Northern Ireland women's national football team

Northern Ireland

Association	Irish Football Association (IFA)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Tanya Oxtoby [1]
Captain	Simone Magill
Most caps	Julie Nelson (125)
Top scorer	Rachel Furness (38)
FIFA code	NIR
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	44 (7 August 2025) [2]
Highest	44 (December 2024 – June 2025)
Lowest	85 (June 2005)
First international
Republic of Ireland 4–1 Northern Ireland   (Dublin, Republic of Ireland; 30 June 1973)
Biggest win
North Macedonia 0–11 Northern Ireland   (Skopje, North Macedonia; 25 November 2021)
Biggest defeat
Scotland 11–1 Northern Ireland   (Clydebank, Scotland, 23 November 1974)   England 10–0 Northern Ireland   (Blackburn, England, 16 March 1986)
World Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 2035 )
European Championship
Appearances	1 (first in 2022 )
Best result	Group stage (2022)

Northern Ireland women's national football team in 2025

The Northern Ireland women's national football team represents Northern Ireland in international women's football. Although most national football teams represent a sovereign state, FIFA statutes permit Northern Ireland as a member of the United Kingdom's Home Nations to maintain its own national side that competes in all major tournaments, with the exception of the Women's Olympic Football Tournament.

The team were the lowest UEFA-ranked team (27th) ^[3] to qualify for the European Championships Finals in England in 2022. They are set to participate in the World Cup for the first time in 2035 as they automatically qualified as co-host along with other three countries in the United Kingdom.

In September 2021 it was announced that the senior women's team would be adopting a full-time professional set up ahead of Euro 2022. ^[4]

Results and fixtures

See also: 2025 in association football, 2025 in sports, and FIFA International Match Calendar

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

Legend

  Win  Draw  Lose  Fixture

2024

Portugal   v   Northern Ireland

31 May Euro 2025 qualifying	Portugal	4–0	Northern Ireland	Leiria
21:45 (20:45 UTC+1)	C. Costa 25' (pen.) Alves 49', 90+6' Amado 83'	Report		Stadium: Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa Attendance: 10,017 Referee: Tess Olofsson (Sweden)

Northern Ireland   v   Portugal

4 June Euro 2025 qualifying	Northern Ireland	1–2	Portugal	Lurgan
20:00 (19:00 UTC+1)	Wade 5'	Report	Nazareth 18' Norton 30'	Stadium: Mourneview Park Referee: Franziska Wildfeuer (Germany)

Malta   v   Northern Ireland

12 July Euro 2025 qualifying	Malta	0–2	Northern Ireland	Ta' Qali
19:30		Report		Stadium: Centenary Stadium

Northern Ireland   v   Bosnia and Herzegovina

16 July Euro 2025 qualifying	Northern Ireland	2–0	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Belfast
19:00 (18:00 UTC+1)		Report		Stadium: Windsor Park

Croatia   v   Northern Ireland

25 October 2024 Euro 2025 qualifying play-off	Croatia	1–1	Northern Ireland	Varaždin, Croatia
18:00 CEST (UTC+01:00)	Lojna 4' (pen.)	Report	Lojna 90+2' (o.g.)	Stadium: Stadion Varteks

Northern Ireland   v   Croatia

29 October 2024 Euro 2025 qualifying play-off	Northern Ireland	1–0 (a.e.t.) (2–1 agg.)	Croatia	Belfast
20:00 CEST (UTC+01:00)	Wade 114'	Report		Stadium: Windsor Park

Northern Ireland   v   Norway

29 November Euro 2025 qualifying play-offs	Northern Ireland	0–4	Norway	Larne, Northern Ireland
19:00  UTC+0		Report	Graham Hansen 7', 26' Hansen 14' Bergsvand 67'	Stadium: Inver Park Attendance: 1,866 Referee: Ivana Martinčić (Croatia)

Norway   v   Northern Ireland

3 December Euro 2025 qualifying play-offs	Norway	3–0 (7–0 agg.)	Northern Ireland	Oslo, Norway
18:00  UTC+1	Graham Hansen 13' Maanum 47' Jensen 78'	Report		Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion Attendance: 3,155 Referee: Jelena Cvetković (Serbia)
Note: Norway won 7–0 on aggregate, and qualified for the finals.

