Northern Ireland national football team

Last updated

Northern Ireland
Irish Football Association logo.svg
Nickname(s) Green and White Army (GAWA)
Norn Iron
Association Irish Football Association (IFA)
Confederation UEFA (Europe)
Head coach Michael O'Neill
Captain Conor Bradley
Most caps Steven Davis (140)
Top scorer David Healy (36)
Home stadium Windsor Park
FIFA code NIR
Kit left arm nir24h.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body nir24h.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm nir24h.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts nir24h.png
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
First colours
Kit left arm nir24a.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body nir24a.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm nir24a.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts nir24a.png
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 71 Steady2.svg (28 November 2024) [1]
Highest20 (September 2017)
Lowest129 (September 2012)
First international
Saint Patrick's Saltire.svg  Ireland 0–13 England  Flag of England.svg
(Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882)
as Northern Ireland [note 1]
Ulster Banner.svg  Ireland 1–4 England  Flag of England.svg
(Belfast, Northern Ireland; 7 October 1950)
Flag of France (1794-1815, 1830-1958).svg  France 3–1 Northern Ireland  Ulster Banner.svg
(Colombes, France; 11 November 1952)
Biggest win
Saint Patrick's Saltire.svg  Ireland 7–0 Wales  Flag of Wales (1807-1953).svg
(Belfast, Ireland; 1 February 1930)
as Northern Ireland
Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland 5–0 Cyprus  Flag of Cyprus.svg
(Belfast, Northern Ireland; 21 April 1971)
Flag of the Faroe Islands.svg  Faroe Islands 0–5 Northern Ireland  Ulster Banner.svg
(Landskrona, Sweden; 11 September 1991)
Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland 5–0 Bulgaria  Flag of Bulgaria.svg
(Belfast, Northern Ireland; 15 October 2024)
Biggest defeat
Saint Patrick's Saltire.svg  Ireland 0–13 England  Flag of England.svg
(Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882)
as Northern Ireland
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 6–0 Northern Ireland  Ulster Banner.svg
(Amsterdam, Netherlands; 2 June 2012)
World Cup
Appearances3 (first in 1958 )
Best resultQuarter-finals (1958)
European Championship
Appearances1 (first in 2016 )
Best resultRound of 16 (2016)
Ulster Banner, the flag of the Northern Ireland national football team Ulster Banner.svg
Ulster Banner, the flag of the Northern Ireland national football team

The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in men's international association football. From 1882 to 1950, all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association (IFA). In 1921, the jurisdiction of the IFA was reduced to Northern Ireland following the secession of clubs in the soon-to-be Irish Free State, although its team remained the national team for all of Ireland until 1950, and used the name Ireland until the 1970s. [2] [note 2] The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) organises the separate Republic of Ireland national football team.

Contents

Although part of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland has always had a representative side that plays in major professional tournaments – whether alongside the rest of Ireland pre-1922 or as its own entity – though not in the Olympic Games, as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has always recognised United Kingdom representative sides, and currently Northern Irish athletes compete for Great Britain.

Northern Ireland has competed in three FIFA World Cups, reaching the quarter-final stage in the 1958 and 1982 tournaments. Northern Ireland held the accolade of being the smallest nation to qualify for a World Cup Finals from their first appearance in 1958 until 2006, when Trinidad and Tobago qualified for the 2006 World Cup. At UEFA Euro 2016, the team made its first appearance at the European tournament and reached the round of 16. Northern Ireland last qualified for the World Cup in 1986.

History

On 18 February 1882, 15 months after the founding of the Irish FA, Ireland made their international debut against England, losing 13–0 in a friendly played at Bloomfield in Belfast. This remains the record defeat for the team, and also England's largest winning margin. On 25 February 1882, Ireland played their second international, against Wales at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, and an equaliser from Johnston became Ireland's first ever goal.

In 1884, Ireland competed in the inaugural British Home Championship and lost all three games. Ireland did not win their first game until 19 February 1887, a 4–1 win over Wales in Belfast. Between their debut and this game, they had a run of 14 defeats and 1 draw, the longest run without a win in the 1800s. Despite the end of this run, heavy defeats continued. On 3 March 1888, they lost 11–0 to Wales and three weeks later, on 24 March, lost 10–2 to Scotland. Further heavy defeats came on 15 March 1890 when they lost 9–1 to England, on 18 February 1899 when they lost 13–2 to England and on 2 February 1901 when they lost 11–0 to Scotland.

In 1899, the Irish FA also changed its rules governing the selection of non-resident players. Before then the Ireland team selected its players exclusively from the Irish League, in particular the three Belfast-based clubs Linfield, Cliftonville and Distillery. On 4 March 1899, for the match against Wales, McAteer included four Irish players based in England. The change in policy produced dividends as Ireland won 1–0. Three weeks later, on 25 March, one of these four players, Archie Goodall, aged 34 years and 279 days, became the oldest player to score in international football during the 19th century when he scored Ireland's goal in a 9–1 defeat to Scotland.

In 1920, Ireland was partitioned into Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. In 1922, Southern Ireland gained independence as the Irish Free State, later to become a republic under the name of Ireland. Amid these political upheavals, a rival football association, the Football Association of Ireland, emerged in Dublin in 1921 and organised a separate league and international team. In 1923, at a time when the home nations had withdrawn from FIFA, the FAI was recognised by FIFA as the governing body of the Irish Free State on the condition that it changed its name to the Football Association of the Irish Free State. The Irish FA continued to organise its national team on an all-Ireland basis.

Between 1928 and 1946, the IFA were not affiliated to FIFA and the two Ireland teams co-existed, never competing in the same competition. On 8 March 1950, however, in a 0–0 draw with Wales at the Racecourse Ground in a FIFA World Cup qualifier, the IFA fielded a team that included four players who were born in the Irish Free State. All four players had previously played for the FAI in their qualifiers and as a result had played for two different associations in the same FIFA World Cup tournament.

After complaints from the FAI, FIFA intervened and restricted players' eligibility based on the political border. In 1953 FIFA ruled neither team could be referred to as Ireland, decreeing that the FAI team be officially designated as the Republic of Ireland, while the IFA team was to become Northern Ireland.

Past performances

British Home Championship

Until the 1950s, the major competition for Northern Ireland/Ireland was the British Home Championship. The team won the competition eight times, taking the title outright on three occasions. They were the last winners of the now defunct competition held in 1984, and hence still are the British champions, and the trophy remains the property of the Irish FA. [6]

FIFA World Cup

Danny Blanchflower (left) captained Northern Ireland at the 1958 FIFA World Cup, while George Best (right), winner of the 1968 Ballon d'Or, never reached a major international tournament with the team Aankomst Noordierse elftal op Zestienhoven; trainer Blanchflower en George Best (r).jpg
Danny Blanchflower (left) captained Northern Ireland at the 1958 FIFA World Cup, while George Best (right), winner of the 1968 Ballon d'Or, never reached a major international tournament with the team

Northern Ireland's best World Cup performance was in their first appearance in the finals, the 1958 World Cup, where they reached the quarter-finals after beating Czechoslovakia 2–1 in the play-off. They were knocked out by France, losing 4–0. In the 1958 competition, Northern Ireland became the least populous country to have qualified for the World Cup, a record that stood until Trinidad and Tobago qualified for the 2006 World Cup. Northern Ireland remains, however, the least populous country to have qualified for more than one World Cup finals tournament, to win a World Cup finals match, and to have progressed from the first round of the World Cup finals.

