Hartley Ward was convinced that the Republic of Ireland would end up in England’s World Cup qualifying group, telling her mother Carla as much during Tuesday morning’s school run. Seeing as England, the reigning European champions, were drawn with world champions Spain, Carla would have been mightily relieved that her daughter’s crystal ball had malfunctioned – it was Ukraine who came out of Ireland’s pot to enter the mother of all groups of death.
Instead, France, the Netherlands and Poland will be Ireland’s opponents between March and June of next year, the prize for the winners of the group automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cu
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