Ireland Locks in Hallgrimsson’s Coaching Team Until Euro 2028

The Republic of Ireland have moved to cement stability behind the scenes, tying assistant coaches John O'Shea, Paddy McCarthy and Gudmundur Hreidarsson to new deals running until 2028.

The trio’s extensions mirror the contract signed earlier this year by head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson, keeping the entire senior coaching team in place through to the end of the Euro 2028 qualifying cycle – a tournament that will be staged in the UK and Ireland.

Hallgrimsson has leaned heavily on the local knowledge around him since taking charge. He described O'Shea, McCarthy and Hreidarsson as “an incredible support” and “integral to everything we are building here”, stressing the value of their understanding of both the Irish squad and the domestic game. For a manager parachuted in from abroad, that insight has become a cornerstone of his early work.

The message from the Icelandic coach is clear: continuity, not upheaval. He spoke of his delight at keeping the group together and of a shared drive “to work together to drive this team forward and achieve the results our fans deserve.”

O'Shea, who briefly stepped into the spotlight as interim boss for four games in 2024 before Hallgrimsson’s appointment, has now formally committed to the long-term project rather than chasing a top job elsewhere. The former Manchester United defender called it an “honour” to extend his deal and framed the next four years as a rare opportunity.

“It is an incredibly exciting time for Irish football,” he said, underlining his focus on helping to guide Ireland back to a major tournament – and doing it on home soil at Uefa Euro 2028.

McCarthy will continue to straddle club and country, maintaining his role at Crystal Palace alongside his duties with Ireland. That dual responsibility keeps him embedded in the day-to-day grind of Premier League football while feeding that experience back into the national setup. Hreidarsson, a seasoned coach and former defender, remains a trusted voice in a staff that now has a clear runway to plan, recruit and develop.

The timing matters. Ireland return to competitive action later this month as they launch their Uefa Nations League campaign, with fixtures against Kosovo, Israel and Austria. Those games will not define Hallgrimsson’s tenure, but they will offer an early measure of how this settled coaching unit can shape a squad still searching for a new identity.

With Euro 2028 looming on the horizon and the tournament coming to Dublin, the structure is in place. The question now is whether this locked-in backroom team can turn stability into momentum – and momentum into qualification.