Captain of the national side at the 1958 World Cup was Danny Blanchflower, who also captained Tottenham Hotspur in the English league and was twice footballer of the year in England. His younger brother Jackie was also a key member of the national team, and won two league titles in England with Manchester United, until his career was ended by injuries suffered in the Munich air disaster of February 1958.

Despite the presence of world class forward George Best, another Manchester United player, for the 1960s and 1970s, Northern Ireland failed to qualify for any major tournaments.

Northern Ireland also qualified for the 1982 World Cup. Their opening game was against Yugoslavia at La Romareda stadium in Zaragoza. It was the international debut of 17-year-old Norman Whiteside, who became the youngest player ever in the World Cup finals, a record that still stands. The game finished goalless. Five days later, they drew 1–1 with Honduras, which was a disappointment, and many believed had doomed Northern Ireland's chances of advancing in the competition. [7] They needed a win against hosts Spain in the third and final group game at the Mestalla Stadium in Valencia. They faced a partisan atmosphere with a mostly Spanish crowd and a Spanish-speaking referee in Héctor Ortiz who was unwilling to punish dirty play from the Spanish players. [8] A mistake from Spain goalkeeper Luis Arconada, however, gifted Gerry Armstrong the only goal of the game, and despite having Mal Donaghy sent off on 60 minutes, Northern Ireland went on to record a historic 1–0 win and top the first stage group.

A 2–2 draw with Austria at the Vicente Calderón Stadium meant that a win against France would take them into the semi-finals, however, a French team inspired by Michel Platini won 4–1 and eliminated Northern Ireland from the competition.

They also qualified for the 1986 World Cup where they went out in the Group stages. [9] Billy Bingham, a member of the 1958 squad, was manager for both of these tournaments. They have not qualified for any other World Cups since.

Recent history

The Our Wee Country mural in east Belfast commemorating Northern Ireland beating England at home in 2005. NI murals NI football.jpg
The Our Wee Country mural in east Belfast commemorating Northern Ireland beating England at home in 2005.

Lawrie Sanchez was appointed in January 2004 after a run of 13 games without a goal under the previous manager Sammy McIlroy, which was a European record for any international team until San Marino went over 20 games without scoring between October 2008 and August 2012. That run ended after his first game in charge, a 1–4 loss to Norway in a friendly in February 2004. The run of 16 games without a win ended after his second game, a 1–0 victory in a friendly over Estonia, with a largely experimental side, in March 2004.

On 7 September 2005, Northern Ireland beat England 1–0 in a 2006 World Cup qualifier at Windsor Park. David Healy scored the winner in the 73rd minute. Almost a year later, on 6 September 2006, Northern Ireland defeated Spain 3–2 in a qualifier for UEFA Euro 2008, with Healy scoring a hat-trick. In June 2007, Nigel Worthington was named manager in the place of Lawrie Sanchez, who took over at Fulham. Initially, Worthington took over until the end of the Euro 2008 qualifiers, but was later given a contract until the end of the Euro 2012 qualifiers. Michael O'Neill became manager in February 2012 after Worthington had resigned in October 2011 after a poor Euro 2012 qualification campaign.

The Northern Ireland team qualified for its first ever UEFA European Championship, Euro 2016 in France after 30 years without qualifying for a major tournament, after beating Greece 3–1 at Windsor Park on 8 October 2015. [10] At the tournament, Northern Ireland were beaten 1–0 by Poland on 20 June 2016 followed by a 2–0 win against Ukraine on 16 June 2016 and finally a 1–0 loss against Germany in the group stage. That was enough to qualify for a Round of 16 spot where they lost 1–0 to Wales due to an unfortunate own goal by Gareth McAuley. [11]

Stadium

Windsor Park before the 2015 redevelopment - a view from the Kop Stand, showing the two-tiered North Stand and the low Railway stand behind the opposite goal Windsor Park football stadium - Empty.JPG
Windsor Park before the 2015 redevelopment – a view from the Kop Stand, showing the two-tiered North Stand and the low Railway stand behind the opposite goal

Northern Ireland play their home matches at Windsor Park, Belfast, home of Linfield, which they have use of on a 108-year lease, giving the owners 15% of revenue, including gate receipts and TV rights. [12]

There was a proposal to build a multisports stadium for Northern Ireland at the disused Maze prison outside Lisburn for the use of Rugby, Gaelic games and football. [13] This plan was given an "in principle" go-ahead by the Irish Football Association. However, it was opposed by fans, over 85% of whom in a match day poll conducted by the Amalgamation of Northern Ireland Supporters' Clubs ("AONISC") preferred to stay at a smaller new or redeveloped ground in the city of Belfast. [14] The AONISC organised a protest against the move to the Maze at the game against Estonia in March 2006.

The issue assumed ever greater urgency by 2007, following a series of inspections which questioned the suitability of Windsor Park to host international football. [15] Following a reduction of capacity due to the closure of the Railway Stand, the IFA made it known that they wished to terminate their contract for the use of the stadium. [16] A report on health and safety in October 2007 indicated that the South Stand might have to be closed for internationals, which would further reduce the stadium's capacity to 9,000. [17] In April 2008, Belfast City Council announced that they had commissioned Drivers Jonas to conduct a feasibility study into the building of a Sports Stadium in Belfast which could accommodate international football, which was followed at the beginning of May 2008 by speculation that the Maze Stadium project was going to be radically revised by Peter Robinson, the finance and personnel minister in the Northern Ireland Assembly, so that any construction might be used for purposes other than football, rugby union and Gaelic games. Given the time that is needed to build a new stadium, in the absence of significant work improving Windsor Park, it seemed to be likely that Northern Ireland might be forced to play their home games at a venue outside Northern Ireland for a period.

In March 2009, proposals were announced for the construction of a new 25,000-seat stadium in the Sydenham area of East Belfast as an alternative to the Maze proposal. This would form part of a major development, with links to both George Best Belfast City Airport and the Bangor railway line. The development would also include a hotel, and retail/leisure areas. The stadium itself would be used for both football and rugby union, with Glentoran and Ulster Rugby intended as tenants. Ulster GAA, however, who were a partner in the Maze proposal, stated that in the event of a new stadium being built in East Belfast, which is a major unionist area, their preference would then be to remain at Casement Park in nationalist west Belfast. [18]

The new redeveloped Windsor Park. View from the Kop (West Stand) with only the corner between the West & North stands yet to be completed. Windsor Park redevelopment .jpg
The new redeveloped Windsor Park. View from the Kop (West Stand) with only the corner between the West & North stands yet to be completed.

