Czechia v Republic of Ireland, Betting Tips & Odds

Published on March 23rd, 2026

We have a Czechia v Republic of Ireland prediction for you, plus a breakdown of the betting odds, team news and matchups ahead of Thursday’s World Cup playoff.

Czechia enter the playoffs on the back of finishing runner-up behind Croatia in their qualifying group, but ahead of the Faroe Islands , Montenegro and Gibraltar .

Ireland enter the playoffs bouncing with their November wins over Portugal and Hungary , securing second in the group ahead of Hungary and Armenia .

Czechia v Republic of Ireland Betting Odds - World Cup Playoffs 2026

Team	Odds	Chance
Czechia	20/23	53.5%
Republic of Ireland	11/4	26.7%
Draw	12/5	29.4%

Czechia can be backed at odds of 20/23 ahead of Thursday’s huge World Cup playoff, the Republic of Ireland are priced at odds of 11/4, and the draw in 90 minutes is seen as a 12/5 chance.

*Odds are correct at the time of writing, but subject to change.

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Handicap Betting

Czechia: -1 - 13/5

Republic of Ireland +1 – 5/6

Handicap Draw -1 @ 13/5

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How To Watch Czechia v Republic of Ireland

This match kicks off at 7:45 pm Irish time on Thursday at the Fortuna Arena and will be broadcast live on RTÉ 2 or RTÉ Player.

Czechia Form Guide

Czechia enter this playoff game on the back of a mixed qualifying campaign where they finished runner-up behind Croatia . Following a 5-1 battering by Croatia last summer, Head Coach Ivan Hasek was eventually dismissed last October following a 2-1 defeat to the Faroe Islands . It wasn’t just managerial upheaval, though they ended their qualifying group with a 6-0 win over Gibraltar . Soucek was subsequently stripped of the captaincy after failing to acknowledge the fans after the game.

Miroslav Koubek was appointed last December on the back of a 42-year coaching career in Czechia , including a spell with the nation's U19S from July 2013 to January 2014, where he had an impressive 6 wins from 9 games. In layman’s terms, it’s similar to Ireland re-hiring Brian Kerr or, in the Premier League , someone hiring Big Sam to “steady the ship”.

While on the surface, things may not seem completely rosy in the Czechia camp, they retain plenty of potent threats. Leading marksman Patrick Shick , who plays for Bayer Leverkusen , has an exceptional record of 24 goals in 50 caps. West Ham footballer Tomáš Souček remains an asset in both boxes, and Lyon midfielder Pavel Šulc is a midfielder who can make things happen for the Czechs .

5/6

● LIVE ODDS Yes Both Teams To Score

Czechia’s Last Five Results

Czechia 6-0 Gibraltar | November 17th | Win

Czechia 1-0 San Marino | November 13th | Win

Faroe Islands 2-1 Czechia | October 12th | Loss

Czechia 0-0 Croatia | October 9th | Draw

Czechia 1-1 Saudi Arabia | September 8th | Draw

2 Wins, 2 Draws and 1 Loss

Republic of Ireland’s Form Guide

Few would’ve thought that Ireland could reach the World Cup playoffs after Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side earned just a sole point from their opening three qualifiers. The public perception of their chances wasn’t helped when they rode their luck to a 1-0 win over Armenia courtesy of Evan Ferguson. The following moment ended up being a coming-of-age moment for a group once dubbed “Kennys Kids” with a brace from Troy Parrott giving us a historic win over Portugal before he would steal the show against Hungary with his 96th-minute goal, capping off a hat-trick, the comeback of all comebacks and booked our playoff place.

Heimir Hallgrímsson was appointed Ireland Head Coach in July 2024 on the back of a 31-year coaching career in Iceland across the men’s and women’s game, the highlight being when he helped guide his country to a quarter-final during Euro 2016. Though subsequent spells with Al-Arabi and Jamaica were less impressive, mitigating circumstances existed in both. While there were some hairy moments and huge question marks at the beginning of the Heimir tenure following November’s dramatics, his win-rate of 43.8% from 16 games is higher than Mick McCarthy’s from 1996-2002 (68 games for 42.6%) and Giovanni Trapattoni (40.6% from 64 games). It has culminated in his mic drop moment after the squad announcement, where he said he’d signed a new contract until after Euro 2028.

