Northern Ireland

Nickname(s)	Green and White Army, Norn Iron
Association	Irish Football Association
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Michael O'Neill
Captain	Steven Davis
Most caps	Pat Jennings (119)
Top scorer	David Healy (36)
Home stadium	Windsor Park
FIFA code	NIR
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	33 3 (4 April 2019)[1]
Highest	20 (September 2017)
Lowest	129 (September 2012)
Elo ranking
Current	48 3 (27 March 2019)[2]
Highest	5 or 14 (1882 or May 1986)
Lowest	114 (11 October 2013)
First international
As Ireland:  Ireland 0–13 England  (Belfast; 18 February 1882) As Northern Ireland:  Northern Ireland 0–2 Scotland  (Belfast; 26 February 1921)[3]
Biggest win
Northern Ireland 7–0 Wales  (Belfast; 1 February 1930)[3]
Biggest defeat
Ireland 0–13 England  (Belfast; 18 February 1882)
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

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).^[3] 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.^{[4][n 1]} The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) organises the separate Republic of Ireland national football team.

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. At UEFA Euro 2016, the team made its first appearance at the European tournament and reached the second round.

History[edit]

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[edit]

British Home Championship[edit]

Until the 1950s, the major competition for Northern Ireland/Ireland was the British Home Championship. The team had 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.

FIFA World Cup[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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, Northern Ireland may 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]

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]

Historic controversy over sectarianism[edit]

Former captain Neil Lennon retired from international football due to sectarian death threats

An element of Northern Ireland's support has been regarded as sectarian.^[29][30][31]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 with a death-threat by Loyalists and retired from international football in 2002 as a result.^[32]

Steps taken to eradicate the sectarian element within the support have been successful.^[33] Lennon has been quick to praise these initiatives. The IFA have made huge strides."^[34] He also praised the "Football For All" Outstanding Achievement Award Winner Stewart MacAfee^[35] for the work he has done to create a more inclusive atmosphere at international games.

In 2006, Northern Ireland's supporters were awarded the Brussels International Supporters Award^[36] 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.

Steps by the IFA to promote Football For All continue. At a friendly match in Dublin in 2011 against Scotland, the IFA carried out an inquiry following an incident in which Northern Ireland fans sang sectarian songs.^[37][38] One fan who was identified in the inquiry was said to be in line for a lifetime ban from receiving tickets to any future Northern Ireland home or away games.^[39]

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]

Popular culture[edit]

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.^[41] 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.^[42]

Competitive record[edit]

FIFA World Cup[edit]

     Champions       Runners-up       Third Place       Fourth Place  

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	P	W	D*	L	GF	GA		P	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Did not enter									Did not enter
1934
1938
1950	Did not qualify									3	0	1	2	4	17
1954										3	1	0	2	4	7
1958	Quarter-finals	8th	5	2	1	2	6	10		4	2	1	1	6	3
1962	Did not qualify									4	1	0	3	7	8
1966										6	3	2	1	9	5
1970										4	2	1	1	7	3
1974										6	1	3	2	5	6
1978										6	2	1	3	7	6
1982	Round 2	9th	5	1	3	1	5	7		8	3	3	2	6	3
1986	Group stage	21st	3	0	1	2	2	6		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
2002										10	3	2	5	11	12
2006										10	2	3	5	10	18
2010										10	4	3	3	13	9
2014										10	1	4	5	9	17
2018										12	6	2	4	17	7
2022	To be determined									To be determined
2026
Total	Quarter-finals	3/21	13	3	5	5	13	23		134	43	36	55	149	161

UEFA European Championship[edit]

UEFA European Football Championship record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1960	Did not enter									Did not enter
1964	Did not qualify									4	2	1	1	5	2
1968										6	1	1	4	2	8
1972										6	2	2	2	10	6
1976										6	3	0	3	8	5
1980										8	4	1	3	8	14
1984										8	5	1	2	8	5
1988										6	1	1	4	2	10
1992										8	2	3	3	11	11
1996										10	5	2	3	20	15
2000										8	1	2	5	4	19
2004										8	0	3	5	0	8
2008										12	6	2	4	17	14
2012										10	2	3	5	9	13
2016	Round of 16	16th	4	1	0	3	2	3		10	6	3	1	16	8
2020	To be determined									1	1	0	0	2	0
2024
Total	Round of 16	1/15	4	1	0	3	2	3		111	41	25	45	122	138

UEFA Nations League[edit]

British Home Championship[edit]

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

Summary of results[edit]

All competitive matches^[43]

All matches including friendlies^[44][45]‡

Results updated as of 12 November 2017 after the match against Switzerland.