The IFA were initially non-committal about any of the proposals for improving their facilities, be it rebuilding Windsor Park, or supporting either the Maze or Sydenham proposals. In September 2009, however, they issued an announcement in favour of the redevelopment of Windsor Park. [19] Although there were no specifics to this, Linfield had previously released a study with two proposals, of which the major one would be a £20 million rebuilding of the stadium, raising the spectator capacity to 20,000. [20] In 2011, the Northern Ireland Executive allocated £138 million for a major programme of stadium redevelopment throughout Northern Ireland, with £28 million allocated to the redevelopment of Windsor Park. [21] In June 2012, further details of the stadium's redevelopment were released. The plan was to redevelop Windsor Park into an 18,000 all-seater stadium with a series of phased works originally intended to begin in the summer of 2013. The redevelopment would include the demolition of the existing East and South Stand structures, to be replaced by new purpose built stands that would partially enclose the stadium; complete renovation of the existing North and West Stands; and construction of both new conferencing facilities and a new headquarters facility for the IFA. [22]

In February 2013, planning permission for the redevelopment was granted. The cost of the project was estimated to be around £29.2 million, of which £25.2 million would come from government funding. It was initially planned for the work to begin in September 2013. [23] Two months later, however, Irish Premiership club Crusaders began legal proceedings to have the process judicially reviewed. As owners of the site, rivals Linfield were in line to receive not only a redeveloped stadium, but also £200,000 per annum from the IFA in land rent instead of the existing agreement which entitled Linfield to 15% of match revenue. Crusaders believed this to be against European Union competition law as well as a form of state aid towards Linfield. [24] In a hearing that took place on 22 May 2013, Crusaders' request was granted. It was ruled that it was a possibility for the redevelopment to be classed as state aid towards Linfield. The aspect of the challenge concerning competition law, however, was dismissed. [25]

Northern Ireland team in 2021 Northern Ireland national football team in 2021.jpg
Northern Ireland team in 2021

In July 2013, Crusaders agreed to a possible settlement brought forward by the judicial review. The details of the settlement were not made public, but Crusaders said that it had the "potential to benefit the entirety of the football family". [26] In September 2013, sports minister Carál Ní Chuilín said that she was still committed to making sure the redevelopment went ahead as scheduled, after previously stating that she would not sign off on the funding until the IFA resolved "governance issues" surrounding David Martin's return to the role of deputy president. [27] In December 2013, three months after the work was originally scheduled to begin, the redevelopment was finally given the green light. The sports minister signed off on £31 million to complete the project. The redevelopment finally got under way on 6 May 2014 after the 2013–14 domestic season had finished, eight months later than originally planned. The work was completed in 2015. [28]

Team image

Colours

Northern Ireland football team's traditional colours are green, white and azure blue. Green has long been a traditional symbolic colour for Ireland. The azure blue comes from St. Patrick's blue, which was adopted as the colour of the Anglo-Irish Order of St Patrick. While green is recognised at the de-facto national colour for Ireland, azure blue is still found in symbols of both the state and the island. The kit has been manufactured by Adidas since 2012. Prior to this, the kit was manufactured by Umbro.

Kit suppliers

Kit providerPeriod
Umbro logo (current).svg
Flag of England.svg Umbro
1975–1977
Original Adidas logo.svg
Flag of Germany.svg Adidas
1977–1990
Umbro logo (current).svg
Flag of England.svg Umbro
1990–1994
Asics Logo.svg
Flag of Japan.svg Asics
1994–1998
Olympics Sportswear.jpg
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Olympic Sportswear
1998–1999
Patrick-logo.png
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Patrick
1999–2004
Umbro logo (current).svg
Flag of England.svg Umbro
2004–2012
Adidas isologo.svg
Flag of Germany.svg Adidas
2012–

Supporters

The Green and White Army GAWA.jpg
The Green and White Army

The Green and White Army is the name given to the fans that follow the Northern Ireland national football team.

Since the defeat of England in 2005, there has been an increased demand for tickets exceeding supply. [29] Tongue-in-cheek songs such as "We're not Brazil, we're Northern Ireland" (sung to the tune of Battle Hymn of the Republic, an American Civil War song), "It's Just Like Watching Brazil" and "Stand up for the Ulstermen" are popular at home matches.

One of the first footballing celebrities was former Manchester United and Northern Ireland footballer George Best. The 1968 European Footballer of the Year, Best won 37 caps and scored 9 goals for his country. [30]

Leading up to the Euro 2016, YouTuber Sean Kennedy released the song "Will Grigg's on Fire", a parody about Northern Irish national Will Grigg to the tune of "Freed From Desire" by Gala. The song became a popular chant and internet sensation. A studio version was released by London-based production duo Blonde, going on to reach number seven in the iTunes UK Top 100. [31]

Historic controversy over sectarianism

Former captain Neil Lennon retired from international football due to sectarian death threats Neil lennon and excalibur.jpg
Former captain Neil Lennon retired from international football due to sectarian death threats

A small element of Northern Ireland's support was, in the past, regarded as sectarian. [32]

In 2000 the IFA launched the "Football For All" campaign to tackle sectarianism and racism at Northern Ireland games. Michael Boyd, the director of football development at the IFA, recalled how the team struggled to even get a sponsor for their kit because the image of Northern Irish football was so poor. [33] Attendance at matches was low; at a 1999 game against France, then reigning World Cup champions, IFA could not sell out the ground and there were problems with "sectarian singing and racist abuse." [33] Neil Lennon, a Roman Catholic Celtic player who had been subject to sectarian abuse from Northern Ireland fans while playing for Northern Ireland in Windsor Park, was issued a death threat by Loyalists and retired from international football in 2002 as a result. [34] Former Security Minister Jane Kennedy said the threat against Lennon 'disgraced Northern Ireland in the eyes of the world' and widened the divide between the association and Catholic players and supporters. [33] However, the incident represented a turning point in the campaign against sectarianism in the IFA which had seen slow progress in the previous two years. [33]

Steps taken to eradicate the sectarian element within the support have been successful. [35] Lennon has been quick to praise these initiatives. [36] He also praised the "Football For All" Outstanding Achievement Award Winner Stewart MacAfee [37] for the work he has done to create a more inclusive atmosphere at international games.

People like Stewart are the unsung heroes who have been brave enough to challenge sectarianism and who have actively created a more fun, safe and family-orientated atmosphere at international games. Fans like Stewart have made the atmosphere at Northern Ireland football games in recent years the envy of Fans across not only Europe but World football. From a personal point of view I would like to thank them for their efforts.

Neil Lennon

In 2006, Northern Ireland's supporters were awarded the Brussels International Supporters Award [38] for their charity work, general good humour and behaviour and efforts to stamp out sectarianism. Representatives of the Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters' Clubs received the award from UEFA and EU representatives prior to the Northern Ireland–Spain game at Windsor Park in September 2006.

Northern Ireland Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, Carál Ní Chuilín, the first senior Sinn Féin representative to attend an international at Windsor Park, commended "the very real efforts that have been made by the IFA to tackle sectarianism at their matches" after a match in August 2011. [39] Twenty years after Lennon's resignation, Northern Ireland international games regularly sell out and women and children were "noticeable" amongst the spectators. [33]

Media coverage

Premier Sports currently have the rights to show all of Northern Ireland's competitive international fixtures up until 2024. [40]

Highlights of qualifiers are shown on BBC Northern Ireland with rights to World Cup Finals and European Championships held jointly by BBC and ITV - both channels shared coverage of Northern Ireland's games at Euro 2016.

Dating from the 1960s, Northern Ireland's games were shown live on BBC Northern Ireland, with highlights on network BBC via Sportsnight until the rights to home games were sold to Sky in 2007. [41] In May 2013, Sky acquired the rights to all Northern Ireland qualifying games for UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. [42] From 2008 to 2013, BBC Northern Ireland held the rights to highlights of all of Northern Ireland's home international qualifiers. But in May 2013, ITV secured a deal to show highlights of the European Qualifiers for Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, including Northern Ireland games, between 2014 and 2017.

In 2015, BBC Northern Ireland acquired the live rights to show Northern Ireland's friendlies in the run-up to UEFA Euro 2016, but the next two subsequent home friendlies against Croatia and New Zealand were shown on Premier Sports/eirSport until the contract ended before the 2018 World Cup.

