The Republic of Ireland pulled off one of the great comebacks in World Cup qualifying history, as they beat Hungary 3-2 in Budapest on Sunday to reach the playoffs for the 2026 World Cup.

Troy Parrott’s hat trick left him in tears as Ireland fans everywhere rejoiced as they finished second in Group F and are now heading to the UEFA playoffs for a spot at their first World Cup finals since 2002.

A few weeks ago Heimir Hallgrimsson’s Ireland looked down and out in qualifying but won all of their final three qualifiers, including a memorable 2-0 win against Portugal in Dublin on Thursday, to keep their World Cup dream alive.

That set up a must-win clash in Hungary and Ireland trailed twice, and were 2-1 down with just over 10 minutes to go as Hungary only needed a draw to qualify for the p

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