All-time head-to-head record[edit]

As of 24 March 2019.

  Positive Record
  Neutral Record
  Negative Record

Opponents	Pld	W	D	L
Albania	9	5	2	2
Algeria	1	0	1	0
Argentina	1	0	0	1
Armenia	4	0	2	2
Australia	3	2	1	0
Austria	11	4	3	4
Azerbaijan	6	3	2	1
Barbados	1	0	1	0
Belarus	2	2	0	0
Belgium	3	2	0	1
Bosnia and Herzegovina	2	0	0	2
Brazil	1	0	0	1
Bulgaria	7	2	1	4
Canada	3	0	1	2
Chile	4	0	0	4
Colombia	1	0	0	1
Costa Rica	1	0	0	1
Croatia	1	0	0	1
Cyprus	6	3	2	1
Czech Republic[a]	8	3	3	2
Denmark	11	2	5	4
England	98	7	16	75
Estonia	5	3	0	2
Faroe Islands	6	4	2	0
Finland	9	4	2	3
France	8	0	3	5
Georgia	1	1	0	0
Germany[b]	17	2	4	11
Greece	7	3	0	4
Honduras	1	0	1	0
Hungary	6	1	1	4
Iceland	6	2	0	4
Israel	10	4	5	1
Italy	9	1	2	6
Latvia	7	5	0	2
Liechtenstein	5	4	1	0
Lithuania	2	1	1	0
Luxembourg	3	1	1	1
Malta	7	5	2	0
Mexico	2	1	0	1
Moldova	2	0	2	0
Montenegro	1	0	0	1
Morocco	2	1	1	0
Netherlands	6	1	2	3
New Zealand	1	1	0	0
Norway	9	2	0	7
Panama	1	0	1	0
Poland	10	4	2	4
Portugal	13	2	7	4
Qatar	1	0	1	0
Republic of Ireland	11	2	5	4
Romania	6	3	1	2
Russia[c]	6	1	2	3
Saint Kitts and Nevis	1	1	0	0
San Marino	4	4	0	0
Scotland	95	15	17	63
Serbia[d]	12	1	2	9
Slovakia	4	1	1	2
Slovenia	5	3	1	1
South Korea	1	1	0	0
Spain	18	2	5	11
Sweden	7	3	1	3
Switzerland	6	2	2	2
Thailand	1	0	1	0
Trinidad and Tobago	1	1	0	0
Turkey	12	5	2	5
Ukraine	5	1	2	2
Uruguay	4	2	0	2
Wales	97	28	24	45

Results and fixtures[edit]

2018[edit]

Northern Ireland  v  South Korea

24 March 2018 Friendly	Northern Ireland	2–1	South Korea	Belfast, Northern Ireland
14:00 GMT	Kim Min-jae  20' (o.g.) Smyth  86'	Report	Kwon Chang-hoon  7'	Stadium: Windsor Park Attendance: 18,103 Referee: Bobby Madden (Scotland)

Panama  v  Northern Ireland

29 May 2018 Friendly	Panama	0–0	Northern Ireland	Panama City, Panama
12:00 EST		Report		Stadium: Estadio Rommel Fernández Attendance: 26,000 Referee: Henry Bejarano (Costa Rica)

Costa Rica  v  Northern Ireland

3 June 2018 Friendly	Costa Rica	3–0	Northern Ireland	San José, Costa Rica
11:00 CST	Venegas  30' Campbell  46' Calvo  66'	Report		Stadium: Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica Attendance: 35,100 Referee: Fernando Guerrero Ramírez (Mexico)

Northern Ireland  v  Bosnia and Herzegovina

8 September 2018 2018–19 UEFA Nations League	Northern Ireland	1–2	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Belfast, Northern Ireland
15:00 BST	Grigg  90+3'	Report	Duljević  36' Sarić  64'	Stadium: Windsor Park Attendance: 16,942 Referee: Pavel Královec (Czech Republic)