Though Ireland seems to have finally developed a strong core with Brentford shot-stopper Caoimhin Kelleher, who is among the best in the game, Captain Nathan Collins, who is among the best CBs in the Premier League and a red-hot Troy Parrott, who is one of the inform strikers in Europe . There remains scope for further stars to emerge, with Bosun Lawal a Rolls-Royce in the making and likely to play centrally, Chiedozie Ogbene, who can run the Czechs ragged if fit and the newest addition, Harvey Vale, could play a huge role tactically if asked to do so in several roles.

8/5

● LIVE ODDS Republic of Ireland To Qualify

Republic of Ireland’s Last Five Results

Hungary 2-3 Republic of Ireland | November 16th | Win

Republic of Ireland 2-0 Portugal | November 13th | Win

Republic of Ireland 1-0 Armenia | October 14th | Win

Portugal 1-0 Republic of Ireland | October 11th | Loss

Armenia 2-1 Republic of Ireland | September 9th | Loss

3 Wins and 2 Losses

Czechia v Republic of Ireland Predicted Lineups

Czechia Predicted Starting XI (4-4-2)

GK: Kovář

RB: Coufal, CB: Hranáč, CB: Zelený, LB: Jurásek

RM: Doudera, CM: Beran, CM: Soucek, LM: Karabec

CF: Schick, CF: Chory

Republic of Ireland Predicted Starting XI (3-4-2-1)

GK: Kelleher

RCB: O’Brien, CB: Collins, LCB: O’Shea,

RM: Coleman, CM: Lawal, CM: Molumby, LM: Manning

AM: Ogbene, AM: Azaz

CF: Parrott

Czechia v Republic of Ireland Head-To-Head Results & Stats

All-Time Head-To-Head Record

Czechia wins: 2

Republic of Ireland wins: 2

Draws: 4

Head-To-Head Results Last Five Matches

Republic of Ireland 1-1 Czechia | Friendly | February 29th, 2012

Czechia 1-0 Republic of Ireland | Euro Qualifying | September 12th, 2007

Republic of Ireland 1-1 Czechia | Euro Qualifying | October 11th, 2006

Republic of Ireland 2-1 Czechia | Friendly | March 31st, 2004

Republic of Ireland 3-2 Czechia | Friendly | February 23rd, 2000

Key Players To Watch

Patrik Schick - Czechia

Bayer Leverkusen attacker Patrik Schick (now 30) has been one of the most prolific strikers in Europe for the better part of a decade, and this season in all competitions, he has scored 15 times and assisted 4 goals in 34 matches. With Czechia, he scored 4 in 8 games in 2025 to take his tally for his country to 24 in 50 matches. His physical presence, technical skill and finishing ability will be something the Irish defence will need to be vigilant with if they’re to stop him on Thursday.

7/5

● LIVE ODDS Patrik Schick Anytime Goalscorer

Troy Parrott - Republic of Ireland

It couldn’t be anyone else after stepping up last November with his brace against Portugal and dramatic hat-trick against Hungary , almost single-handedly getting Ireland into this playoff tie for their first World Cup since 2002. Inarguably one of the hottest strikers in Europe right now, in 41 games in all competitions, he’s scored 28 times and assisted 10. You’d be foolish to rule him out of making a difference on Thursday

9/4

● LIVE ODDS Troy Parrott Anytime Goalscorer

Czechia v Republic of Ireland Prediction & Best Bet

Prediction: Czechia 1-2 Republic of Ireland

Czechia are deserving of the “favourite” tag, having gone unbeaten in their last nine home games, but the recent trouble among the camp and fans won’t be helpful.

Ireland may have made the playoffs by the skin of their teeth, they seem to be a far more united and cohesive front; the momentum may be in their favour on Thursday.

Both sides will be hoping to end respective World Cup qualifying droughts (2006 for Czechia and 2002 for Ireland ). So I’m expecting a tense and tightly fought affair, but I think the momentum may just be in favour of the Irish.