WC Quarter-Finals, Rugby & All-Ireland Drama: Denis Kirwan’s Weekend Betting Preview
The biggest sporting moments of the weekend are set to deliver plenty of drama, with WC quarter-finals, international rugby and the decisive stages of the All-Ireland Championship all taking centre stage.
Sports journalist Denis Kirwan shares his thoughts on the key matchups, the biggest storylines and the most interesting betting opportunities across this weekend’s action.
England face Norway in tonight’s WC quarter-final and fresh from the altitude of the Azteca Stadium, Thomas Tuchel’s men now face into the Miami heat. England are 4/9 with 1XBet.ie to qualify for their second WC semi-finals in the past three renewals while the Norwegians are 15/8 to make it past their first ever major finals quarter-final. Golden Boot contenders, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane are both 11/10 to find the net tonight. England are unbeaten in this tournament and with a great past record against Norway, the Three Lions are likely to edge a game with plenty of goals. All of Norway’s five WC ties have seen three goals or more. England to win and both sides to score is advised at 5/2. A
2-1 win for Thomas Tuchel’s men is priced at 8/1. England have lost three of their four penalty shootouts at WC finals and either side to win this match on penalties is a 5/1 chance.
Having sailed through the group stage, Argentina have staggered through the knockout rounds with hard fought victories over Cape Verde and Egypt. The reigning World champions now play Switzerland, another side they will be expected to beat. Argentina are 1/3 with 1XBet.ie to qualify for their third semi-final in the past four WCs. Switzerland have never got past the quarter-final stage and are 12/5 to dethrone the champions. Switzerland are likely to defend deep like they did against Colombia and that’s when Lionel Messi can be at his most dangerous. Messi is 5/1 to score twice or more and that makes plenty of appeal. Switzerland’s Granit Xhaka has averaged over 2 fouls per game and was yellow carded against Colombia. He is 100/30 to get carded again and that’s a real possibility. When Argentina won the 2022 WC they were awarded a record five penalties. They have three already at these finals – two missed by Messi – and are 16/1 to miss another spot kick against the Swiss
Japan shocked Ireland at the 2019 Rugby WC but the Boys in Green have won every meeting since, including a 60-5 victory in Dublin during the 2025 Autumn International series. Andy Farrell’s men are 14 to 1 ON with 1XBet.ie to follow up last weekend’s Nations Championship win over Australia with another win against the White Blossoms. Japan are far from a pushover and recorded a 27-10 win last week against Italy. Ireland will be a completely different proposition but Japan can be backed at 10/11 +21 points in the handicap. That looks a sporting bet against an experimental Irish side, featuring nine changes from the side that squeezed past the Aussies. Tadhg Beirne will lead out Ireland for the first time and is 5/2 to mark this milestone by crossing the whitewash at any stage.
Louth’s footballers are on the crest of a wave and are 11/8 to reach their first All-Ireland final since they last lifted Sam Maguire in 1957. Mayo’s last All-Ireland success was even further back in 1951 but the Red and Green have lost an extraordinary eleven finals since 1989. 14-man Louth battled admirably to see off Armagh in the last round and a similar performance could see them break the hearts of Mayo supporters once again. Dublin’s footballers are also in bonus territory. Few expected them to get this far but impressive wins over Donegal and Galway gives them real hope of adding Kerry to their list of notable championship scalps. Dublin are real underdogs at 11/4 with Kerry priced at 4/11. If the Dubs play with same fluency as they did in the second half against Galway, they can beat the +3 points handicap at 11/10.
From quarter-final battles on football’s biggest stage and Ireland’s international rugby challenge to the biggest moments in the All-Ireland Championship, this weekend promises elite sporting drama. Follow the latest action, expert insights and key events with 1xBet Ireland.
18+. T&Cs apply. Gamble responsibly.
1XBET AND TERMINUS PLATFORM IRELAND LIMITED DO NOT SPONSOR ANY OF THE EVENTS ABOVE AND HAVE NO PARTNERSHIP WITH ASSOCIATED SPORTS LEGUES AND/OR ASSOCIATIONS.