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win  Draw  Loss  Fixture

2024

22 March Friendly Romania  Flag of Romania.svg1–1Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland Bucharest, Romania
19:45 GMT
Match 687
Man Soccerball shade.svg23' Report Reid Soccerball shade.svg7'Stadium: Arena Națională
Attendance: 30,439
Referee: Kristoffer Karlsson (Sweden)
26 March Friendly Scotland  Flag of Scotland.svg0–1Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland Glasgow, Scotland
19:45 GMT
Match 688
Report Bradley Soccerball shade.svg32'Stadium: Hampden Park
Referee: Robert Jones (England)
8 June Friendly Spain  Flag of Spain.svg5–1Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland Palma, Spain
20:30 BST
Match 689
Pedri Soccerball shade.svg12', 29'
Morata Soccerball shade.svg18'
Fabián Soccerball shade.svg35'
Oyarzabal Soccerball shade.svg60'
Report Ballard Soccerball shade.svg2'Stadium: Estadi Mallorca Son Moix
Attendance: 18,300
Referee: Bastien Dechepy (France)
11 June Friendly Andorra  Flag of Andorra.svg0–2Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland Murcia, Spain
19:45 BST
Match 690
Report Bradley Soccerball shade.svg16', 22'Stadium: Estadio Nueva Condomina
Referee: Jason Barcelo (Gibraltar)
5 September 2024–25 UEFA Nations League C Northern Ireland  Ulster Banner.svg2–0Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg Belfast, Northern Ireland
19:45 BST
Match 691
McNair Soccerball shade.svg11'
Ballard Soccerball shade.svg16'
report Stadium: Windsor Park
Attendance: 17,213
Referee: Marian Barbu (Romania)
8 September 2024–25 UEFA Nations League C Bulgaria  Flag of Bulgaria.svg1–0Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland Plovdiv, Bulgaria
17:00 BST
Match 692
Despodov Soccerball shade.svg40' report Stadium: Stadion Hristo Botev
Attendance: 14,300
Referee: Tasos Sidiropoulos (Greece)
12 October 2024–25 UEFA Nations League C Belarus  Flag of Belarus.svg0–0Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland Zalaegerszeg (Hungary) [44]
19:45 BST
Match 693
report Stadium: ZTE Arena
Attendance: 0
Referee: Henrik Nalbandyan (Armenia)
15 October 2024–25 UEFA Nations League C Northern Ireland  Ulster Banner.svg5–0Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria Belfast, Northern Ireland
19:45 BST
Match 694
report Stadium: Windsor Park
Attendance: 17,891
Referee: Jérôme Brisard (France)
15 November 2024–25 UEFA Nations League C Northern Ireland  Ulster Banner.svg2–0Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus Belfast, Northern Ireland
19:45 GMT
Match 695
Ballard Soccerball shade.svg50'
D. Charles Soccerball shade.svg63' (pen.)
report Stadium: Windsor Park
Attendance: 18,044
Referee: Luis Godinho (Portugal)
18 November 2024–25 UEFA Nations League C Luxembourg  Flag of Luxembourg.svg2–2Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
19:45 GMT
Match 696
Korać Soccerball shade.svg72'
Rodrigues Soccerball shade.svg75'
report Price Soccerball shade.svg19'
Bradley Soccerball shade.svg50'
Stadium: Stade de Luxembourg
Attendance: 6,870
Referee: Elchin Masiyev (Azerbaijan)

2025

21-23 March Friendly Northern Ireland  Ulster Banner.svgv TBC
24-26 March Friendly Northern Ireland  Ulster Banner.svgv TBC
6-7 June Friendly Northern Ireland  Ulster Banner.svgv TBC
9-10 June Friendly Northern Ireland  Ulster Banner.svgv TBC
13 October 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A Qualifier Northern Ireland  Ulster Banner.svgvFlag of Germany.svg  Germany /Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Belfast, Northern Ireland
19:45 BST
Match
report Stadium: Windsor Park

Coaching staff

Current coaching staff

As of 20 March 2023
PositionName
Manager Ulster Banner.svg Michael O'Neill
Assistant Manager Ulster Banner.svg Jimmy Nicholl
Senior Coach Ulster Banner.svg Aaron Hughes
Senior Coach Flag of Ireland.svg Diarmuid O'Carroll
Goalkeeping Coach Flag of England.svg David Rouse
Team Doctor Ulster Banner.svg David White
Head Physiotherapist Ulster Banner.svg Caroline Woods
Physiotherapists Ulster Banner.svg Darren McMaster
Ulster Banner.svg Neil McCullough
Sports Scientist Ulster Banner.svg Ricky McCann
Analyst Ulster Banner.svg Matthew Crawford
Equipment Manager Ulster Banner.svg Raymond Millar
Equipment Assistants Ulster Banner.svg Stevie Ferguson
Ulster Banner.svg Colin McGiffert

Manager history

  Current manager highlighted in green

Last updated after match against Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg on 18 November 2024.

ManagerFirst GameLast GamePldWDLGFGAGDWin %Draw %Loss %
Ulster Banner.svg Irish FA Selection Committee 18 February 1882 vs. Flag of England.svg 12 May 1951 vs. Flag of France (1794-1815, 1830-1958).svg 1772927121200568–36816.39%15.25%68.36%
Ulster Banner.svg Peter Doherty 6 October 1951 vs. Flag of Scotland.svg 9 May 1962 vs. Flag of the Netherlands.svg 519142867119–5217.65%27.45%54.90%
Ulster Banner.svg Bertie Peacock 10 October 1962 vs. Flag of Poland (1928-1980).svg 12 April 1967 vs. Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg 28114134654–839.29%14.29%46.42%
Ulster Banner.svg Billy Bingham 21 October 1967 vs. Flag of Scotland.svg 22 May 1971 vs. Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg 208392422+240.00%15.00%45.00%
Ulster Banner.svg Terry Neill 22 September 1971 vs. Flag of the Soviet Union.svg 30 October 1974 vs. Flag of Sweden.svg 206681618–230.00%30.00%40.00%
Ulster Banner.svg Dave Clements 16 April 1975 vs. Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg 14 May 1976 vs. Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg 11326715–827.27%18.18%54.55%
Ulster Banner.svg Danny Blanchflower 13 October 1976 vs. Flag of the Netherlands.svg 21 November 1979 vs. Flag of Ireland.svg 2465131938–1925.00%20.83%54.17%
Ulster Banner.svg Billy Bingham 26 March 1980 vs. Flag of Israel.svg 17 November 1993 vs. Flag of Ireland.svg 9832313591107–1632.65%31.64%35.71%
Ulster Banner.svg Bryan Hamilton 23 March 1994 vs. Flag of Romania.svg 11 October 1997 vs. Flag of Portugal.svg 3188153441–725.81%25.81%48.38%
Flag of England.svg Lawrie McMenemy 25 March 1998 vs. Flag of Slovakia.svg 9 October 1999 vs. Flag of Finland.svg 14437925–1628.57%21.43%50.00%
Ulster Banner.svg Sammy McIlroy 23 February 2000 vs. Flag of Luxembourg.svg 11 October 2003 vs. Flag of Greece.svg 2957171940–2117.24%24.14%58.62%
Ulster Banner.svg Lawrie Sanchez 18 February 2004 vs. Flag of Norway.svg 28 March 2007 vs. Flag of Sweden.svg 321110113542–734.38%31.24%34.38%
Ulster Banner.svg Nigel Worthington 22 August 2007 vs. Flag of Liechtenstein.svg 11 October 2011 vs. Flag of Italy.svg 41910223555–2021.95%24.39%53.66%
Ulster Banner.svg Michael O'Neill 29 February 2012 vs. Flag of Norway.svg 19 November 2019 vs. Flag of Germany.svg 722618287583–836.11%25.00%38.89%
Flag of England.svg Ian Baraclough 4 September 2020 vs. Flag of Romania.svg 27 September 2022 vs. Flag of Greece.svg 2868142736–921.43%28.57%50.00%
Ulster Banner.svg Michael O'Neill 23 March 2023 vs. Flag of San Marino.svg 208392522340.00%15.00%45.00%
Total6961811593567291285–55626.01%22.84%51.15%

