Northern Ireland national football team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Northern Ireland women's national football team.

Not to be confused with Republic of Ireland national football team.

The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. From 1882 to 1920, 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.^{[3][n 1]} The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) organises the separate Republic of Ireland national football team.

Northern Ireland

Nickname(s)	Green and White Army, Norn Iron
Association	Irish Football Association (IFA)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Michael O'Neill
Captain	Steven Davis
Most caps	Steven Davis (140)
Top scorer	David Healy (36)
Home stadium	Windsor Park
FIFA code	NIR
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	59 (22 December 2022)^[1]
Highest	20 (September 2017)
Lowest	129 (September 2012)
First international
Ireland 0–13 England  (Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882) as Northern Ireland  Northern Ireland 1–4 England  (Belfast, Northern Ireland; 7 October 1950)
Biggest win
Ireland 7–0 Wales  (Belfast, Ireland; 1 February 1930) as Northern Ireland  Northern Ireland 5–0 Cyprus  (Belfast, Northern Ireland; 21 April 1971)  Faroe Islands 0–5 Northern Ireland  (Landskrona, Sweden; 11 September 1991)
Biggest defeat
Ireland 0–13 England  (Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882) as Northern Ireland  Netherlands 6–0 Northern Ireland  (Amsterdam, Netherlands; 2 June 2012)
World Cup
Appearances	3 (first in 1958)
Best result	Quarter-finals (1958)
European Championship
Appearances	1 (first in 2016)
Best result	Round of 16 (2016)

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.

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.

History

Main article: Ireland national football team (1882–1950)

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.^[7]

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

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.^[8] 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.^[9] 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 an 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.

In the 1986 World Cup, they reached the first round. 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.

Lawrie Sanchez was appointed in January 2004 after a run of ten 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 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

Main article: Windsor Park

 

Windsor Park before the recent 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.

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

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 is due to be completed in 2015.^[28]

Team image

Colours

Northern Ireland traditionally wears green shirts, white shorts and green socks. The kit has been manufactured by Adidas since 2012. Prior to this, the kit was manufactured by Umbro.

Kit suppliers

Kit provider	Period
Umbro	1975–1977
Adidas	1977–1990
Umbro	1990–1994
ASICS	1994–1998
Olympic Sportswear	1998–1999
Patrick	1999–2004
Umbro	2004–2012
Adidas	2012–

Supporters

 

The Green and White Army

Main article: 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

A small element of Northern Ireland's support was, in the past, regarded as sectarian.^[32][33]

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.^[34] Attendance at matches was low; at a 1999 game against France, then reigning World Cup champions, IFA couldn't sell out the ground and there were problems with "sectarian singing and racist abuse."^[34] 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.^[35] 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.^[34] 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.^[34]

Steps taken to eradicate the sectarian element within the support have been successful.^[36] Lennon has been quick to praise these initiatives.^[37] He also praised the "Football For All" Outstanding Achievement Award Winner Stewart MacAfee^[38] 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^[39] 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.^[40] Twenty years after Lennon's resignation, Northern Ireland international games regularly sell out and women and children were "noticeable" amongst the spectators.^[34]

Media coverage

Premier Sports currently have the rights to show all of Northern Ireland's competitive international fixtures up until 2024.^[41]

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.^[42] In May 2013, Sky acquired the rights to all Northern Ireland qualifying games for UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.^[43] 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

Main article: Northern Ireland national football team results (2020–present)

2022

Luxembourg   v   Northern Ireland

25 March International Friendly	Luxembourg	1–3	Northern Ireland	Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
19:15 GMT Match 669	Da Graça   58'	Report	Magennis   16' Davis   83' Whyte   85'	Stadium: Stade de Luxembourg Referee: Daniel Schlager (Germany)

Northern Ireland   v   Hungary

29 March International Friendly	Northern Ireland	0–1	Hungary	Belfast, Northern Ireland
19:45 BST Match 670		Report	Sallai   55'	Stadium: Windsor Park Referee: Rob Harvey (Republic of Ireland)

