Belgium confirmed as FAI Centenary Game opponents

The FAI is delighted to announce that the Centenary of the Football Association of Ireland will be celebrated at the March friendly with Belgium when Stephen Kenny’s team return to the Aviva Stadium.

The FAI can also confirm that the Belgium fixture will kick-off at 5pm on Saturday, March 26th while the game against Lithuania will kick-off at 7.45pm on Tuesday, March 29th.

These opening fixtures of the 2022 international season will act as preparation for the upcoming UEFA Nations League campaign when Ukraine and Scotland will visit Dublin in June.

Looking ahead to the two March fixtures, FAI Chief Executive Jonathan Hill said: “The Centenary of the FAI demands a very special opponent to celebrate the rich history of Irish teams on the international stage and what better opponents than the top ranked team in the world. Belgium have set the standards for developing young players in recent years and we are really excited by the visit of Roberto Martinez’s team. We also look forward to welcoming Lithuania to Dublin for the second of our games in March.”

FAI President Gerry McAnaney remarked: “The Centenary Game against Belgium will offer us the opportunity to celebrate everything that is great about Irish football on the international stage. Our fans are really excited about the young players coming through under Stephen Kenny and I know they will really enjoy these matches against Belgium and Lithuania.”

Ticketing arrangements for the Belgium and Lithuania games will be announced by the FAI later this month. The two fixtures are included in the FAI Season Ticket offering for 2022 which will open for season ticket renewals only on Tuesday, February 1st. The public sale of new season tickets will commence on Monday, February 21st.