Statistics include official FIFA recognised matches only

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League matches against Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus and Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg on 15 and 18 November 2024 respectively. [45] [46]

Caps and goals updated as of 18 November 2024, after the match against Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg . [47]

No.Pos.PlayerDate of birth (age)CapsGoalsClub
1 GK Bailey Peacock-Farrell (1996-10-29) 29 October 1996 (age 28)480 Flag of England.svg Birmingham City
1 GK Pierce Charles (2005-07-21) 21 July 2005 (age 19)40 Flag of England.svg Sheffield Wednesday
1 GK Luke Southwood (1997-12-06) 6 December 1997 (age 27)10 Flag of England.svg Bolton Wanderers

2 DF Jamal Lewis (1998-01-25) 25 January 1998 (age 26)390 Flag of Brazil.svg São Paulo
2 DF Daniel Ballard (1999-09-22) 22 September 1999 (age 25)285 Flag of England.svg Sunderland
2 DF Ciaron Brown (1998-01-14) 14 January 1998 (age 26)230 Flag of England.svg Oxford United
2 DF Conor Bradley (captain) (2003-07-09) 9 July 2003 (age 21)234 Flag of England.svg Liverpool
2 DF Trai Hume (2002-03-18) 18 March 2002 (age 22)190 Flag of England.svg Sunderland
2 DF Brodie Spencer (2004-05-06) 6 May 2004 (age 20)130 Flag of England.svg Huddersfield Town
2 DF Ruairi McConville (2005-05-01) 1 May 2005 (age 19)20 Flag of England.svg Brighton & Hove Albion
2 DF Kofi Balmer (2000-09-19) 19 September 2000 (age 24)00 Flag of Scotland.svg Motherwell

3 MF George Saville (1993-06-01) 1 June 1993 (age 31)560 Flag of England.svg Millwall
3 MF Jordan Thompson (1997-01-03) 3 January 1997 (age 27)380 Flag of England.svg Stoke City
3 MF Ali McCann (1999-12-04) 4 December 1999 (age 25)281 Flag of England.svg Preston North End
3 MF Shea Charles (2003-11-05) 5 November 2003 (age 21)230 Flag of England.svg Sheffield Wednesday
3 MF Isaac Price (2003-09-26) 26 September 2003 (age 21)186 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Standard Liège
3 MF Paul Smyth (1997-09-10) 10 September 1997 (age 27)162 Flag of England.svg Queens Park Rangers
3 MF Ross McCausland (2003-05-12) 12 May 2003 (age 21)50 Flag of Scotland.svg Rangers
3 MF Ethan Galbraith (2001-05-11) 11 May 2001 (age 23)40 Flag of England.svg Leyton Orient
3 MF Brad Lyons (1997-05-26) 26 May 1997 (age 27)30 Flag of Scotland.svg Kilmarnock
3 MF Caolan Boyd-Munce (2000-01-26) 26 January 2000 (age 24)20 Flag of Scotland.svg St Mirren
3 MF Justin Devenny (2003-10-11) 11 October 2003 (age 21)10 Flag of England.svg Crystal Palace

4 FW Josh Magennis (1990-05-15) 15 May 1990 (age 34)8212 Flag of England.svg Exeter City
4 FW Dion Charles (1995-10-07) 7 October 1995 (age 29)284 Flag of England.svg Bolton Wanderers
4 FW Callum Marshall (2004-11-28) 28 November 2004 (age 20)80 Flag of England.svg West Ham United
4 FW Jamie Reid (1994-07-15) 15 July 1994 (age 30)81 Flag of England.svg Stevenage
4 FW Lee Bonis (1999-08-03) 3 August 1999 (age 25)10 Flag of the Netherlands.svg ADO Den Haag

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up to the Northern Ireland squad during the last 12 months.

Pos.PlayerDate of birth (age)CapsGoalsClubLatest call-up
GK Christy Pym (1995-04-24) 24 April 1995 (age 29)00 Flag of England.svg Mansfield Town v. Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria , 15 October 2024
GK Conor Hazard (1998-03-05) 5 March 1998 (age 26)80 Flag of England.svg Plymouth Argyle v. Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria , 8 September 2024 INJ
GK Josh Clarke (2004-07-28) 28 July 2004 (age 20)00 Flag of Scotland.svg Celtic v. Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria , 8 September 2024
GK Stephen McMullan (2004-12-31) 31 December 2004 (age 19)00 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Caernarfon Town v. Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland , 26 March 2024

DF Paddy McNair (1995-04-27) 27 April 1995 (age 29)737 Flag of England.svg West Bromwich Albion v. Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria , 15 October 2024
DF Eoin Toal (1999-02-15) 15 February 1999 (age 25)80 Flag of England.svg Bolton Wanderers v. Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria , 15 October 2024
DF Carl Johnston (2002-05-29) 29 May 2002 (age 22)00 Flag of England.svg Fleetwood Town v. Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria , 8 September 2024
DF Aaron Donnelly (2003-06-08) 8 June 2003 (age 21)10 Flag of England.svg Colchester United v. Flag of Andorra.svg  Andorra , 11 June 2024
DF Jonny Evans (1988-01-03) 3 January 1988 (age 36)1076 Flag of England.svg Manchester United v. Flag of Andorra.svg  Andorra , 11 June 2024 RET

MF Corry Evans (1990-07-17) 17 July 1990 (age 34)722 Flag of England.svg Bradford City v. Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria , 8 September 2024
MF Conor McMenamin (1995-08-24) 24 August 1995 (age 29)141 Flag of Scotland.svg St Mirren v. Flag of Andorra.svg  Andorra , 11 June 2024
MF Paddy Lane (2001-02-18) 18 February 2001 (age 23)40 Flag of England.svg Portsmouth v. Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland , 26 March 2024

FW Shayne Lavery (1998-12-08) 8 December 1998 (age 26)203 Flag of England.svg Cambridge United v. Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria , 8 September 2024
FW Dale Taylor (2003-12-12) 12 December 2003 (age 21)80 Flag of England.svg Wigan Athletic v. Flag of Andorra.svg  Andorra , 11 June 2024

COVID = Player withdrew due to a positive COVID test or from being in close contact with someone with a positive COVID test.
INJ = Withdrew due to an injury.
PRE = Preliminary squad / standby.
RET = Retired from the national team.
SUS = Serving suspension.
WTD = Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Individual records

As of 18 November 2024after the match against Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg .
  Players still active are highlighted in green

Most appearances

Midfielder Steven Davis is Northern Ireland's most capped player with 140 appearances. Steven Davis, CZE-NIR 2019-10-14 (2).jpg
Midfielder Steven Davis is Northern Ireland's most capped player with 140 appearances.
RankPlayerCapsGoalsCareer
1 Steven Davis 140132005–2022
2 Pat Jennings 11901964–1986
3 Aaron Hughes 11211998–2018
4 Jonny Evans 10762006–2024
5 David Healy 95362000–2013
6 Mal Donaghy 9101980–1994
7 Kyle Lafferty 89202006–2022
8 Sammy McIlroy 8851972–1986
Maik Taylor 8801999–2011
10 Keith Gillespie 8621995–2008

