Irish 1986 World Cup Qualifying Campaign
The Republic of Ireland soccer team was drawn in World Cup Group 6 that also included Denmark, Soviet Union, Switzerland, and Norway. The group winners and the runners-up would qualify automatically. Eoin Hand was the Republic of Ireland soccer manager for this campaign.
Early Irish World Cup Qualifier Optimism Evaporates
The 1986 World Cup qualification campaign for Ireland began with a home match at Lansdowne Road (now Aviva Stadium). The Irish soccer team got off to very satisfactory start in September 1984 with a 1-0 win and Mickey Walsh of Porto scored the winning goal in the 64th minute.
Following this optimistic beginning the Irish qualifying campaign was derailed in the next three matches by the twin Scandinavian challenge posed by Norway and Denmark. In the home and away matches against Norway Ireland failed to score, losing 1-0 in Oslo, and scraping a 0-0 draw at Lansdowne Road. In between these two matches the Ireland team was crushed 3-0 in Copenhagen by the emerging Danes.
Renewed Irish Hopes Fade Quickly
In June 1985 the Irish team restored a modicum of respectability with a comprehensive defeat of Switzerland in Dublin. First half goals by Frank Stapleton and Tony Grealish were added to by a Kevin Sheedy strike in the 57th minute. Following a scoreless draw in Berne in the return match the Republic lost 2-0 away to the Soviet Union in Moscow.
With nothing to play for when Denmark came to Lansdowne Road for the last Group 6 match of Ireland’s 1986 World Cup qualifying campaign, a dispirited Irish team capitulated to the marauding Danes. Despite an early goal from Frank Stapleton the Danes went on to give the Republic of Ireland a soccer lesson. The Irish suffered their heaviest home defeat since May 1971 in the 1972 European Football Championship qualification match against Austria. This result signalled the end of Eoin Hand’s tenure as manager of the Irish soccer team and presaged a new golden era for Irish football with Jack Charlton as manager of the Republic of Ireland.
Irish World Cup 1986 Qualifying Campaign – Group Table
World Cup 1986 – Qualifying Group 6 |
|||||||
| Nation |
Played
|
Won
|
Drew
|
Lost
|
Goals F
|
Goals A
|
Points
|
| Denmark |
8
|
5
|
1
|
2
|
17
|
6
|
11
|
| Soviet Union |
8
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
13
|
8
|
10
|
| Switzerland |
8
|
2
|
4
|
2
|
5
|
10
|
8
|
| Ireland |
8
|
2
|
2
|
4
|
5
|
10
|
6
|
| Norway |
8
|
1
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
10
|
5
|
Republic of Ireland World Cup 1986 Qualifying Campaign – Match Results
| 12/09/84: Lansdowne Rd, Dublin: Ireland 1-0 Soviet Union Mickey Walsh 64 12/09/84: Oslo: Norway 0-1 Switzerland26/09/84: Copenhagen: Denmark 1-0 Norway10/10/84: Oslo: Norway 1-1 Soviet Union 17/10/84: Berne: Switzerland 1-0 Denmark 14/11/84: Copenhagen: Denmark 3-0 Ireland 17/04/85: Berne: Switzerland 2-2 Soviet Union 01/05/85: Lansdowne Road, Dublin: Ireland 0-0 Norway 02/05/85: Moscow: Soviet Union 4-0 Switzerland 02/06/85: Lansdowne Rd, Dublin: Ireland 3-0 Switzerland 05/06/85: Copenhagen: Denmark 4-2 Soviet Union 11/09/85: Berne: Switzerland 0-0 Ireland 25/09/85: Moscow: Soviet Union 1-0 Denmark 09/10/85: Copenhagen: Denmark 0-0 Switzerland 16/10/85: Oslo: Norway 1-5 Denmark 30/10/85: Moscow: Soviet Union 1-0 Norway 13/11/85: Lansdowne Road, Dublin: Ireland 1-4 Denmark |
Irish World Cup Qualifying Group Results
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World Cup 1950 Qualification
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World Cup 1954 Qualification
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World Cup 1958 Qualification
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1962 World Cup Qualifying
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1966 World Cup Qualifying
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1970 World Cup Qualifying
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1974 World Cup Qualifiers
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1978 World Cup Qualifiers
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1982 World Cup Qualifiers
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1986 World Cup Qualification
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1990 World Cup Qualification
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1994 World Cup Qualification
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1998 World Cup Qualifiers
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2002 World Cup Qualifiers
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2006 World Cup Qualifiers
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World Cup 2010 Qualification
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World Cup 2014 Qualifiers
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World Cup 2018 Qualifiers
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Number of Appearances and Goals Scored in Irish World Cup Qualifying Campaigns
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World Cup 1938 Appearances
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World Cup 1950 Appearances
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World Cup 1954 Appearances
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1958 World Cup Appearances
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1962 World Cup Appearances
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1966 World Cup Appearances
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1970 World Cup Appearances
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1974 World Cup Appearances
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1978 World Cup Appearances
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1982 World Cup Appearances
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1986 World Cup Appearances
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1990 World Cup Appearances
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1994 World Cup Appearances
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1998 World Cup Appearances
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2002 World Cup Appearances
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World Cup 2006 Appearances
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World Cup 2010 Appearances
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World Cup 2014 Appearances
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World Cup 2018 Appearances
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Irish European Championship Qualifying Group Results
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European Nations Cup 1960
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European Nations Cup 1964
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European Nations Cup 1968
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European Championship 1972
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Euro Championship 1976
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Euro Championship 1980
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European Championship 1984
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Euro 1988
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Euro 1992
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Euro 1996 Qualifiers
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Euro 2000 Qualifiers
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2004 Euro Qualifiers
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Euro 2008 Qualifiers
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Euro 2012 Qualifiers
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Irish Euro 2012 Play Offs
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Euro 2016 Qualifiers
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Euro 2020 Qualifiers
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Euro 2024 Qualifiers
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Number of Appearances and Goals Scored in Irish Euro Championship Finals Qualifying Campaigns
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Euro 1960 Appearances
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Euro 1964 Appearances
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World Cup 1968 Appearances
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Euro 1972 Appearances
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Euro 1976 Appearances
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Euro 1980 Appearances
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Euro 1984 Appearances
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Euro 1988 Appearances
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Euro 1992 Appearances
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Euro 1996 Appearances
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Euro 2000 Appearances
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Euro 2004 Appearances
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Euro 2008 Appearances
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Euro 2012 Appearances
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Euro 2016 Appearances
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Ireland & 2002 World Cup Finals 2002 World Cup Irish Squad 2002 World Cup Irish Group Matches Ireland V Cameroon 2002 Ireland V Germany 2002 Ireland V Saudi Arabia 2002 Ireland V Spain 2002 |
| Ireland & 1994 World Cup Finals Irish Squad World Cup 1994 Ireland V Italy 1994 Ireland V Mexico 1994 Ireland V Norway 1994 Ireland V Netherlands 1994 |
Ireland Euro 2012 Euro 2012 Fixture List Ireland Euro 2012 Squad Euro 2012 Warm-up Matches Ireland V Croatia 2012 Ireland V Spain 2012 Ireland V Italy 2012 Fields of Athenry at Euro 2012 |
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Ireland Euro 2016 – Irish Squad Euro 2016 – Ireland V Sweden Euro 2016
Ireland V Belgium Euro 2016 -Ireland V Italy Euro 2016 – Ireland V France Euro 2016 |
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