Irish derby (football)

Last updated
Irish derby
Location Ireland (UEFA)
Teams Ulster Banner.svg Northern Ireland
Flag of Ireland.svg Republic of Ireland
First meetingRepublic 0–0 Northern
(20 September 1978)
UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying
Latest meetingRepublic 0–0 Northern
(15 November 2018)
Friendly
Statistics
Meetings total11
Most winsRepublic of Ireland (4)
Most player appearances Flag of Ireland.svg Tony Cascarino (8 apps)
Top scorer Flag of Ireland.svg Robbie Keane
Flag of Ireland.svg Andy Townsend
Flag of Ireland.svg Niall Quinn
(2 goals)
All-time recordRepublic: 4
Draw: 5
Northern: 2
Largest victoryRepublic 5–0 Northern
(24 May 2011)
Friendly
Largest goal scoringRepublic 5–0 Northern
(24 May 2011)
Friendly
Europe blank laea location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Northern Ireland
Red pog.svg
Republic of Ireland

The Irish derby is a term given to football matches between Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. A total of 11 matches has been played with Republic of Ireland winning four as compared to Northern Ireland's two wins and five matches ending in a draw.

Contents

History

The rivalry started in the second half of the 19th century, as the sport was becoming popular on the island of Ireland, but due to it being most favoured among the Ulster Protestants community, the Irish Football Association was set up in Belfast rather than the capital city of Dublin. The Association was also biased towards Northern players: between its formation in 1882 and 1921, only 75 southern players were capped for the IFA's Ireland team compared to 798 from the north. [1] [2] Following the partition of Ireland, the Dublin-based Football Association of Ireland was established along with its own national side. Both bodies initially selected players from across the island with little problem (unlike the FAI team, the IFA side was not affiliated to FIFA and continued to take part in the British Home Championship). However, after the Home Nations rejoined FIFA after the Second World War, the 1950 FIFA World Cup qualification process involved both Ireland teams, and the FAI complained when the IFA selected four southern players, leading to FIFA ruling that the teams could only select players from their own part of the island, and neither could be referred to as simply 'Ireland': from then on they were referred to as the Northern Ireland national football team and Republic of Ireland national football team, although the former continued to call themselves Ireland in the British Home Championship until the 1970s.

While attempts have been made to encourage a friendlier relationship between the teams and their communities in the wake of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement which did much to bring an end to the 30-year sectarian armed conflict in Northern Ireland, one aspect of that agreement has led to further sporting tension: citizens of Northern Ireland can classify as British or Irish, and several players raised in the North, including some who featured for Northern Ireland at youth and senior levels, have opted to play internationally for the Republic of Ireland, frustrating the selectors in Belfast who already have a limited pool of talent (a population of under two million – less than half of the Republic – and a smaller diaspora in Britain) to choose from.

List of matches

No.DateVenueCompetitionResult
120 September 1978 Flag of Ireland.svg Dublin UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying Republic of Ireland  Flag of Ireland.svg0–0Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland
221 November 1979 Ulster Banner.svg Belfast Northern Ireland  Ulster Banner.svg1–0Flag of Ireland.svg  Republic of Ireland
314 September 1988 Ulster Banner.svg Belfast 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification Northern Ireland  Ulster Banner.svg0–0Flag of Ireland.svg  Republic of Ireland
411 October 1989 Flag of Ireland.svg Dublin Republic of Ireland  Flag of Ireland.svg3–0Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland
531 March 1993 Flag of Ireland.svg Dublin 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification Republic of Ireland  Flag of Ireland.svg3–0Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland
617 November 1993 Ulster Banner.svg Belfast Northern Ireland  Ulster Banner.svg1–1Flag of Ireland.svg  Republic of Ireland
716 November 1994 Ulster Banner.svg Belfast UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying Northern Ireland  Ulster Banner.svg0–4Flag of Ireland.svg  Republic of Ireland
829 March 1995 Flag of Ireland.svg Dublin Republic of Ireland  Flag of Ireland.svg1–1Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland
929 May 1999 Flag of Ireland.svg Dublin Friendly Republic of Ireland  Flag of Ireland.svg0–1Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland
1024 May 2011 Flag of Ireland.svg Dublin 2011 Nations Cup Republic of Ireland  Flag of Ireland.svg5–0Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland
1115 November 2018 Flag of Ireland.svg Dublin Friendly Republic of Ireland  Flag of Ireland.svg0–0Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland

