For the fifth successive World Cup finals, the whole of Ireland will watch from afar as the top 32 nations compete in the most prestigious football tournament.
You have to go back to 2002 (and that famous Roy Keane-Saipan episode) for the last time Ireland played on the world's biggest stage. A team littered with Premier League players including Robbie Keane, Damien Duff and Shay Given were a penalty shootout away from reaching what would have been only a second-ever World Cup Quarter final.
The country hasn't been wholly starved of major finals since then; The Boys in Green did manage to qualify for successive European Championships in 2012 and 2016 under Giovanni Trapattoni and Martin O'Neill who even took Ireland to the last 16 in France, Ireland's best-ever showing at a Euros.
And they did flirt with qualifying for the 2018 World Cup under Mick McCarthy before losing out to a much superior Denmark team in the play-offs.
Ireland have been on a steady decline since, however.
Having been nowhere near qualifying for the most recent Euros nor indeed this World Cup, the Republic are also highly unlikely to reach Euro 2024 either; a glance at the odds on one of the top online bookies in Ireland, Betway, indicates that qualifying from a group featuring both France and the Netherlands will prove near to impossible.Unsurprisingly, criticism of the side has landed at the feet of its manager, Stephen Kenny.
The former Dundalk and Derry City boss replaced Mick McCarthy in 2020. Having stepped up from his position as the Republic of Ireland Under 21 manager Kenny's promotion was initially viewed as a positive move given his relationship with and knowledge of Ireland's next generation of players.It was thought too that Kenny would be given the time needed to implement a more possession-based style of football and instill his philosophy on a new group of Irish players.
But a mixture of poor results and sub-standard performances during his two-and-a-half years in charge has left Kenny vulnerable. Patience is wearing thin and the critics are growing louder with ex-Irish international Stephen Hunt the latest former player to question Kenny's long-term future as Ireland boss.
The two most recent friendlies - a defeat to Norway and a single-goal win over Malta - did little to convince the doubters either. Kenny, without his strongest squad it must be said, highlighted the importance of keeping a clean sheet against Malta, though, shutting out a nation ranked 168 in the world isn't much to write home about, it must also be said.
While it's unlikely the FAI will seek a replacement for Kenny prior to the start of Euro 2024 qualifying, it's thought a couple of defeats - especially heavy ones - could trigger the end of his reign before his contract ends in 2024.
It could be argued however that criticism of Kenny is harsh given the raft of retirements that followed the end of McCarthy's reign and, also, a dearth of Irish players playing in the Premier League and other top leagues.
Compared with the calibre of player available to his predecessors, Kenny has had a limited pool to choose from. Does Ireland's current rut say more about the FAI and its failure to develop enough young players? Possibly so. After all, Kenny can only work with what he has.
But taking into account the constant scrutiny about his future there's an inevitable feeling about how Kenny's tenure will end. Which raises the question: if not Kenny then who?
Former Northern Ireland international Neil Lennon is the favourite with the bookies and is currently out of work having been shown the door by Cypriot side Omonia Nicosia. Ex-Republic internationals Roy Keane and Chris Hughton meanwhile would almost certainly be considered.
Outside of those three, it's hard to see the FAI take a punt on Damien Duff or Robbie Keane for the simple fact that they lack the experience of managing at the highest level, a factor that may well end up being Kenny's undoing.
