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A clash with the 2023 Rugby World Cup means that the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2024 qualifier away to France will not be played at the Stade de France. Stephen Kenny’s side are scheduled to take on the current world champions on September 7th, 2023, but a day later on September 8th the first game of the Rugby World Cup between France and the All Blacks will be held at the Paris venue.
During the most recent Nations League campaign, France played all of their home fixtures at the Stade de France, but World Rugby will have exclusive use of the 80,000-seater stadium for 48 hours before any World Cup matches played there.
Parc des Princes, home of Paris Saint-Germain, also hosts national soccer matches but it is unlikely the Paris venue will be used for the Euro 2024 qualifier due to the large number of rugby fans expected to already be in the capital city at that time.
On Sunday night, Uefa backtracked on its original announcement of the fixtures for the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, with the Paris clash widely believed to be a source of concern. However, on Monday morning the governing body confirmed all fixtures for their original dates, suggesting a resolution had been found.
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Such a solution dictates that the Euro 2024 qualifier will be held elsewhere. However, due to World Rugby’s requirement for exclusive access to a host venue for at least 48 hours before a World Cup match held there, a number of other French stadiums can likely be ruled out.
Stade Vélodrome in Marseille plays host to England and Argentina on September 9th, while Ireland take on Romania in Bordeaux on the same day. Stade Geoffroy Guichard, the home of St-Etienne in Ligue 1, also has a Rugby World Cup fixture between Italy and Namibia on that date.
While France play the majority of their home soccer fixtures at the Stade de France, there is a precedent for the national team to move around the country. During the qualifying campaign for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, matches were held in Lyon, Lille, and Strasbourg, while Nantes, Nice and Guingamp have been listed as potential venues as well.
Greece and the Netherlands, two of Ireland’s other Group B opponents, also moved around their home matches during the most recent Nations League campaign. As well as playing in Athens, Greece hosted two matches in Voros, 300km north of the capital, while the Netherlands played both in Amsterdam nearby Rotterdam.
Fixtures — Euro 2024 Qualifying
March 27th: Republic of Ireland v France
June 16th: Greece v Republic of Ireland
June 19th: Republic of Ireland v Gibraltar
September 7th: France v Republic of Ireland
September 10th: Republic of Ireland v Netherlands
October 13th: Republic of Ireland v Greece
October 16th: Gibraltar v Republic of Ireland
November 18th: Netherlands v Republic of Ireland
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