Northern Ireland   v   Greece

2 June 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C	Northern Ireland	0–1	Greece	Belfast, Northern Ireland
19:45 BST Match 671		Report	Bakasetas   39'	Stadium: Windsor Park Attendance: 16,977 Referee: Erik Lambrechts (Belgium)

Cyprus   v   Northern Ireland

5 June 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C	Cyprus	0–0	Northern Ireland	Larnaca, Cyprus
17:00 BST Match 672		Report		Stadium: AEK Arena – Georgios Karapatakis Attendance: 1,663 Referee: Enea Jorgji (Albania)

Kosovo   v   Northern Ireland

9 June 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C	Kosovo	3–2	Northern Ireland	Pristina, Kosovo
19:45 BST Match 673	Muriqi   9' (pen.), 52' Bytyqi   19'	Report	Lavery   44' Ballard   83'	Stadium: Fadil Vokrri Stadium Attendance: 11,700 Referee: Jakob Kehlet (Denmark)

Northern Ireland   v   Cyprus

12 June 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C	Northern Ireland	2–2	Cyprus	Belfast, Northern Ireland
14:00 BST Match 674	McNair   71' J. Evans   90+4'	Report	Kakoullis   32', 51'	Stadium: Windsor Park Attendance: 16,454 Referee: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea (Spain)

Northern Ireland   v   Kosovo

24 September 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C	Northern Ireland	2–1	Kosovo	Belfast, Northern Ireland
17:00 BST Match 675	Whyte   82' Magennis   90+3'	Report	Muriqi   58'	Stadium: Windsor Park Attendance: 17,148 Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)

Greece   v   Northern Ireland

27 September 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C	Greece	3–1	Northern Ireland	Athens, Greece
19:45 BST Match 676	Pelkas   14' Masouras   55' Mantalos   80'	Report	Lavery   18'	Stadium: Agia Sophia Stadium Attendance: 5,871 Referee: Filip Glova (Slovakia)

2023

San Marino   v   Northern Ireland

23 March UEFA Euro 2024 Group H Qualifier	San Marino	v	Northern Ireland	Serravalle, San Marino
19:45 GMT Match 677		Report		Stadium: Stadio Olimpico de Serravalle

Northern Ireland   v   Finland

26 March UEFA Euro 2024 Group H Qualifier	Northern Ireland	v	Finland	Belfast, Northern Ireland
19:45 BST Match 678		Report		Stadium: Windsor Park

Denmark   v   Northern Ireland

16 June UEFA Euro 2024 Group H Qualifier	Denmark	v	Northern Ireland	Copenhagen, Denmark
19:45 BST Match 679		Report		Stadium: Parken Stadium

Northern Ireland   v   Kazakhstan

19 June UEFA Euro 2024 Group H Qualifier	Northern Ireland	v	Kazakhstan	Belfast, Northern Ireland
19:45 BST Match 680		Report		Stadium: Windsor Park

Slovenia   v   Northern Ireland

7 September UEFA Euro 2024 Group H Qualifier	Slovenia	v	Northern Ireland	Ljubljana, Slovenia
19:45 BST Match 681		Report		Stadium: Stožice Stadium

Kazakhstan   v   Northern Ireland

10 September UEFA Euro 2024 Group H Qualifier	Kazakhstan	v	Northern Ireland	Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
14:00 BST Match 682		Report		Stadium: Astana Arena

Northern Ireland   v   San Marino

14 October UEFA Euro 2024 Group H Qualifier	Northern Ireland	v	San Marino	Belfast, Northern Ireland
14:00 BST Match 683		Report		Stadium: Windsor Park

Northern Ireland   v   Slovenia

17 October UEFA Euro 2024 Group H Qualifier	Northern Ireland	v	Slovenia	Belfast, Northern Ireland
19:45 BST Match 684		Report		Stadium: Windsor Park

Finland   v   Northern Ireland

17 November UEFA Euro 2024 Group H Qualifier	Finland	v	Northern Ireland	Helsinki, Finland
17:00 GMT Match 685		Report		Stadium: Helsinki Olympic Stadium

Northern Ireland   v   Denmark

20 November UEFA Euro 2024 Group H Qualifier	Northern Ireland	v	Denmark	Belfast, Northern Ireland
19:45 GMT Match 686		Report		Stadium: Windsor Park

Coaching staff

Position	Name
Manager	Michael O'Neill
Assistant Manager	Jimmy Nicholl
Coaching Assistant	Tommy Johnson
Goalkeeping Coach	Roy Carroll
Head Physiotherapist	Caroline Woods
Kit Manager	Raymond Millar

Coaching history

  Current manager highlighted in green

Last updated after match against   Greece on 27 September 2022.

