0 win against Portugal in Dublin on Thursday thanks to Parrott’s double, to keep their World Cup dream alive.
Ole Ole Ole 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) November 16, 2025
Full match report here or on https://t.co/YXqp4pbqKj : https://t.co/LoesL8MQB8 pic.twitter.com/z6Bf50w3ei
Red-hot Troy Parrott the hero
That set up a must-win clash in Hungary and Ireland trailed twice, and were 2-1 down with just over 10 minutes to go as Hungary only needed a draw to qualify for the playoffs and sat back to hold on.
But Parrott made it 2-2 in the 80th minute and then won it in the 96th-minute in dramatic fashion, to send their away fans wild.
90+5mins: 🇭🇺 2-3 🇮🇪
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) November 16, 2025
Ireland holds its breath, on the last throw of the dice... Hattrick for Parrott 😮😮😮😮😮😮😮
📺 @rte2 @rteplayer https://t.co/xaKTb2LBVG
📻 @rteradio1 https://t.co/PEszeaDYyf
📱Updates: https://t.co/TC5xt2IxRd pic.twitter.com/bEb7pqTC5g
The Tottenham Hotspur academy product, who is now at AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands, couldn’t hold back the tears as he spoke to RTE Sport after celebrating with his family in the stands in Budapest.
“I’m really, really emotional right now. They are tears of joy! What a night,” Parrott said. “I can’t believe it. I really can’t believe it... This is why we love football. Because things like this can happen. I love where I am from. So this means the world to me. My family is here. This is the first time I’ve cried in years. I really can’t believe it... Everyone is crying. I said against Portugal this is what dreams are made of but I don’t think I will ever have a better night than this in my life. There’s always a chance and we’ve taken the chance.”
FT: 🇭🇺 2-3 🇮🇪
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) November 16, 2025
An emotional Troy Parrott reacts to securing a play-off place for Ireland in Budapest.
'This is why we love football because things like this can happen... I love where I'm from, my family are here, this means the world to me.'
📺 @rte2 @rteplayer pic.twitter.com/JnWcRdmt4b