Statistics

All-time most appearances

NationPlayerAppearancesPosition
Flag of Ireland.svg Tony Cascarino 8Striker
Flag of Ireland.svg Niall Quinn 7Striker
Flag of Ireland.svg Paul McGrath Defender
Flag of Ireland.svg Andy Townsend Midfielder
Flag of Ireland.svg Denis Irwin 6Defender
Flag of Ireland.svg Roy Keane Midfielder
Flag of Ireland.svg Ray Houghton Midfielder
Ulster Banner.svg Iain Dowie 5Striker
Ulster Banner.svg Nigel Worthington Midfielder/Defender
Flag of Ireland.svg Caoimhín Kelleher Goalkeeper
Flag of Ireland.svg John Aldridge Striker
Flag of Ireland.svg Steve Staunton Defender

Matches between club sides

Club sides from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland first met in European competition when Glentoran and Waterford were drawn against each other in the first round of the 1970–71 European Cup. Following that first meeting, clubs from either side of the Irish border have been drawn against each other a number of times, usually in the early stages of UEFA competitions. However, in the league phase of the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League, Larne's meeting with Shamrock Rovers became the first time clubs from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland had played each other in the group stage of a European competition. [3] In July 2025, Shelbourne and Linfield were drawn against each other in the first qualifying round of the Champions League, with Shelbourne winning the two-legged tie, and Linfield dropping into the Conference League. Just over a month later, the two sides faced each other again, this time in the play-off round of the Conference League, with the Irish side again progressing. [4]

SeasonRoundFlagTeam 1ScoreTeam 2FlagVenueAttendanceWin for
European Cup / UEFA Champions League
1970–71 First round Ulster Banner.svg Glentoran 1–3 Waterford Flag of Ireland.svg The Oval, Belfast 8,000 Flag of Ireland.svg
Flag of Ireland.svg Waterford 1–0 Glentoran Ulster Banner.svg Kilcohan Park, Waterford 6,000
1979–80 Preliminary round Flag of Ireland.svg Dundalk 1–1 Linfield Ulster Banner.svg Oriel Park, Dundalk 5,000 Flag of Ireland.svg
Ulster Banner.svg Linfield 0–2 Dundalk Flag of Ireland.svg Haarlem Stadion, Haarlem 1,147
1984–85 First round Ulster Banner.svg Linfield 0–0 Shamrock Rovers Flag of Ireland.svg Windsor Park, Belfast 4,907 Ulster Banner.svg
Flag of Ireland.svg Shamrock Rovers 1–1(a) Linfield Ulster Banner.svg Glenmalure Park, Dublin 2,200
2005–06 First qualifying round Ulster Banner.svg Glentoran 1–2 Shelbourne Flag of Ireland.svg The Oval, Belfast 2,810 Flag of Ireland.svg
Flag of Ireland.svg Shelbourne 4–1 Glentoran Ulster Banner.svg Tolka Park, Dublin 4,500
2025–26 First qualifying round Flag of Ireland.svg Shelbourne 1–0 Linfield Ulster Banner.svg Tolka Park, Dublin 3,655 Flag of Ireland.svg
Ulster Banner.svg Linfield 1–1 Shelbourne Flag of Ireland.svg Windsor Park, Belfast 7,137
UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League
2016–17 First qualifying round Ulster Banner.svg Linfield 0–1 Cork City Flag of Ireland.svg Windsor Park, Belfast 2,093 Flag of Ireland.svg
Flag of Ireland.svg Cork City 1–1 Linfield Ulster Banner.svg Turners Cross, Cork 3,521
UEFA Conference League
2024–25 League Phase Ulster Banner.svg Larne 1–4 Shamrock Rovers Flag of Ireland.svg Windsor Park, Belfast 5,439 Flag of Ireland.svg
2025–26 Play-off round Flag of Ireland.svg Shelbourne 3–1 Linfield Ulster Banner.svg Tolka Park, Dublin 3,655 Flag of Ireland.svg
Ulster Banner.svg Linfield 0–2 Shelbourne Flag of Ireland.svg Windsor Park, Belfast 5,200

See also

References

  1. "Two shades of Green: The Irish footballing divide". www.nifootballdaily.com. NIFD. Archived from the original on March 22, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  2. Moore, Paul (15 November 2018). "Two remarkable stories from the notoriously hostile Northern Ireland v Republic of Ireland clash in 1993". joe.ie. Joe . Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  3. McDonnell, Daniel (23 October 2024). "Stephen Bradley promises clear focus ahead of Shamrock Rovers' historic Euro clash with Larne". Irish Independent. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  4. Bradley, Jonathan (28 August 2025). "Shelbourne defeat Linfield to advance in Conference League". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 August 2025.