Well, it’s another World Cup and Ireland hasn’t qualified; what are we to do? If you would never dream of supporting England in a million years, here are a few suggestions for some great teams to cheer on.

  • Australia: Many Aussies today can trace their roots back to Ireland, with almost 2 million there claiming to be Irish-Australian. Their chances at winning the World Cup against world-class teams such as Brazil or Germany may be small, but Irish fans would be delighted to hear that one of their key players, Tim Cahill, has Irish roots.

    Australia’s last three goals at the #WorldCup:

    ☑️ Jedinak penalty (2014)
    ☑️ Jedinak penalty (2018)
    ☑️ Jedinak penalty (2018)

    Spoteroos. pic.twitter.com/4qjqFtG2au

    — Squawka Football (@Squawka) June 21, 2018
  • France: The French are strong contenders to do very well in Russia, despite having disappointed many of their fans at Euro 2016. They could very well take home the cup because of their star players such as Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann, who help to set the country apart as one of the top European competitors.

.@_OlivierGiroud_ and @nglkante start! ?#FRA will qualify for the second round if they can beat Peru today! #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/SUIi0Puqw8

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 21, 2018
  • Argentina: We all know that England would really get bothered with us if we supported Argentina, considering the two aren’t necessarily the best of friends since the Falklands. Regardless, Argentina has an amazing team with the likes of Lionel Messi and is among the probable contenders for taking home the World Cup. Apart from having South America’s biggest community of those with Irish heritage, with around one million claiming roots to Ireland, one of their legends, Alfredo Di Stefano, had family from County Mayo.

On June 21, 2014, Lionel Messi scored the winning goal in injury time for Argentina vs. Iran at the World Cup.

On June 21, 2016, Lionel Messi scored a free kick vs. The United States to become Argentina's all time leading scorer.

Today, June 21, 2018, Argentina vs. Croatia. pic.twitter.com/2Wm9fLPEFk

— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) June 21, 2018
  • Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo, no matter what you say about him for being full of himself and massively overpaid, is a world-class player. His leadership may very well lead the Portuguese back to World Cup glory.

?? Key man for Portugal at the World Cup? ? pic.twitter.com/ANwlODUj6X

— UEFA Nations League (@UEFAEURO) June 20, 2018

Let us know what other suggestions you have!

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