Heimir starting to build team for 2026 with Finnish mission

There was a noticeable nip in the air as the plane load of Irish fans made their way out into the streets of Helsinki following the three-hour flight north from Dublin.

Ireland's UEFA Nations League encounter against Finland on Thursday evening will be played under lights at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium - its 9.45pm, local time, kick-off adding to the intrigue, with both sides looking to land their first points of the campaign.

Proper football weather and conditions; the September slumber giving way for an exciting Octoberfest, as Heimir Hallgrimsson has unpacked the suitcase following his short-lived honeymoon period and primed to put his stamp on the side.

First up Finland, followed swiftly by a return game against Greece in Athens as the Irish team are on the road for a week, hitting all corners of the continent, having departed Dublin earlier on Tuesday.

Talk of a relegation would not be entertained following the Dublin defeat to Greece – "don’t write us off just yet," said the Ireland coach, and again he shied away from the topic when it resurfaced at last week’s press conference.

"Avoiding relegation, I don’t think we should be going with that mindset," said the manager. "We go play in Finland, we try to get a good result against Finland. After that it’s another situation.

"Two wins for the group just makes this question a little bit silly. So, like every other game, we just go for this Finland game first to win it and we try to do it the way we think we can win it."

Granted the manager’s main and immediate focus is on building a team to suit his philosophy, while his long-term goal was to qualify for the World Cup in 2026, however, there is a sense that the team do need to make sure that they do not return home