Manager	First Game	Last Game	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %	Draw %	Loss %
Irish FA Selection Committee	18 February 1882 vs.	12 May 1951 vs.	177	29	27	121	200	568	-368	16.39%	15.25%	68.36%
Peter Doherty	6 October 1951 vs.	9 May 1962 vs.	51	9	14	28	67	119	-52	17.65%	27.45%	54.90%
Bertie Peacock	10 October 1962 vs.	12 April 1967 vs.	28	11	4	13	46	54	-8	39.29%	14.29%	46.42%
Billy Bingham	21 October 1967 vs.	22 May 1971 vs.	20	8	3	9	24	22	+2	40.00%	15.00%	45.00%
Terry Neill	22 September 1971 vs.	30 October 1974 vs.	20	6	6	8	16	18	-2	30.00%	30.00%	40.00%
Dave Clements	16 April 1975 vs.	14 May 1976 vs.	11	3	2	6	7	15	-8	27.27%	18.18%	54.55%
Danny Blanchflower	13 October 1976 vs.	21 November 1979 vs.	24	6	5	13	19	38	-19	25.00%	20.83%	54.17%
Billy Bingham	26 March 1980 vs.	17 November 1993 vs.	98	32	31	35	91	107	-16	32.65%	31.64%	35.71%
Bryan Hamilton	23 March 1994 vs.	11 October 1997 vs.	31	8	8	15	34	41	-7	25.81%	25.81%	48.38%
Lawrie McMenemy	25 March 1998 vs.	9 October 1999 vs.	14	4	3	7	9	25	-16	28.57%	21.43%	50.00%
Sammy McIlroy	23 February 2000 vs.	11 October 2003 vs.	29	5	7	17	19	40	-21	17.24%	24.14%	58.62%
Lawrie Sanchez	18 February 2004 vs.	28 March 2007 vs.	32	11	10	11	35	42	-7	34.38%	31.24%	34.38%
Nigel Worthington	22 August 2007 vs.	11 October 2011 vs.	41	9	10	22	35	55	-20	21.95%	24.39%	53.66%
Michael O'Neill	29 February 2012 vs.	19 November 2019 vs.	72	26	18	28	75	83	-8	36.11%	25.00%	38.89%
Ian Baraclough	4 September 2020 vs.	27 September 2022 vs.	28	6	8	14	27	36	-9	21.43%	28.57%	50.00%
Michael O'Neill
Total			676	173	156	347	704	1263	-559	25.59%	23.08%	51.33%

Statistics include official FIFA recognised matches only

Players

Main article: List of Northern Ireland international footballers

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League matches against   Kosovo on 24 September and   Greece on 27 September.^[44]

Caps and goals updated as of 27 September 2022, after the match against   Greece.^[45][46]