2025

Poland   v   Northern Ireland

21 February 2025 UEFA Nations League	Poland	2–0	Northern Ireland	Gdańsk, Poland
20:45	Kamczyk 17' Achcińska 20'	Report		Stadium: Gdańsk Stadium Attendance: 2,700 Referee: Emanuela Rusta (Albania)

Northern Ireland   v   Bosnia and Herzegovina

25 February 2025 UEFA Nations League	Northern Ireland	3–2	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Larne, Northern Ireland
20:00 (19:00 GMT)	McPartlan 15' Magill 89', 90+2'	Report	Ekić 46' Milinković 49'	Stadium: Inver Park Attendance: 1,303 Referee: Caroline Lanssens (Belgium)

Romania   v   Northern Ireland

4 April 2025 UEFA Nations League	Romania	1–1	Northern Ireland	Bucharest, Romania
18:00 (19:00 EEST)	Ciolacu 38'	Report	Maxwell 33'	Stadium: Stadionul Arcul de Triumf Attendance: 1,485< Referee: Sandra Bastos (Portugal)

Northern Ireland   v   Romania

8 April 2025 UEFA Nations League	Northern Ireland	1–0	Romania	Belfast, Northern Ireland
18:00	Weir 8'	Report		Stadium: Windsor Park Attendance: 2,380 Referee: Shona Shukrula (Netherlands)

Northern Ireland   v   Poland

30 May 2025 UEFA Nations League	Northern Ireland	0–4	Poland	Belfast, Northern Ireland
20:00		Report	Pajor 5', 9' Achcińska 28' Słowińska 47'	Stadium: Seaview Attendance: 2,482 Referee: Minka Vekkeli (Finland)

Bosnia and Herzegovina   v   Northern Ireland

3 June 2025 UEFA Nations League	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1–1	Northern Ireland	Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
19:00	Krajšumović 29'	Report	Magill 23'	Stadium: Bosnia and Herzegovina FA Training Centre Attendance: 300 Referee: Hristiyana Guteva (Bulgaria)

Northern Ireland   v   Iceland

24 October 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League play-off

Northern Ireland

v

Iceland

Northern Ireland

Iceland   v   Northern Ireland

28 October 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League play-off

Iceland

v

Northern Ireland

Iceland

Coaching staff

Manager history

• Alfie Wylie (2004–2019) ^[5]
• Kenny Shiels (2019–2023) ^{[6] [7]}
• Tanya Oxtoby (2023–) ^[1]

Players

Current squad

The following players were named to the squad for the UEFA Women's Nations League matches against Poland and Poland on 30 May and 3 June 2025, respectively. ^[8]

Caps and goals correct as of 3 June 2025, after the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. ^[9]

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1 GK	Jackie Burns	(1997-03-06) 6 March 1997 (age 28)	62	0	Calgary Wild
12	1 GK	Abbie Smith	(2008-08-15) 15 August 2008 (age 17)	0	0	Manchester City
23	1 GK	Kate Smith	(2007-05-10) 10 May 2007 (age 18)	0	0	Lisburn Rangers
2	2 DF	Rebecca McKenna	(2001-04-13) 13 April 2001 (age 24)	55	2	Birmingham City
5	2 DF	Rachel Dugdale	(1996-11-19) 19 November 1996 (age 28)	43	0	Blackburn Rovers
8	2 DF	Natalie Johnson	(1993-11-12) 12 November 1993 (age 31)	6	0	Nottingham Forest
15	2 DF	Rebecca Holloway	(1995-08-25) 25 August 1995 (age 29)	35	3	Birmingham City
16	2 DF	Ellie Mason	(1996-02-16) 16 February 1996 (age 29)	13	0	Birmingham City
22	2 DF	Abi Sweetlove	(2006-04-09) 9 April 2006 (age 19)	1	0	Linfield
3	3 MF	Megan Bell	(2001-04-17) 17 April 2001 (age 24)	38	3	Nottingham Forest
4	3 MF	Brenna McPartlan	(1999-09-01) 1 September 1999 (age 25)	16	1	Burnley
6	3 MF	Rachel Furness RET	(1988-06-19) 19 June 1988 (age 37)	95	38	Bristol City
7	3 MF	Aimee Kerr	(2006-05-31) 31 May 2006 (age 19)	1	0	Glentoran
13	3 MF	Nadene Caldwell	(1991-01-24) 24 January 1991 (age 34)	89	1	Glentoran
17	3 MF	Joely Andrews	(2002-04-20) 20 April 2002 (age 23)	31	2	Hearts
18	3 MF	Louise McDaniel	(2000-05-24) 24 May 2000 (age 25)	18	1	Burnley
9	4 FW	Simone Magill (captain)	(1994-11-01) 1 November 1994 (age 30)	95	28	Birmingham City
10	4 FW	Keri Halliday	(2005-02-11) 11 February 2005 (age 20)	13	0	Linfield
11	4 FW	Danielle Maxwell	(2002-04-09) 9 April 2002 (age 23)	21	3	Burnley
14	4 FW	Lauren Wade	(1993-11-22) 22 November 1993 (age 31)	75	14	Hearts
19	4 FW	Emily Wilson	(2001-08-26) 26 August 2001 (age 23)	31	1	Glentoran
20	4 FW	Caragh Hamilton	(1996-10-18) 18 October 1996 (age 28)	51	7	Nottingham Forest
21	4 FW	Kascie Weir	(2006-10-02) 2 October 2006 (age 18)	6	1	Glentoran