Northern Ireland  v  Israel

11 September 2018 Friendly	Northern Ireland	3–0	Israel	Belfast, Northern Ireland
19:45 BST	Davis  13' Dallas  41' Whyte  67'	Report		Stadium: Windsor Park Attendance: 12,913 Referee: Bas Nijhuis (Netherlands)

Austria  v  Northern Ireland

12 October 2018 2018–19 UEFA Nations League	Austria	1–0	Northern Ireland	Vienna, Austria
20:45 CEST	Arnautović  71'	Report		Stadium: Ernst-Happel-Stadion Attendance: 22,300 Referee: Georgi Kabakov (Bulgaria)

Bosnia and Herzegovina  v  Northern Ireland

15 October 2018 2018–19 UEFA Nations League	Bosnia and Herzegovina	2–0	Northern Ireland	Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
20:45 CEST	Džeko  27', 73'	Report		Stadium: Stadion Grbavica Attendance: 11,050 Referee: Mattias Gestranius (Finland)

Republic of Ireland  v  Northern Ireland

15 November 2018 Friendly	Republic of Ireland	0–0	Northern Ireland	Dublin, Republic of Ireland
19:45 GMT		Report		Stadium: Aviva Stadium Attendance: 31,241 Referee: Slavko Vinčić (Slovenia)

Northern Ireland  v  Austria

18 November 2018 2018–19 UEFA Nations League	Northern Ireland	1–2	Austria	Belfast, Northern Ireland
17:00 GMT	C. Evans  57'	Report	Schlager  49' Lazaro  90+3'	Stadium: Windsor Park Attendance: 17,895 Referee: Jonathan Lardot (Belgium)

2019[edit]

Northern Ireland  v  Estonia

21 March 2019 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying	Northern Ireland	2–0	Estonia	Belfast, Northern Ireland
19:45 GMT	McGinn  56' Davis  75' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Windsor Park Attendance: 18,176 Referee: Ivan Bebek (Croatia)

Northern Ireland  v  Belarus

24 March 2019 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying	Northern Ireland	2–1	Belarus	Belfast, Northern Ireland
19:45 GMT	J. Evans  30' Magennis  87'	Report	Stasevich  33'	Stadium: Windsor Park Referee: Paweł Raczkowski (Poland)

UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying[edit]

On 23 February 2014, Northern Ireland were drawn to face the Faroe Islands, Finland, Greece, Hungary and Romania in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group F.^[46] The matches were scheduled to be played between September 2014 and October 2015.^[47]

Pos	Team [ v t e ]	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Northern Ireland	10	6	3	1	16	8	+8	21	Qualify for final tournament		—	0–0	1–1	2–1	2–0	3–1
2	Romania	10	5	5	0	11	2	+9	20			2–0	—	1–1	1–1	1–0	0–0
3	Hungary	10	4	4	2	11	9	+2	16	Advance to play-offs		1–2	0–0	—	1–0	2–1	0–0
4	Finland	10	3	3	4	9	10	−1	12			1–1	0–2	0–1	—	1–0	1–1
5	Faroe Islands	10	2	0	8	6	17	−11	6			1–3	0–3	0–1	1–3	—	2–1
6	Greece	10	1	3	6	7	14	−7	6			0–2	0–1	4–3	0–1	0–1	—

2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying[edit]

On 25 July 2015, Northern Ireland were drawn to face Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Germany, Norway and San Marino in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group C.^[48] The matches are scheduled to be played between September 2016 and October 2017.^[49]

Pos	Team [ v t e ]	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Germany	10	10	0	0	43	4	+39	30	Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup		—	2–0	3–0	6–0	5–1	7–0
2	Northern Ireland	10	6	1	3	17	6	+11	19	Advance to second round		1–3	—	2–0	2–0	4–0	4–0
3	Czech Republic	10	4	3	3	17	10	+7	15			1–2	0–0	—	2–1	0–0	5–0
4	Norway	10	4	1	5	17	16	+1	13			0–3	1–0	1–1	—	2–0	4–1
5	Azerbaijan	10	3	1	6	10	19	−9	10			1–4	0–1	1–2	1–0	—	5–1
6	San Marino	10	0	0	10	2	51	−49	0			0–8	0–3	0–6	0–8	0–1	—

Players[edit]

Current squad[edit]