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Bailey Peacock-Farrell	(1996-10-29) 29 October 1996 (age 26)	35	0	Burnley
12	1GK	Conor Hazard	(1998-03-05) 5 March 1998 (age 24)	4	0	HJK Helsinki
23	1GK	Luke Southwood	(1997-12-06) 6 December 1997 (age 25)	1	0	Cheltenham Town
5	2DF	Jonny Evans	(1988-01-03) 3 January 1988 (age 35)	100	5	Leicester City
17	2DF	Paddy McNair	(1995-04-27) 27 April 1995 (age 27)	58	6	Middlesbrough
11	2DF	Shane Ferguson	(1991-07-12) 12 July 1991 (age 31)	56	2	Rotherham United
3	2DF	Jamal Lewis	(1998-01-25) 25 January 1998 (age 25)	28	0	Newcastle United
4	2DF	Tom Flanagan	(1991-10-21) 21 October 1991 (age 31)	15	0	Shrewsbury Town
22	2DF	Ciaron Brown	(1998-01-14) 14 January 1998 (age 25)	12	0	Oxford United
2	2DF	Conor Bradley	(2003-07-09) 9 July 2003 (age 19)	10	0	Bolton Wanderers
19	2DF	Paddy Lane	(2001-02-18) 18 February 2001 (age 22)	3	0	Fleetwood Town
10	2DF	Kofi Balmer	(2000-09-19) 19 September 2000 (age 22)	0	0	Crystal Palace
8	3MF	Steven Davis (captain)	(1985-01-01) 1 January 1985 (age 38)	140	13	Rangers
13	3MF	Corry Evans	(1990-07-17) 17 July 1990 (age 32)	70	2	Sunderland
6	3MF	George Saville	(1993-06-01) 1 June 1993 (age 29)	42	0	Millwall
15	3MF	Jordan Thompson	(1997-01-03) 3 January 1997 (age 26)	26	0	Stoke City
16	3MF	Ali McCann	(1999-12-04) 4 December 1999 (age 23)	16	1	Preston North End
20	3MF	Shea Charles	(2003-11-05) 5 November 2003 (age 19)	4	0	Manchester City
7	3MF	Conor McMenamin	(1995-08-24) 24 August 1995 (age 27)	4	0	Glentoran
21	4FW	Josh Magennis	(1990-05-15) 15 May 1990 (age 32)	69	10	Wigan Athletic
18	4FW	Gavin Whyte	(1996-01-31) 31 January 1996 (age 27)	29	5	Cardiff City
9	4FW	Shayne Lavery	(1998-12-08) 8 December 1998 (age 24)	17	3	Blackpool
14	4FW	Dion Charles	(1995-10-07) 7 October 1995 (age 27)	13	0	Bolton Wanderers

Recent call-ups

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

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Trevor Carson	(1988-03-05) 5 March 1988 (age 34)	8	0	St Mirren	v.   Cyprus, 12 June 2022
GK	Josh Clarke	(2004-07-28) 28 July 2004 (age 18)	0	0	Celtic	v.   Cyprus, 12 June 2022
GK	Dermot Mee	(2002-11-20) 20 November 2002 (age 20)	0	0	Manchester United	Training camp in May 2022
DF	Daniel Ballard	(1999-09-22) 22 September 1999 (age 23)	16	2	Sunderland	v.   Cyprus, 12 June 2022
DF	Brodie Spencer	(2004-05-06) 6 May 2004 (age 18)	3	0	Huddersfield Town	v.   Cyprus, 12 June 2022
DF	Trai Hume	(2002-03-18) 18 March 2002 (age 20)	2	0	Sunderland	v.   Cyprus, 12 June 2022
DF	Sam McClelland	(2002-01-04) 4 January 2002 (age 21)	1	0	Barrow	Training camp in May 2022
DF	Sean Stewart	(2003-01-21) 21 January 2003 (age 20)	0	0	Norwich City	Training camp in May 2022
DF	Michael Forbes	(2004-04-29) 29 April 2004 (age 18)	0	0	West Ham United	Training camp in May 2022
DF	Ruairi McConville	(2005-05-01) 1 May 2005 (age 17)	0	0	Brighton & Hove Albion	Training camp in May 2022
DF	Craig Cathcart	(1989-02-06) 6 February 1989 (age 34)	69	2	Watford	v.   Hungary, 29 March 2022
MF	Niall McGinn	(1987-07-20) 20 July 1987 (age 35)	73	6	Dundee	v.   Cyprus, 12 June 2022
MF	Liam Donnelly	(1996-03-07) 7 March 1996 (age 26)	4	0	Kilmarnock	v.   Cyprus, 12 June 2022
MF	Alfie McCalmont	(2000-03-25) 25 March 2000 (age 22)	4	0	Leeds United	v.   Cyprus, 12 June 2022
MF	Caolan Boyd-Munce	(2000-01-26) 26 January 2000 (age 23)	0	0	Middlesbrough	v.   Cyprus, 12 June 2022
MF	Charlie McCann	(2002-04-24) 24 April 2002 (age 20)	0	0	Rangers	v.   Cyprus, 12 June 2022
MF	Oisin Smyth	(2000-05-05) 5 May 2000 (age 22)	0	0	Oxford United	Training camp in May 2022
MF	Barry Baggley	(2002-01-11) 11 January 2002 (age 21)	0	0	Fleetwood Town	Training camp in May 2022
MF	Terry Devlin	(2003-03-06) 6 March 2003 (age 19)	0	0	Glentoran	Training camp in May 2022
MF	Charlie Allen	(2003-11-22) 22 November 2003 (age 19)	0	0	Leeds United	Training camp in May 2022
MF	Darren Robinson	(2004-12-29) 29 December 2004 (age 18)	0	0	Derby County	Training camp in May 2022
MF	Stuart Dallas	(1991-04-19) 19 April 1991 (age 31)	62	3	Leeds United	v.   Hungary, 29 March 2022
MF	Matty Kennedy	(1994-11-01) 1 November 1994 (age 28)	3	0	Aberdeen	v.   Luxembourg, 25 March 2022 ^INJ
FW	Kyle Lafferty	(1987-09-16) 16 September 1987 (age 35)	89	20	Kilmarnock	v.   Kosovo, 24 June 2022 ^WTD
FW	Conor Washington	(1992-05-18) 18 May 1992 (age 30)	35	6	Rotherham United	v.   Cyprus, 5 June 2022 ^INJ
FW	Paul Smyth	(1997-09-10) 10 September 1997 (age 25)	3	1	Leyton Orient	Training camp in May 2022
^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 = Suspended from national team. ^WTD = Withdrew due to other reasons.

