While Ireland will get the post-Kenny eras underway next month with friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland, we will still have to wait quite a while before the team plays in a competitive fixture under the new manager. That will not happen until September with the beginning of the 2024 UEFA Nations League campaign.
Of course, we still have no idea who that new head coach will be.
Lee Carsley is thought to be the FAI's preferred candidate, although there are some doubts over his willingness to take the job. Neil Lennon is also said to be in the running as things stand.
The FAI initially wanted to have a new boss in place for the UEFA Nations League draw, which takes place in Paris tomorrow at 5pm Irish time. While that appointment has yet to come to fruition, we do have an idea as to who Ireland could face this autumn.
Here are the best and worst case scenarios for Ireland ahead of that draw.
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The best & worst case scenarios for Ireland in UEFA Nations League draw
Ireland will play in League 'B' of the UEFA Nations League in 2024. Having finished third in their group for the 2022 edition of the tournament, they will be third seeds in the draw.
Here is a full list of the seedings for League 'B' in tomorrow's draw:
Pot 1: Austria, Czech Republic, England, Wales
Pot 2: Finland, Ukraine, Iceland, Norway
Pot 3: Slovenia, Republic of Ireland, Albania, Montenegro
Pot 4: Georgia, Greece, Turkey, Kazakhstan
It is certainly an interesting list of potential opponents.
With that in mind, here are the best and worst scenarios for Ireland ahead of the draw.
Best Case Scenario: Wales, Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Georgia
Wales are ranked higher that Czech Republic in the FIFA world rankings, although there is an acceptance that the Czechs are a team on the rise with some promising young players coming through. Ireland would certainly fancy their chances against the Welsh, who have a squad of players who are operating at a similar standard to our own at club level.
Iceland are the lowest ranked team in Pot 2 and are not the same side that they were a few years ago. They still sit 11 places behind Ireland (60th) in the FIFA world rankings despite the team's slip under Kenny in recent years.
Kazakhstan are the worst team in Pot 4, but restrictions on travel rules mean that Ireland could not be in a group with Wales or Iceland as well as the Kazakhs due to restrictions on UEFA travel rules for the former Soviet nation. As a result, Georgia would be the most favourable of the other three teams despite their steady improvement in recent times.
This would certainly be a brilliant draw. Wales would be the strongest of the four on recent form, although Ireland would fancy their chances of performing well against them.
If things went to plan, promotion would not be out of the question.
Worst Case Scenario: England, Norway, Republic of Ireland, Greece
Two fixtures against England would provide a sizeable windfall for the FAI, but from a sporting perspective, they would be by far the worst team to draw from Pot 1. The English are clearly the most talented team in League 'B' and will be very heavy favourites to win whatever group they are drawn into.
Ukraine are the highest ranked side in Pot 2, although Ireland performed reasonably well against them in the last Nations League campaign. Norway have underperformed in recent seasons, but they have an incredibly talented squad featuring two world class players in Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard. They are a team you would like to avoid if possible.
Greece would be a nightmare draw from Pot 4, with Gus Poyet's side having completely outplayed Ireland on two occasions during the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign last year.
Summary
The best case scenario draw for Ireland in this year's UEFA Nations League would leave them in with a shout of promotion and mean they would likely at worst retain their place in League 'B'.
In contrast, the worst possible draw would leave them in serious danger of relegation.
All will be revealed tomorrow in Paris at around 5pm Irish time.
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