IN less than a week’s time, the 23rd FIFA World Cup will begin and yet again, neither of the Irish teams will be competing.

Since the inaugural tournament in Uruguay in 1930, Irish teams have only qualified on six occasions – Northern Ireland three times (1958, 1982 and 1986), and the Republic of Ireland three times since then (1990, 1994 and 2002).

As with the British football authorities, the Irish Football Association (IFA) was not a member of FIFA during the first three World Cups in the 1930s and did not enter a team.

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) – known as the Football Association of the Irish Free State from 1923 to 1938 – also did not enter in 1930 (only 13 countries did), but has done so for every World Cup since.

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The Irish Free State’s first-ever World Cup qualifying match was a 4-4 draw against Belgium in Dalymount Park in Dublin in February 1934, with Paddy Moore scoring all the goals for the home team.

Qualification ambitions ended, however, with a 5-2 loss to the Netherlands in Amsterdam.

By the time of the 1950 World Cup, following a hiatus of 12 years due to the Second World War, the FAI-selected........

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