Records

Main article: Northern Ireland national football team records and statistics

Most appearances

As of 27 September 2022 after the match against   Greece.

  Players still active are highlighted in green

 

Steven Davis has played a record 138 matches for Northern Ireland.

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	First cap	Last cap
1	Steven Davis	140	13	9 February 2005 vs.	27 September 2022 vs.
2	Pat Jennings	119	0	15 April 1964 vs.	12 June 1986 vs.
3	Aaron Hughes	112	1	25 March 1998 vs.	3 June 2018 vs.
4	Jonny Evans	100	5	6 September 2006 vs.	27 September 2022 vs.
5	David Healy	95	36	23 February 2000 vs.	26 March 2013 vs.
6	Mal Donaghy	91	0	16 May 1980 vs.	11 June 1994 vs.
7	Kyle Lafferty	89	20	21 May 2006 vs.	12 June 2022 vs.
8	Sammy McIlroy	88	5	16 February 1972 vs.	15 October 1986 vs.
	Maik Taylor	88	0	27 March 1999 vs.	11 October 2011 vs.
10	Keith Gillespie	86	2	7 September 1995 vs.	19 November 2008 vs.

Top goalscorers

As of 27 September 2022 after the match against   Greece.

 

David Healy is Northern Ireland's top goalscorer of all time.

  Players still active are highlighted in green

Rank	Player	NI career	Goals	Caps	Goals per game	First goal	Last goal
1	David Healy (list)	2000–2013	36	95	0.38	23 February 2000 vs.	14 November 2012 vs.
2	Kyle Lafferty	2006–	20	89	0.22	16 August 2006 vs.	11 November 2016 vs.
3	Billy Gillespie	1913–1932	13	25	0.52	15 February 1913 vs.	20 October 1926 vs.
	Colin Clarke	1986–1993	13	38	0.34	23 April 1986 vs.	9 September 1992 vs.
	Steven Davis	2005–	13	140	0.09	8 October 2005 vs.	25 March 2022 vs.
6	Joe Bambrick	1928–1940	12	11	1.09	22 October 1928 vs.	16 March 1938 vs.
	Jimmy Quinn	1984–1995	12	46	0.26	16 October 1984 vs.	11 October 1995 vs.
	Iain Dowie	1990–1999	12	59	0.2	16 October 1991 vs.	18 November 1998 vs.
	Gerry Armstrong	1977–1986	12	63	0.19	16 November 1977 vs.	14 November 1984 vs.
10	Olphie Stanfield	1887–1897	11	30	0.37	12 March 1887 vs.	6 March 1897 vs.