The following players were called up for Euro 2020 qualifying games against Estonia on 21 March and against Belarus on 24 March 2019.^[50]Caps and goals updated as of 21 March 2019, after the match against Estonia.
.mw-parser-output .nat-fs-player thbackground-color:inherit;border:0.mw-parser-output .nat-fs-player tdtext-align:center;border:0

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
12	1GK	Michael McGovern	(1984-07-12) 12 July 1984 (age 34)	29	0	Norwich City
1	1GK	Bailey Peacock-Farrell	(1996-10-29) 29 October 1996 (age 22)	6	0	Leeds United
23	1GK	Conor Hazard	(1998-03-05) 5 March 1998 (age 21)	1	0	Partick Thistle
18	2DF	Aaron Hughes	(1979-11-08) 8 November 1979 (age 39)	112	1	Heart of Midlothian
	2DF	Gareth McAuley	(1979-12-05) 5 December 1979 (age 39)	80	9	Rangers
5	2DF	Jonny Evans	(1988-01-03) 3 January 1988 (age 31)	77	2	Leicester City
20	2DF	Craig Cathcart	(1989-02-06) 6 February 1989 (age 30)	42	2	Watford
2	2DF	Conor McLaughlin	(1991-07-26) 26 July 1991 (age 27)	35	1	Millwall
17	2DF	Paddy McNair	(1995-04-27) 27 April 1995 (age 23)	26	0	Middlesbrough
3	2DF	Jamal Lewis	(1998-01-25) 25 January 1998 (age 21)	7	0	Norwich City
4	2DF	Tom Flanagan	(1991-10-21) 21 October 1991 (age 27)	1	0	Sunderland
16	2DF	Daniel Ballard	(1999-09-22) 22 September 1999 (age 19)	0	0	Arsenal
8	3MF	Steven Davis (Captain)	(1985-01-01) 1 January 1985 (age 34)	108	12	Rangers
7	3MF	Niall McGinn	(1987-07-20) 20 July 1987 (age 31)	55	4	Aberdeen
	3MF	Corry Evans	(1990-07-17) 17 July 1990 (age 28)	52	2	Blackburn Rovers
11	3MF	Shane Ferguson	(1991-07-12) 12 July 1991 (age 27)	38	1	Millwall
14	3MF	Stuart Dallas	(1991-04-19) 19 April 1991 (age 27)	37	3	Leeds United
6	3MF	George Saville	(1993-06-01) 1 June 1993 (age 25)	12	0	Middlesbrough
15	3MF	Jordan Jones	(1994-10-24) 24 October 1994 (age 24)	6	0	Kilmarnock
	3MF	Gavin Whyte	(1996-01-31) 31 January 1996 (age 23)	4	1	Oxford United
13	3MF	Jordan Thompson	(1997-01-03) 3 January 1997 (age 22)	2	0	Blackpool
10	4FW	Kyle Lafferty	(1987-09-16) 16 September 1987 (age 31)	71	20	Rangers
21	4FW	Josh Magennis	(1990-05-15) 15 May 1990 (age 28)	41	4	Bolton Wanderers
19	4FW	Conor Washington	(1992-05-18) 18 May 1992 (age 26)	18	3	Sheffield United
9	4FW	Liam Boyce	(1991-04-08) 8 April 1991 (age 28)	17	1	Burton Albion
	4FW	Will Grigg	(1991-07-03) 3 July 1991 (age 27)	13	2	Sunderland
22	4FW	Paul Smyth	(1997-09-10) 10 September 1997 (age 21)	2	1	Accrington Stanley

Recent call-ups[edit]

