HALL'S BALLS

Aldridge hails attitude of boss Heimir: He's got b******* to be talking of qualification.

- BY MARK McCADDEN

HEIMIR HALLGRIMSSON has been hailed for having the b******* to talk up Ireland's World Cup qualification prospects.

The Boys in Green boss even claimed yesterday that his current team was better than Iceland's 2018 World Cup heroes.

The road to the 2026 finals kicks off tonight at the Aviva Stadium against Hungary.

And then it’s onto Yerevan for next Tuesday's game against Armenia, as the quickfire six-game campaign swings into action.

With Portugal also in Group F, the most likely route to the USA, Canada and Mexico next year appears to be via the playoffs in March.

That will be the reward for the team that finishes as runners-up but right now no one in the Irish camp is talking about being second-best.