England v Ireland first met on a football pitch on September 30, 1946 and the two near neighbors have a long-standing rivalry. The nations have been drawn together in the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League and will face each other home and away in what will be their first competitive fixtures for 33 years. The first of those clashes is on Saturday, which means this is the perfect time to take a look back at the history of the fixture and rivalry between the countries.
England v Ireland: Long Rivalries
England won the first ever match between the pair 1-0 at Dalymount Park, Dublin, but in October 1949 Ireland triumphed in the return fixture, claiming a 2-0 success at Goodison Park to become the first non-British team to defeat England in their own backyard. The 1949 contest was staged as a warm up to the 1950 World Cup qualifiers and England, then led by Walter Winterbottom, fielded a strong side including Billy Wright and Tom Finney.
Ireland arrived at Goodison Park with 1949 Footballer of the Year Johnny Carey in their ranks and the Boys in Green were able to pull off a historic first victory in Liverpool. That victory caused scenes of jubilation across The Irish Sea, and gave the Irish faithful renewed hope of their side competing at the highest level on an international stage.
England v Ireland Difficult to Split
England and Ireland have met eight times since 1985 and the pair have drawn five of those matches. The overall record between the two nations stands at six wins for England, two for Ireland and six draws, but the Three Lions have won only one of the last seven meetings. The duo have met only four times in competitive fixtures and the record stands at two victories for England, one for Ireland and a single draw.
The most recent contest between England and Ireland, which took place in 2020, ended in a 3-0 Wembley victory for the Three Lions, with Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho and Dominic Calvert-Lewin finding the net. The game also saw a certain Jude Bellingham make his England debut.
England v Ireland: Rice Rice Baby
Declan Rice was eligible to play for either England or Ireland and the Arsenal midfielder had represented the Boys in Green internationally at both youth and senior levels prior to 2019.
Then a West Ham player, Rice had given a strong indication that he would continue his international career in the green shirt of Ireland, but the midfielder ultimately changed his national allegiance and made himself available for selection by England. Rice made his Three Lions debut against the Czech Republic at Wembley Stadium and the 25-year-old has now made 58 appearances for England.
England v Ireland: Added Spice
Ireland and England will meet in a competitive fixture for the first time in 33 years when they go head-to-head at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday. The Boys in Green are 5.80 to win Saturday’s Nations League clash, with Heimir Hallgrímsson taking charge for the first time, while England, led by interim boss Lee Carsley, are 1.44 shots for an Aviva success.
By Tom McGarry
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