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

Main article: Northern Ireland at the FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup finals record											Qualification record							Manager(s)
Year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Not a FIFA member										Not a FIFA member							None
1934
1938
1950	did not qualify										3	0	1	2	4	17		Irish FA Committee
1954											3	1	0	2	4	7		Peter Doherty
1958	Quarter-finals	8th	5	2	1	2	6	10	Squad		4	2	1	1	6	3
1962	did not qualify										4	1	0	3	7	8
1966											6	3	2	1	9	5		Bertie Peacock
1970											4	2	1	1	7	3		Billy Bingham
1974											6	1	3	2	5	6		Terry Neill
1978											6	2	1	3	7	6		Danny Blanchflower
1982	Second group stage	9th	5	1	3	1	5	7	Squad		8	3	3	2	6	3		Billy Bingham
1986	Group stage	21st	3	0	1	2	2	6	Squad		8	4	2	2	8	5
1990	did not qualify										8	2	1	5	6	12
1994											12	5	3	4	14	13
1998											10	1	4	5	6	10		Bryan Hamilton
2002											10	3	2	5	11	12		Sammy McIlroy
2006											10	2	3	5	10	18		Lawrie Sanchez
2010											10	4	3	3	13	9		Nigel Worthington
2014											10	1	4	5	9	17		Michael O'Neill
2018											12	6	2	4	17	7
2022											8	2	3	3	6	7		Ian Baraclough
2026	to be determined
Total	Quarter-finals	3/22	13	3	5	5	13	23	—		142	45	39	58	155	168		—
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

UEFA European Championship

Main article: Northern Ireland at the UEFA European Championship

UEFA European Championship record											Qualification record							Manager(s)
Year	Round	Pos	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1960	did not enter										did not enter							None
1964	did not qualify										4	2	1	1	5	2		Bertie Peacock
1968											6	1	1	4	2	8		Bertie Peacock, Billy Bingham^[n 2]
1972											6	2	2	2	10	6		Billy Bingham, Terry Neill^[n 3]
1976											6	3	0	3	8	5		Terry Neill, Dave Clements^[n 4]
1980											8	4	1	3	8	14		Danny Blanchflower
1984											8	5	1	2	8	5		Billy Bingham
1988											6	1	1	4	2	10
1992											8	2	3	3	11	11
1996											10	5	2	3	20	15		Bryan Hamilton
2000											8	1	2	5	4	19		Lawrie McMenemy
2004											8	0	3	5	0	8		Sammy McIlroy
2008											12	6	2	4	17	14		Lawrie Sanchez, Nigel Worthington^[n 5]
2012											10	2	3	5	9	13		Nigel Worthington
2016	Round of 16	16th	4	1	0	3	2	3	Squad		10	6	3	1	16	8		Michael O'Neill
2020	did not qualify										10	4	2	4	11	16		Michael O'Neill, Ian Baraclough^[n 6]
2024	to be determined
Total	Round of 16	1/16	4	1	0	3	2	3	—		120	44	27	49	131	154		—
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalties.

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League record												Manager(s)
Year	Division	Group	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	RK
2018–19	B	3	4	0	0	4	2	7		24th		Michael O'Neill
2020–21	B	1	6	0	2	4	4	11		32nd		Ian Baraclough
2022–23	C	2	6	1	2	3	7	10		44th		Ian Baraclough
2024–25	C	To be determined
Total			16	1	4	11	13	28	—	24th		—

Summary of results

All competitive matches^[47]

P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
548	140	122	286	588	1054	−466

All matches including friendlies^[48][49]‡

P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
676	173	156	347	704	1263	−559

Results updated after match against   Greece on 27 September 2022.

