Football Park's Best Bets - Ireland v Hungary Bet Builder

Tale of the Tape

Ireland haven’t reached a World Cup since 2002, but their latest qualifying campaign offers renewed optimism. Their previous attempt ended in disappointment, finishing third behind Serbia and Portugal and falling eight points short of a play-off place. This time, with only four teams in the group and two qualification spots available — one direct and one via the play-offs — the Boys in Green may see a clearer path. They also enter in decent form, unbeaten in 2025 (W2, D2). Crucially, their two victories came in the UEFA Nations League relegation play-offs against Bulgaria, securing their status in League B.

A message from Heimir.

This is it.

💚🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/ZYGCOcObQk

— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) September 3, 2025

Hungary’s drought stretches even further, with the 2026 edition marking 40 years since their last World Cup appearance in 1986. Their most recent serious tilt came in the 2022 qualifiers, where they finished fourth in a strong group, collecting 17 points from 10 matches but trailing England, Poland and Albania. Results in 2025 have been mixed: they were relegated to Nations League B after losing to Turkey in the play-offs and also suffered a friendly defeat to Sweden in June. A 2-1 win away to Azerbaijan, however, provided a much-needed boost.

With Ireland maintaining the League B status and Hungary being relegated to that level, it's fair to say these could be two evenly matched sides. Long gone are the days of Damien Duff, Roy and Robbie Keane, Ireland no longer have a world class player in their ranks but Hungary do have a Premier League winner in Dominik Szoboszlai, who scored an early GOTS contender at Anfield on Sunday, could the Liverpool man be the difference maker in Dublin?

Team News

In form AZ Alkmaar striker Troy Parrott misses out through injury, while veteran Seamus Coleman misses out for Ireland due to a lack of minutes at club level. Adam Idah has just completed a moce away from Celtic where he was struggling for form so expect Evan Ferguson to start up front after a positive first few weeks in Italy with Roma.

Hungary have named three uncapped players in their squad, including 30-year-old Barna Toth.Barnabás Varga played a decisive role in Hungary’s most recent outing, scoring once and providing an assist in their 2-1 win. His club form has been just as impressive, with 12 goal contributions in 11 matches this season (10 goals, 2 assists).

Bet Builder

1. Ireland Double Chance @ 1.36 (Betfred)

Ireland start as slight favourites thanks to a recent strong home record. Even in defeat, Ireland ran the likes of France and Holland close in Dublin in the qualifiers for EURO 2024. Their manager has spoken with great confidence and belief that his team can achieve something special in this campaign, while Hungary appear to have suffered something of a drop off of late after the highs of recent Euros apperances and playing in League A of the Nations League.

However, both nations struggle for goals and with the pressure high given the presence of Portugal in this group, a cagey affair could be on the cards.

2. Dominik Szoboszlai to be fouled over 1.5 times @ 1.36 odds

While he has been playing at full back for Liverpool this season, expect Dominik Szoboszlai to very much be the main man in the engine room for Hungary. Ireland have a very combative midfield with the likes of Burnley's Josh Cullen and Bristol City's Jason Knight so Dominik Szoboszlai could be on the receiving end of a few strong tackles.

3. Evan Ferguson to score or assist a goal @ 2.7 (QuinnBet)

Ferguson is finally getting some first team minutes after his loan move to Roma and he's already proving a popular figure among the fanbase. Voted Man of the Match in their league opener, Ferguson set up a goal last weekend against Pisa and can drop into the number ten role when required or act as an old fashioned target man, which makes him an ideal selection in this market.

👑 | Evan Ferguson is your Player of the Match against Bologna! 🟨🟥

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— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) August 24, 2025

4. Barnabas Varga over 0.5 shots @ 1.08 (Ladbrokes)

With 8 goals in 23 caps and 4 goals in 5 league games this season, Varga is the clear goal threat in this Hungary side. He also has form against Irish club opposition having played a role in three goals across two legs versus Shamrock Rovers in 2023 for Ferencváros.

COMBINED ODDS: 4.39