Watch Ireland vs Portugal: Live streams, TV details for World Cup qualifier

Watch Ireland vs Portugal as the Boys in Green look to keep their hopes of a play-off alive in World Cup qualifying, with all the details on TV and streaming information for viewers anywhere in the world.

By the time the Republic of Ireland kick off against Portugal in Dublin on Thursday, they'll know whether or not they have any margin of error left.

It's been a torrid World Cup qualifying campaign. A 1-0 win against Armenia was Ireland's only victory. Now, they need Armenia to avoid defeat against Hungary in Thursday's early kick-off or they'll need a result against Portugal.

Here's what you need to know about live streams and broadcast options to watch Ireland vs Portugal online, on TV, and from anywhere.

Watch Portugal vs Ireland for FREE in Ireland

You can watch Ireland vs Portugal for free in the Republic of Ireland, where public broadcaster RTÉ has the rights to the game.

You can catch the action on RTÉ 2 on TV or stream live on the RTÉ Player website.

Coverage is free without registration, and geo-restricted to Ireland, so you'll need a VPN if you're travelling outside Ireland right now – more on that below.

Watch Ireland vs Portugal from anywhere

If you’re outside your home country, you'll probably find your streaming services are geo-restricted and therefore don't work, but fortunately assistance is on hand.

A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a handy piece of software that can change your IP address to make your device appear as if it's back home. Provided it complies with your broadcaster’s T&Cs, you can use a VPN to access your streaming services from abroad. It's great for watching football on the move, and you have the added benefit of VPNs being great for your internet privacy and security.

Our expert colleagues at TechRadar test hundreds of VPNs, and they rate NordVPN as the best VPN on the market right now.

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How to watch Ireland vs Portugal in the UK

Portugal's away qualifying fixture against the Republic of Ireland will be available to stream live on Amazon Prime Video in the UK.

This is a pay-per-view match costing £2.49 for UK viewers but a standard Amazon account is the only other requirement – you don't need a Prime subscription.

How to watch Ireland vs Portugal in the US

Live coverage of Ireland vs Portugal will be available for fans in the United States via Fubo TV.

Ireland vs Portugal: Match Preview

The kicker is that while Armenia still have play-off hopes of their own, Ireland are a point ahead and have the opportunity to gain three points on second-placed Hungary directly on Sunday.

They've left it late. After drawing with Hungary in Dublin, Ireland lost their next two before sneaking past Armenia – after losing to them – in October.

The subsequent loss to Portugal put paid to their thin automatic qualification hopes and put Portugal on the threshold.

Don't be fooled into thinking it's a lost cause. Portugal will be motivated by the potential confirmation of their World Cup place but it took them longer than 90 minutes to breach the Irish in Lisbon last month.

Ruben Neves did the damage eventually that night but it's Cristiano Ronaldo who inevitably leads the way with five goals in the group for Portugal taking the 40-year-old to a tally of 143 goals in 225 senior caps.

For the record, he's played against Ireland six times and scored three times. The reverse of this fixture was the only Group F game in which he hasn't scored. Caoimhin Kelleher saved his penalty with 15 minutes left to keep the game in the balance.

Portugal head to the capital looking for their 11th all-time win over Ireland, who last beat them in a friendly in early 2005.

Ireland's aim this time is to keep the Portuguese frustrated again, says head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson, only this time they need to see it through to the end. If they can, Sunday's trip to Hungary could make for a special afternoon.