FIFA Rankings

Last updated on 16 February 2022. ^[50]

FIFA World Rankings

  Worst Ranking    Best Ranking    Worst Mover    Best Mover  

Rank	Year	Games Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Best		Worst
						Rank	Move	Rank	Move
54	2021	12	4	3	5	45	4 (September)	58	11 (October)
45	2020	8	0	3	5	36	0 (February)	45	4 (November)
36	2019	10	6	1	3	28	5 (June)	36	4 (October)
35	2018	9	2	2	5	24	2 (March)	35	6 (October)
24	2017	9	5	1	3	20	9 (April)	35	3 (October)
32	2016	13	5	3	5	25	4 (November)	36	6 (October)
30	2015	9	4	4	1	29	8 (March)	51	4 (April)
48	2014	7	3	1	3	43	28 (October)	95	6 (August)
89	2013	8	1	2	5	86	23 (September)	119	22 (April)
96	2012	7	0	4	3	86	17 (November)	129	28 (September)
88	2011	10	1	1	8	38	5 (February)	89	25 (April)
43	2010	10	1	3	4	39	14 (September)	59	11 (March)
40	2009	9	3	3	3	27	15 (April)	52	9 (November)
52	2008	8	2	2	4	32	2 (June)	52	10 (December)
32	2007	9	4	2	3	27	14 (April)	49	9 (September)
48	2006	8	4	1	3	45	21 (July)	103	3 (November)
103	2005	10	2	2	6	101	15 (September)	116	4 (August)
107	2004	11	3	6	2	107	9 (April)	124	2 (July)
122	2003	8	0	2	6	106	1 (June)	122	7 (October)
103	2002	6	0	3	3	89	1 (April)	103	8 (September)
88	2001	8	2	1	5	88	10 (September)	107	4 (June)
93	2000	7	3	1	3	84	5 (October)	98	5 (May)
84	1999	8	1	2	5	67	19 (January)	84	7 (October)
86	1998	6	3	1	2	86	7 (October)	99	6 (February)
93	1997	9	1	3	5	63	5 (April)	93	10 (December)
64	1996	7	1	3	3	48	11 (December)	75	9 (October)
45	1995	8	3	2	3	45	10 (September)	55	5 (February)
45	1994	7	3	0	4	33	7 (April)	45	8 (June)
39	1993	8	4	1	3	39	3 (August)	42	2 (October)

FIFA ranking history

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

Honours

• British Home Championship
  •   Winners (3): 1914 (as   Ireland), 1980, 1984
  •   Shared (5): 1903, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1964

See also

•  Northern Ireland portal
•  Association football portal

• Northern Ireland national under-21 football team
• Northern Ireland national under-19 football team
• Northern Ireland national under-17 football team

Notes

1. The last match played as Ireland was in 1978 against Scotland.^[4] However, apart from this match, all British Championship matches had been played as "Northern Ireland" since the 1973–74 tournament.^[5] 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".^[6]
2. Bertie Peacock managed for the first three qualifying matches. Billy Bingham managed the remainder of the qualification campaign.
3. Billy Bingham managed for the first three qualifying matches. Terry Neill managed the remainder of the qualification campaign.
4. Terry Neill managed for the first two qualifying matches. Dave Clements managed the remainder of the qualification campaign.
5. Lawrie Sanchez managed for the first six qualifying matches. Nigel Worthington managed the remainder of the qualification campaign.
6. 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.

References

1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
2. Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 13 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
3. Matthew Taylor (2008). The Association Game: A History of British Football. Harlow:Pearson Education Ltd.
4. "NIFG: Northern Ireland Programmes 1975–1978". Retrieved 13 June 2016.
5. "NIFG: Northern Ireland Programmes 1972–1975". Retrieved 13 June 2016.
6. "NIFG: Northern Ireland Programmes 1968–1972". Retrieved 13 June 2016.
7. "When Northern Ireland won the last ever British Home Championship". Guardian. 15 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
8. Whiteside, Norman (2007). Determined. Headline Publishing Group. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-7553-1598-7.
9. Whiteside, Norman (2007). Determined. Headline Publishing Group. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-7553-1598-7.
10. "Northern Ireland 3 Greece 1". BBC Sport. 8 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. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
12. "IFA wants out of Windsor contract". BBC News. 17 July 2007. Retrieved 20 May 2010.

March 01, 2023