Top goalscorers

David Healy is Northern Ireland men team's all-time top goalscorer with 36 goals. David Healy (footballer).jpg
David Healy is Northern Ireland men team's all-time top goalscorer with 36 goals.
RankPlayerGoalsCapsRatioCareer
1 David Healy (list)36950.382000–2013
2 Kyle Lafferty 20890.222006–2022
3 Billy Gillespie 13250.521913–1932
Colin Clarke 13380.341986–1993
Steven Davis 131400.092005–2022
6 Joe Bambrick 12111.091928–1940
Jimmy Quinn 12460.261984–1995
Iain Dowie 12590.21990–1999
Gerry Armstrong 12630.191977–1986
Josh Magennis 12820.132010–present

Most clean sheets

RankPlayerClean SheetsCapsRatioCareer
1 Pat Jennings 451190.381964–1986
2 Maik Taylor 34880.391999–2011
3 Roy Carroll 18450.41997–2017
4 Bailey Peacock-Farrell 17480.352018–present
5 Michael McGovern 16330.482010–2020
6 Tommy Wright 11310.351989–1999
7 Alan Mannus 790.782004–2016
8 Elisha Scott 6310.191920–1936
Jim Platt 6230.261976–1986
Alan Fettis 6250.241991–1998

Captains

RankPlayerCaps as CaptainTotal CapsCaptaincy Span
1 Steven Davis 821402006–2022
2 Aaron Hughes 471122002–2015
3 Danny Blanchflower 42561954–1962
4 Terry Neill 38591963–1973
5 Martin O'Neill 33641980–1984
6 Alan McDonald 26521990–1995
7 Steve Lomas 22451997–2003
8 Allan Hunter 19531974–1979
Sammy McIlroy 19881980–1986
10 John McClelland 17531984–1990

Competitive record

For the all-time record of the national team against opposing nations, see the team's all-time record page.

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup finals recordQualification recordManager(s)
YearRoundPos.PldWD*LGFGASquadPldWDLGFGA
Flag of Uruguay.svg 1930 Not a FIFA memberNot a FIFA memberNone
Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg 1934
Flag of France.svg 1938
Flag of Brazil (1889-1960).svg 1950 Did not qualify3012417 Irish FA Committee
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg 1954 310247 Peter Doherty
Flag of Sweden.svg 1958 Quarter-finals8th5212610 Squad 421163
Flag of Chile.svg 1962 Did not qualify410378
Flag of England.svg 1966 632195 Bertie Peacock
Flag of Mexico.svg 1970 421173 Billy Bingham
Flag of Germany.svg 1974 613256 Terry Neill
Flag of Argentina.svg 1978 621376 Danny Blanchflower
Flag of Spain.svg 1982 Second group stage9th513157 Squad 833263 Billy Bingham
Flag of Mexico.svg 1986 Group stage21st301226 Squad 842285
Flag of Italy.svg 1990 Did not qualify8215612
Flag of the United States.svg 1994 125341413
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg 1998 10145610 Bryan Hamilton
Flag of South Korea (1997-2011).svg Flag of Japan.svg 2002 103251112 Sammy McIlroy
Flag of Germany.svg 2006 102351018 Lawrie Sanchez
Flag of South Africa.svg 2010 10433139 Nigel Worthington
Flag of Brazil.svg 2014 10145917 Michael O'Neill
Flag of Russia.svg 2018 12624177
Flag of Qatar.svg 2022 823367 Ian Baraclough
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Flag of Mexico.svg Flag of the United States.svg 2026 To be determinedTo be determined
Flag of Morocco.svg Flag of Portugal.svg Flag of Spain.svg 2030
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg 2034
TotalQuarter-finals3/22133551323142453958155168
*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

UEFA European Championship

UEFA European Championship recordQualification recordManager(s)
YearRoundPos.PldWD*LGFGASquadPldWDLGFGA
Flag of France.svg 1960 Did not enterDid not enterNone
Flag of Spain (1945-1977).svg 1964 Did not qualify421152 Bertie Peacock
Flag of Italy.svg 1968 611428 Bertie Peacock, Billy Bingham [note 3]
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg 1972 6222106 Billy Bingham, Terry Neill [note 4]
Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg 1976 630385 Terry Neill, Dave Clements [note 5]
Flag of Italy.svg 1980 8413814 Danny Blanchflower
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg 1984 851285 Billy Bingham
Flag of Germany.svg 1988 6114210
Flag of Sweden.svg 1992 82331111
Flag of England.svg 1996 105232015 Bryan Hamilton
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Flag of the Netherlands.svg 2000 8125419 Lawrie McMenemy
Flag of Portugal.svg 2004 803508 Sammy McIlroy
Flag of Austria.svg Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg 2008 126241714 Lawrie Sanchez, Nigel Worthington [note 6]
Flag of Poland.svg Flag of Ukraine.svg 2012 10235913 Nigel Worthington
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg 2016 Round of 1616th410323 Squad 10631168 Michael O'Neill
Flag of Europe.svg 2020 Did not qualify104241116 Michael O'Neill, Ian Baraclough [note 7]
Flag of Germany.svg 2024 10307913 Michael O'Neill
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Flag of Ireland.svg 2028 To be determinedTo be determined
Flag of Italy.svg Flag of Turkey.svg 2032
TotalRound of 161/17410323130472756140167
*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League recordManager(s)
SeasonDivisionGroupPldWDLGFGAP/RRK
2018–19 B 3 400427Steady3.svg24th Michael O'Neill
2020–21 B 1 6024411Red Arrow Down.svg32nd Ian Baraclough
2022–23 C 2 6123710Steady3.svg44th Ian Baraclough
2024–25 C 3 6321113Green Arrow Up Darker.svg36th Michael O'Neill
Total224612243124th

Summary of results

All competitive matches [48]
PldWDLGFGAGD
5641461242946081070−462
All matches including friendlies [49] [50]
PldWDLGFGAGD
6961811593567291285−556

Results updated after match against Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg on 18 November 2024.

FIFA Rankings

Last updated on 16 February 2022. [51]

