Newcastle United defender Alex Murphy has earned a senior call-up with the Republic of Ireland for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Rory Finneran also received his first senior international call-up ahead of Ireland’s friendly against Grenada in late May. The 18-year-old midfielder has featured for Newcastle’s under-21s this season and travelled to Murcia, Spain, to join Heimir Hallgrimsson’s squad.
He then made his senior debut in Ireland’s 5-0 win over Grenada, coming off the bench in the closing stages.
The appearance made him the seventh-youngest player of the post-war era to represent the Republic of Ireland at the senior level.
Finneran had already built a strong youth international profile, having captained Ireland at last year’s FIFA U17 World Cup finals in Qatar. His senior debut now gives Newcastle another young player with international experience.
Murphy, meanwhile, was also handed his first senior international call-up and, ultimately, the Galway-born defender has been included ahead of Ireland’s upcoming fixtures against Qatar and Canada with a place in the final squad for the World Cup.
Murphy’s call-up follows a season in which he made his first competitive start for Newcastle in February’s Champions League victory against Qarabağ FK at St James’ Park. The defender has also made 12 appearances for Ireland at the under-21 level, and his senior call-up gives him the chance to push further before next season.
Ireland will host Qatar at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Thursday, May 28. They then travel to face Canada at Saputo Stadium in Montreal on Saturday, June 6.
