The FAI has placed a leap for the senior men's team into Europe’s top 20 as a cornerstone of its latest strategy wish-list. Heimir Hallgrimsson’s rescue act to snare a World Cup playoff spot this month improved Ireland’s Uefa ranking to 28 but a top-20 spot by 2029 is the new objective. For instance, after ditching their own Transition Year course, they want eight League of Ireland clubs to have their up and running within the next four years. “‘Access to clear and consistent player pathways varies across the country’ and that ‘League of Ireland clubs operate with far lower staffing, facilities and commercial capacity than European peers’. When it comes to the blame game, the FAI pointedly surmised: “This is not an effort problem.

Source: Irish Examiner March 10, 2026 12:06 UTC