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the squad within the past 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Maddy Harvey-Clifford INJ	(2002-05-08) 8 May 2002 (age 23)	4	0	Crusaders	v.   Poland, 30 May 2025
GK	Rachael Norney	(2004-06-18) 18 June 2004 (age 21)	1	0	Liverpool Feds	v.   Romania, 8 April 2025
GK	Lauren Perry	(2001-04-05) 5 April 2001 (age 24)	5	0	Montrose	v.   Croatia, 29 October 2024
GK	Shannon Turner	(1997-09-08) 8 September 1997 (age 27)	6	0	Wolverhampton Wanderers	v.   Montenegro, 27 February 2024
DF	Laura Rafferty INJ	(1996-04-29) 29 April 1996 (age 29)	54	0	Rangers	v.   Poland, 30 May 2025
DF	Kelsie Burrows	(2001-02-22) 22 February 2001 (age 24)	13	0	Cliftonville	v.   Romania, 8 April 2025
DF	Demi Vance	(1991-05-02) 2 May 1991 (age 34)	95	4	Glentoran	v.   Croatia, 29 October 2024
DF	Rachel McLaren	(2002-11-19) 19 November 2002 (age 22)	1	0	Crusaders	v.   Croatia, 29 October 2024
DF	Abbie Magee	(2000-11-15) 15 November 2000 (age 24)	12	0	Cliftonville	v.   Bosnia and Herzegovina, 9 April 2024
DF	Sarah McFadden	(1987-05-23) 23 May 1987 (age 38)	106	9	Durham	v.   Montenegro, 27 February 2024
MF	Connie Scofield INJ	(1999-05-26) 26 May 1999 (age 26)	7	0	London City Lionesses	v.   Poland, 30 May 2025
MF	Marissa Callaghan	(1985-09-02) 2 September 1985 (age 39)	86	9	Cliftonville	v.   Croatia, 29 October 2024
FW	Kerry Beattie	(2002-09-27) 27 September 2002 (age 22)	10	3	Glentoran	v.   Bosnia and Herzegovina, 25 February 2025
FW	Casey Howe	(2002-09-02) 2 September 2002 (age 22)	3	0	Athlone Town	v.   Norway, 3 December 2024
Notes INJ = Withdrew due to injury PRE = Preliminary squad / standby RET = Retired from the national team

Records

Main page: Category:Northern Ireland women's international footballers

• Statistics correct as of 5 December 2023.
• Active players in bold.