FIFA World Rankings

 Worst Ranking   Best Ranking   Worst Mover   Best Mover  

RankYearGames
Played
WonDrawnLostBestWorst
RankMoveRankMove
5420211243545Increase2.svg 4 (September)58Decrease2.svg 11 (October)
452020803536Steady2.svg 0 (February)45Decrease2.svg 4 (November)
3620191061328Increase2.svg 5 (June)36Decrease2.svg 4 (October)
352018922524Increase2.svg 2 (March)35Decrease2.svg 6 (October)
242017951320Increase2.svg 9 (April)35Decrease2.svg 3 (October)
3220161353525Increase2.svg 4 (November)36Decrease2.svg 6 (October)
302015944129Increase2.svg 8 (March)51Decrease2.svg 4 (April)
482014731343Increase2.svg28 (October)95Decrease2.svg 6 (August)
892013812586Increase2.svg 23 (September)119Decrease2.svg 22 (April)
962012704386Increase2.svg 17 (November)129Decrease2.svg28 (September)
8820111011838Increase2.svg 5 (February)89Decrease2.svg 25 (April)
4320101013439Increase2.svg 14 (September)59Decrease2.svg 11 (March)
402009933327Increase2.svg 15 (April)52Decrease2.svg 9 (November)
522008822432Increase2.svg 2 (June)52Decrease2.svg 10 (December)
322007942327Increase2.svg 14 (April)49Decrease2.svg 9 (September)
482006841345Increase2.svg 21 (July)103Decrease2.svg 3 (November)
103200510226101Increase2.svg 15 (September)116Decrease2.svg 4 (August)
107200411362107Increase2.svg 9 (April)124Decrease2.svg 2 (July)
12220038026106Increase2.svg 1 (June)122Decrease2.svg 7 (October)
1032002603389Increase2.svg 1 (April)103Decrease2.svg 8 (September)
882001821588Increase2.svg 10 (September)107Decrease2.svg 4 (June)
932000731384Increase2.svg 5 (October)98Decrease2.svg 5 (May)
841999812567Increase2.svg 19 (January)84Decrease2.svg 7 (October)
861998631286Increase2.svg 7 (October)99Decrease2.svg 6 (February)
931997913563Increase2.svg 5 (April)93Decrease2.svg 10 (December)
641996713348Increase2.svg 11 (December)75Decrease2.svg 9 (October)
451995832345Increase2.svg 10 (September)55Decrease2.svg 5 (February)
451994730433Increase2.svg 7 (April)45Decrease2.svg 8 (June)
391993841339Increase2.svg 3 (August)42Decrease2.svg 2 (October)

FIFA ranking history

The following is a chart of the yearly averages of Northern Ireland's FIFA ranking.

Honours

Regional

See also

Notes

  1. The team did not use the team name Northern Ireland until 1952 in a one-off friendly against France, also the Ulster banner the flag currently used by the Northern Ireland team did not become the official flag of Northern Ireland until 1953. However, the team's first appearance after the end of Ireland (IFA), was against England in October 1950 in the 1950–51 British Home Championship.
  2. The last match played as Ireland was in 1978 against Scotland. [3] However, apart from this match, all British Championship matches had been played as "Northern Ireland" since the 1973–74 tournament. [4] In the 1972–73 tournament, the first two matches were played as "Ireland" and the third as "Northern Ireland". In the 1971–72 tournament, the first was played as "Ireland" and the second and third as "Northern Ireland". 1970–71 was the last tournament in which all matches were played under the name "Ireland". [5]
  3. Bertie Peacock managed for the first three qualifying matches. Billy Bingham managed the remainder of the qualification campaign.
  4. Billy Bingham managed for the first three qualifying matches. Terry Neill managed the remainder of the qualification campaign.
  5. Terry Neill managed for the first two qualifying matches. Dave Clements managed the remainder of the qualification campaign.
  6. Lawrie Sanchez managed for the first six qualifying matches. Nigel Worthington managed the remainder of the qualification campaign.
  7. Michael O'Neill managed the team for the eight qualifying group stage matches. Ian Baraclough managed the team in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish Football Association</span> Governing body of association football in Northern Ireland

The Irish Football Association (IFA) is the governing body for association football in Northern Ireland. It organised the Ireland national football team from 1880 to 1950, which after 1954, became the Northern Ireland national football team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of Ireland national football team</span> Mens national association football team

The Republic of Ireland national football team represents the Republic of Ireland in men's international football. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linfield F.C.</span> Association football club in Northern Ireland

Linfield Football Club is a Northern Irish professional football club, based in south Belfast, which plays in the NIFL Premiership – the highest level of the Northern Ireland Football League. The fourth-oldest club on the island of Ireland, Linfield was founded in 1886 by workers at the Ulster Spinning Company's Linfield Mill. Since 1905, the club's home ground has been Windsor Park, which is also the home of the Northern Ireland national team and is the largest football stadium in Northern Ireland. They train at Midgley Park which is beside the stadium. The club's badge displays Windsor Castle, in reference to the ground's namesake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliftonville F.C.</span> Association football club in Northern Ireland

Cliftonville Football & Athletic Club is a semi-professional association football club playing in the NIFL Premiership – the top division of the Northern Ireland Football League. The club was founded in September 1879 by John McAlery in the suburb of Cliftonville in north Belfast and are the founders of football in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crusaders F.C.</span> Association football club in Northern Ireland

Crusaders Football Club is a semi-professional Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Premiership. The club, founded in 1898, is based in north Belfast and plays its home matches at Seaview.

The Irish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly referred to as the Irish Cup is the primary football knockout cup competition in Ireland. Inaugurated in 1881, it is the fourth-oldest national cup competition in the world. Prior to the break-away from the Irish Football Association by clubs from what would become the Irish Free State in 1921, the Irish Cup was the national cup competition for the whole of Ireland.

Windsor Park, officially the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park after the 2015 renovation and also known as The National Stadium, and occasionally nicknamed in Irish-language media as Páirc Windsor, is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Linfield who own the land the stadium is built on, while the Irish Football Association own and operate the stadium and pay Linfield an annual rental fee for the use of the land on behalf of the Northern Ireland national football team. The stadium is usually where the Irish Cup final is played.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Boys</span> Loyalist song associated with Rangers F.C.

"Billy Boys", also titled "The Billy Boys", is a loyalist song from Glasgow, sung to the tune of "Marching Through Georgia." It originated in the 1920s as the signature song of one of the Glasgow razor gangs led by Billy Fullerton and later became viewed to reflect the long-running sectarian religious hatred directed by some Protestants against Catholics in the city. It is associated in particular with Rangers F.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Oval (Belfast)</span> Football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland

The Oval is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which has been home to Glentoran F.C. since 1892.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casement Park</span> Gaelic games stadium in Belfast

Casement Park is the principal Gaelic games stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is located in Andersonstown Road in the west of the city, and is named after the Irish revolutionary Roger Casement.

Association football in Northern Ireland, widely known as football or sometimes as soccer, is one of the most popular sports in Northern Ireland. The governing body in Northern Ireland is the Irish Football Association (IFA). Gaelic football, rugby union and association football are the most popular sports in Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mourneview Park</span> Football stadium in Lurgan, Northern Ireland

Mourneview Park is a football stadium in Lurgan, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, and is the home ground of NIFL Premiership club Glenavon. The stadium holds 4,160 and was originally built in 1895. The 2008–09 Irish League Cup, 2010–11 Irish League Cup and 2020-21 Irish Cup finals were held at the stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan McGivern</span> Northern Irish footballer

Ryan McGivern is a Northern Irish footballer who plays for NIFL Premiership club Newry City. He can play as a left-back or a central defender, and has represented Northern Ireland in international football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Two derby</span> Association football derby in Belfast

The Big Two derby, also referred to simply as the Big Two or Bel Classico, is the name given to the association football derby between Belfast clubs, Linfield and Glentoran. The derby is also sometimes referred to as the Belfast derby. They are the two most successful and most supported clubs in Northern Ireland league football. They traditionally face each other on Boxing Day each year which usually attracts the largest NIFL Premiership attendance of the season. They regularly play each other in the league, and have contested more cup finals together than any other two clubs. They also make up two of the three clubs that have competed in every season of Northern Ireland's top flight since its inception in 1890 – neither club ever suffering relegation.

The 2012–13 Irish League Cup was the 27th edition of the Irish League Cup, Northern Ireland's secondary football knock-out cup competition. It was contested by the twelve members of the IFA Premiership, as well as the 29 members of the IFA Championship. The competition began on 14 August 2012, and ended with the final on 26 January 2013.