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 31)	5	0	Motherwell	v.  Austria, 18 November 2018
DF	Michael Smith	(1988-09-04) 4 September 1988 (age 30)	4	0	Heart of Midlothian	v.  Austria, 18 November 2018
DF	Lee Hodson	(1991-10-02) 2 October 1991 (age 27)	24	0	St Mirren	v.  Costa Rica, 3 June 2018
DF	Luke McCullough	(1994-02-15) 15 February 1994 (age 25)	6	0	Tranmere Rovers	v.  Costa Rica, 3 June 2018
DF	Ryan McLaughlin	(1994-09-30) 30 September 1994 (age 24)	5	0	Blackpool	v.  Costa Rica, 3 June 2018
DF	Bobby Burns	(1999-10-07) 7 October 1999 (age 19)	0	0	Livingston	v.  Austria, 18 November 2018
MF	Oliver Norwood	(1991-04-12) 12 April 1991 (age 28)	57	0	Sheffield United	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 15 October 2018
MF	Cameron McGeehan	(1995-04-06) 6 April 1995 (age 24)	0	0	Barnsley	v.  Panama, 29 May 2018INJ
FW	Kyle Vassell	(1993-02-07) 7 February 1993 (age 26)	2	0	Rotherham United	v.  Austria, 18 November 2018
FW	Jamie Ward	(1986-05-12) 12 May 1986 (age 32)	35	4	Charlton Athletic	v.  Republic of Ireland, 15 November 2018
FW	Shay McCartan	(1994-05-18) 18 May 1994 (age 24)	2	0	Lincoln City	v.  Costa Rica, 3 June 2018
FW	Shayne Lavery	(1998-12-08) 8 December 1998 (age 20)	1	0	Everton	v.  Costa Rica, 3 June 2018

• 
  ^INJ Withdrew from the squad due to an injury.


• 
  ^PRE Preliminary squad.


• 
  ^RET Retired from the national team.

Previous squads[edit]

FIFA World Cup squads

• 1958 FIFA World Cup squad


• 1982 FIFA World Cup squad


• 1986 FIFA World Cup squad

UEFA European Championship squads

• 2016 UEFA European Championship squad

Greatest ever team[edit]

The following players were voted by fans as worthy of being included in the Irish Football Association's Greatest Ever Team (in a 4–4–2 formation).^[51]

Managerial team[edit]

MAN: Billy Bingham (manager 1967–71, 1980–93)

ASS: Michael O'Neill (manager 2012–date)

First XI[edit]

Irish Football Association's Greatest Ever Team – First XI

GK: Pat Jennings (1964–86)

RB: Jimmy Nicholl (1976–86)

CB: Aaron Hughes (1998– )

CB: Gareth McAuley (2005– )

LB: Mal Donaghy (1980–94)

RM: Keith Gillespie (1994–2008)

CM: Danny Blanchflower (1949–63)

CM: Steven Davis (2005– )

LM: George Best (1964–77)

CF: David Healy (2000–13)

CF: Gerry Armstrong (1977–86)

Substitutes[edit]

Irish Football Association's Greatest Ever Team – Subs

SUB GK: Harry Gregg (1954–64)

SUB RB: Pat Rice (1968–79)

SUB CB: Alan McDonald (1985–96)

SUB LB: Sammy Nelson (1970–82)

SUB RM: Billy Bingham (1951–63)

SUB CM: Norman Whiteside (1982–89)

SUB LM: Michael Hughes (1991–2004)

SUB CF: Peter Doherty (1935–50)

Player records[edit]

Northern Ireland players with 59 or more caps[edit]

Caps updated as of 15 October 2018 after the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina

Aaron Hughes is the most capped outfield player

Top Ireland / Northern Ireland goalscorers[edit]

Goals updated as of 15 October 2018 after the match against Poland

David Healy, the current top goalscorer of Northern Ireland

Managers[edit]

As of 24 March 2019 after the match against Belarus

Manager	Career	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Win %	Loss %
Peter Doherty	1951–1962	56	11	15	30	19.64	53.57
Bertie Peacock	1962–1967	22	9	3	10	40.91	45.45
Billy Bingham	1967–1971	20	8	3	9	40.00	45.00
Terry Neill	1971–1975	20	6	6	8	30.00	40.00
Dave Clements	1975–1976	11	2	2	7	18.18	63.64
Danny Blanchflower	1976–1979	16	4	4	8	25.00	50.00
Billy Bingham	1980–1994	118	40	34	44	33.90	37.29
Bryan Hamilton	1994–1998	32	8	9	15	25.00	46.88
Lawrie McMenemy	1998–1999	14	4	3	7	28.57	50.00
Sammy McIlroy	2000–2003	31	4	10	17	12.90	54.84
Lawrie Sanchez	2004–2007	32	11	10	11	34.38	34.38
Nigel Worthington	2007–2011	41	9	10	22	21.95	53.66
Michael O'Neill	2011–Present	70	24	18	28	34.28	40.00