The Republic of Ireland will play an international friendly away to Denmark in August, the FAI have confirmed.

While the game has long been mooted, today's announcement is the first official confirmation of the tie scheduled for Aarhus on Wednesday, August 22nd.

"The Denmark game is at the start of the new season so it is a good opportunity to get the lads together ahead of the remaining qualifiers," team manager Steve Staunton said today.

The game firms up next season's international calendar with Ireland following up the trip with the concluding five European qualifiers to be played between September and November.

However, there was no announcement of friendly dates scheduled for the end of the current season.

Although a summer camp in Portugal remains the front runner for Staunton's end-of-season get-together, a tour of the United States in May or June remains a realistic option.

Staging a May friendly holds its own difficulties coming so close to the end of the season, and Staunton has opined that dates in early June do not suit his requirements either, coming as late as they do after the English season's conclusion.

Therefore, the Denmark game is the only 2007 senior friendly confirmed to date.   "Talks are ongoing with a number of countries but nothing has yet been agreed," an FAI statement read.

Six weeks ago, FAI chief executive John Delaney indicated such talks were afoot but also conceded it would not be "the end of the world" should a May friendly fail to materialise.

"We've also had offers to play tournaments in America," he said at the time, "some in June and possibly in May, but we have to wait and see what comes out of that."

The Republic of Ireland and Denmark have met on 12 occasions.  The sides last met in a friendly at Lansdowne Road in March 2002 when, with Staunton as captain, Ireland won 3-0.