Subbuteo: Preparing for the World Cup in a garden shed

Oisín Mór, who will be representing the Republic of Ireland in this year’s tournament, has also been using the shed to get some games in before flying across the Irish sea.

For him, like many others, his first experience of Subbuteo was a child and he has carried that passion for the game right into adulthood.

“Subbuteo was obviously big in the 70s and 80s and was the big thing before computer games, but we’ve found, especially after the Covid-19 lockdown, that there’s been this huge resurgence of Subbuteo,” he said.

“I think so many people went up to their attics during that time and dug out their old Subbuteo sets and fell back in love with it.”

Oisín says the Republic of Ireland team is hoping to perform well this year, but knows they will be up against some fierce competition.

“Much like in the football World Cup, there are countries who traditionally perform well in major tournaments, so in terms of Subbuteo, players from countries like Malta and Italy will always do well.

“So for us, we are hoping to put ourselves up against some of the best players in the world and see how far we can go.”