Most caps Rank Name Career Caps 1 Julie Nelson 2004– 126 2 Ashley Hutton 2005– 114 3 Sarah McFadden 2005– 104 4 Rachel Furness 2005–2023 95 5 Demi Vance 2009– 90 6 Marissa Callaghan 2010– 86 7 Nadene Caldwell 2009– 78 Simone Magill 2010– 9 Kirsty McGuinness 2010– 57 10 Lauren Wade 2015– 54

Most goals Rank Name Career Caps Goals 1 Rachel Furness 2005–2023 95 38 2 Simone Magill 2010– 78 24 3 Kirsty McGuinness 2010– 57 14 4 Marissa Callaghan 2010– 86 9 Ashley Hutton 2005– 114 Sarah McFadden 2005– 104 Julie Nelson 2004– 126 Lauren Wade 2015– 54 9 Caragh Hamilton 2012– 38 6 10 Demi Vance 2009– 90 4

Simone Magill holds the world record for the fastest international goal in women's football. Previously, US forward Alex Morgan had held the record at twelve seconds. Magill achieved an eleven-second goal against Georgia at the start of a European Qualifying match on 3 June 2016. The goal marks the fastest ever international goal by any national Northern Irish team – male or female. ^[10]

Competitive record

FIFA Women's World Cup

FIFA Women's World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GF	GA	GD		GP	W	D*	L	GF	GA	GD
1991	Did not qualify									UEFA EURO 1991
1995	Did not enter									UEFA EURO 1995
1999										Did not enter
2003
2007	Did not qualify									6	2	1	3	7	11	−4
2011										10	3	2	5	8	16	−8
2015										10	1	2	7	3	19	−16
2019										8	1	0	7	4	27	−23
2023										10	6	1	3	36	16	+20
2027	To be determined									To be determined
2031	To be determined									To be determined
2035	Qualified									Qualified as co-host
Total	1/12	-	-	-	-	-	-	-		44	13	11	23	58	89	−31

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

UEFA Women's Championship

UEFA Women's Championship record									Qualifying record
Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GF	GA		GP	W	D*	L	GF	GA	P/R	Rnk
1984	Did not qualify								6	0	0	6	5	21	–
1987									6	0	0	6	2	35
1989	Did not enter								Did not enter
1991	Did not qualify								4	0	0	4	1	21	–
1993	Did not enter								Did not enter
1995
1997
2001
2005
2009	Did not qualify								11	2	1	8	11	28	–
2013									10	3	2	5	12	15
2017									8	2	1	5	10	22
2022	Group stage	3	0	0	3	1	11		10	6	2	2	21	18
2025	Did not qualify								10	4	2	4	10	15	[a]	23rd
Total	1/14	3	0	0	3	1	11		65	17	8	40	72	175	23rd

*Draws include knockout matches decided by penalty kicks.

UEFA Women's Nations League

UEFA Women's Nations League record
Season	League	Group	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	RK
2023–24	B	1	3rd	8	3	2	3	12	14	*	26th
2025	B	1	To be determined
Total				8	3	2	3	12	14	26th

	Promoted at end of season
	No movement at end of season
	Relegated at end of season
*	Participated in promotion/relegation play-offs

See also

• Northern Ireland women's national under-19 football team
• Northern Ireland women's national under-17 football team
• Northern Ireland national football team, the men's team
• Republic of Ireland women's national football team

Notes

1. From Euro 2025 onwards a new qualifying format was introduced, linked to the Women's Nations League where teams are divided into leagues with promotion/relegation between the leagues at the end of each cycle.

References

1. Archer, Kenny (1 September 2023). "New Northern Ireland women's manager Tanya Oxtoby targeting top tournaments". The Irish News. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
2. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 7 August 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
3. "Women's National Teams Coefficient Overview" (PDF). UEFA . 24 February 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
4. VAVEL.com (29 September 2021). "Northern Ireland Women move to a full-time international set-up". VAVEL. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
5. "Alfie Wylie leaves role as Northern Ireland women's manager after 15 years to take new IFA job". Belfast Telegraph . 12 April 2019.
6. "Kenny Shiels: Former Kilmarnock boss appointed Northern Ireland senior women's manager". BBC Sport. 16 May 2019. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
7. "Kenny Shiels: Northern Ireland women's manager leaves role". BBC Sport. 31 January 2023.
8. "Oxtoby names squad for top of table clash". Irish Football Association. 25 May 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
9. Northern Ireland Senior Women
10. Fullerton, Gareth (7 October 2017). "Northern Ireland striker recognised for scoring fastest goal ever!". belfastlive. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2019.

External links

• Official website
• FIFA profile