Holland or Portugal are the preferred opposition for the start of the Republic of Ireland's qualifying programme for the 2002 World Cup in the autumn. Dates and venues for the various groupings are being arranged at a series of meetings around Europe this week and in the case of Group Two, in which Ireland will participate, talks are being held in Amsterdam.

Beginning this morning, representatives of the six countries involved - Holland, Portugal, Ireland, Cyprus, Estonia and Andorra - will be involved in negotiations which may be protracted and difficult.

Fixtures meetings of this nature are normally concluded in a day, but it is acknowledged by the Irish delegation that they may do well to conclude the discussions without running into a second session.

Originally, Mick McCarthy was to have attended the meeting but the Ireland manager, just back from Brazil where he watched the World Club Championship, is now unavailable. Instead, he has furnished FAI's chief executive Bernard O'Byrne with suggested dates for key fixtures which will form the core of a programme which threatens to be no less difficult than that in the last World Cup. On that occasion Ireland qualified for the play-offs as one of the teams finishing second in their group, only to lose to Belgium.

Speaking of the upcoming meeting, McCarthy said: "From our viewpoint the important thing is to start with a home game, preferably against either Holland or Portugal."

Under the rules of the competition, qualifying games can be staged any time after March 31st, but with Holland and Portugal both involved in the finals of the Euro 2000 championship in the summer, it is highly unlikely that the action in Group Two will start before the autumn.

In the meantime, FAI officials will be talking with interested parties in filling the void in Ireland's fixtures list between the February 23rd meeting with the Czech Republic at Lansdowne Road and the start of the US Cup on June 3rd.