Ireland Coaching Team Secures Extensions Through 2028
Republic of Ireland assistants John O'Shea, Paddy McCarthy and Gudmundur Hreidarsson have committed their futures to the national team, signing extensions that run through to 2028.
The move cements the backroom team around head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson, whose own deal was stretched earlier this year to the end of the Euro 2028 qualifying cycle. That tournament will be staged in the UK and Ireland, and the FAI has now nailed down the staff charged with getting there.
McCarthy will continue to juggle his international duties with his role on the coaching staff at Crystal Palace, maintaining a club‑and‑country balance that has suited both parties so far.
“Since I arrived, John, Paddy, and Gummi have been an incredible support to me and integral to everything we are building here,” he said. “Their knowledge of the players and the Irish game is invaluable. I am delighted that we will continue to work together to drive this team forward and achieve the results our fans deserve.”
O’Shea, who stepped in as interim boss for four games in 2024 before Hallgrimsson took over, framed his own extension as both a privilege and a challenge.
He said he is “honoured” to stay on and added: “It is an incredibly exciting time for Irish football, and I am fully focused on helping lead this team toward a major tournament on home soil at Uefa Euro 2028.”
The contracts are in place. The next test comes quickly.
Ireland return to action later this month as they kick off their Uefa Nations League campaign with a three-game run against Kosovo, Israel and Austria – an early measure of how this locked‑in coaching ticket can shape the road to 2028.