The 2012–13 Irish Cup was the 133rd edition of the Irish Cup, Northern Ireland's premier football knockout cup competition. The competition began on 15 September 2012 with the first round and ended on 4 May 2013 with the final. The cup was sponsored by JJB Sports until October 2012, when the company went into administration. The competition remained without a principal sponsor, but the final was known as the Marie Curie Irish Cup final, after the IFA awarded the naming rights for the final to the charity Marie Curie Cancer Care.

The 2014–15 NIFL Premiership was the 7th season of the NIFL Premiership, the highest level of league football in Northern Ireland, the 114th season of Irish league football overall, and the 2nd season of the league operating as part of the newly created Northern Ireland Football League.

Sunday football in Northern Ireland has been a controversial issue. Until 2008, the Irish Football Association (IFA) under IFA Article 27, prohibited any clubs affiliated with them from playing association football matches on Sunday. The ban initially came from various government legislation, both local and national. Northern Ireland's Protestant Christian majority's observance of Sunday as the Sabbath, was also a major factor which amounted to a continuance of the observance of tradition for a lot longer than in the rest of the UK. It was also a way to combat a perceived encroachment on their culture by Catholics. Since the abolition of the ban, teams can play matches on Sunday if they have mutual agreement, although some teams such as Linfield have club rules against such games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Champions Cup (All-Ireland)</span> All-island association football competition

The Champions Cup was a cross-border association football super cup inaugurated in 2019 that features the league champions from both football associations on the island of Ireland. The competition sees the League of Ireland Premier Division champions from the Republic of Ireland face the NIFL Premiership champions from Northern Ireland. The Champions Cup is the successor to the Setanta Sports Cup, the previous all-Ireland competition which ran from 2005 until 2014. The Champions Cup is sponsored by Unite the Union, the British and Irish trade union. The 2019 edition was the only one contested, and as of 2022 there is little prospect of the competition returning.

References

  1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  2. Matthew Taylor (2008). The Association Game: A History of British Football. Harlow:Pearson Education Ltd.
  3. "NIFG: Northern Ireland Programmes 1975–1978". Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  4. "NIFG: Northern Ireland Programmes 1972–1975". Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  5. "NIFG: Northern Ireland Programmes 1968–1972". Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  6. "When Northern Ireland won the last ever British Home Championship". Guardian. 15 June 2022. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  7. Whiteside, Norman (2007). Determined. Headline Publishing Group. p. 129. ISBN   978-0-7553-1598-7.
  8. Whiteside, Norman (2007). Determined. Headline Publishing Group. p. 135. ISBN   978-0-7553-1598-7.
  9. "How Northern Ireland qualified for their last World Cup in 1986". Guardian. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  10. "Northern Ireland 3 Greece 1". BBC Sport. 8 October 2015. Archived from the original on 11 October 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2015. At the tournament, the Northern Ireland fans made the famous chant 'Will Grigg's on fire' famous
  11. Jackson, Lyle (16 June 2016). "Ukraine 0, Northern Ireland 2". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  12. "IFA wants out of Windsor contract". BBC News. 17 July 2007. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  13. "Lord's Hansard on the question of building an NI national stadium". Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  14. "Tide Turns Against The Maze". Archived from the original on 17 August 2007. Retrieved 20 July 2007.
  15. Report slams Windsor Park safety Archived 15 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine BBC News
  16. IFA wants out of Windsor contract Archived 15 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine BBC News
  17. South Stand future under threat Archived 26 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine BBC News
  18. Plans for £128m Belfast stadium unveiled Archived 22 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine  – The Independent, 25/03/09
  19. IFA 'backs Windsor as NI stadium' Archived 15 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine  – BBC News, 07/09/09
  20. Linfield FC has £20m stadium plan Archived 15 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine  – BBC News, 12/06/09
  21. "Stadiums fit for our heroes on way at last Belfast Telegraph". Belfast Telegraph. 11 March 2011. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  22. "WINDSOR PARK REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT". Irish Football Association. 25 June 2012. Archived from the original on 29 May 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  23. "GREEN LIGHT FOR STADIUM REDEVELOPMENT". Irish Football Association. 20 February 2013. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  24. "Windsor Park funding faces legal challenge from Crusaders". BBC Sport. 17 April 2013. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  25. "Crusaders win right to oppose government funding for Windsor". BBC Sport. 22 May 2013. Archived from the original on 13 June 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  26. "Crusaders support settlement on Windsor Park upgrade". BBC Sport. 16 July 2013. Archived from the original on 20 July 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  27. "Sports Minister Caral Ni Chuilin 'committed' to Windsor upgrade". BBC Sport. 26 September 2013. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  28. "WORK BEGINS AT WINDSOR PARK". Irish Football Association. 6 May 2014. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  29. "BBC news story on NI ticket sales". BBC News. 5 April 2006. Archived from the original on 24 December 2006. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  30. "Football: George Best: Football's first icon". The Guardian. London. 27 November 2005. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  31. "Will Grigg's on fire: Parody song reaches number seven in ITunes UK Top 100". BBC. 2 June 2016. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  32. Brian McNally (5 March 2010). "Why Northern Ireland continue to pay the price for abuse dished out to Neil Lennon". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 16 May 2010. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  33. 1 2 3 4 5 Gilmour, Paul. "Neil Lennon threat 'a turning point' for Northern Ireland campaign". Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  34. Tim Rich (23 August 2002). "Death threat forces Lennon to place family feelings first". The Independent. London. Retrieved 21 February 2011.[ dead link ]
  35. "BBC News Star helps in graffiti removal". 30 October 2003. Archived from the original on 3 July 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  36. "Lennon hails anti-sectarian drive". BBC News. 25 October 2006. Archived from the original on 8 November 2006. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  37. "Praise for IFA's Football for All Awards Night". Irish Football Association. 25 February 2007. Archived from the original on 7 March 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2007.
  38. "Northern Ireland Fans Are Officially The Best In Europe". Irishfa.com. 24 August 2006. Archived from the original on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  39. "Caral Ni Chuilin attends NI game at Windsor Park". BBC News. 11 August 2011. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  40. "Premier Sports agrees deal to broadcast Northern Ireland games from 2022-2024". Irish FA. 20 May 2022. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  41. "Sky TV deal to net IFA over £10m". BBC Sport. 27 April 2007. Archived from the original on 25 August 2007. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
  42. Beacom, Steven (15 May 2013). "Northern Ireland fans can reach for the Sky again with new TV deal". Belfast Telegraph. INM. Archived from the original on 7 October 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
  43. "Belarus teams to play on neutral ground in UEFA competitions". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  44. Due to the Belarusian involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Belarus are required to play their home matches at neutral venues and behind closed doors until further notice. [43]
  45. "McConville receives first senior call-up". 5 November 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  46. "Devenny gets first senior call-up following Palace debut". 11 November 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  47. "Most Northern Ireland Caps - EU-Football.info". eu-football.info. Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  48. "Historical Results – Fixtures And Results – International – The Irish Football Association". Irishfa.com. 16 July 2012. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  49. Irish Football Association (2009). Official Souvenir Programme: Northern Ireland vs Serbia. Belfast:Irish Football Association
  50. Jackson, Lyle (14 November 2009). "BBC:Northern Ireland 0–1 Serbia". BBC News. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
  51. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking - Associations - Northern Ireland - Men's". Archived from the original on 19 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.