Northern Ireland national football team

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

Northern Ireland
Shirt badge/Association crest
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 27 Increase 2 (16 August 2018)
Highest 20 (September 2017)
Lowest 129 (September 2012)
Elo ranking
Current 46 Steady (11 July 2018)
Highest 5 or 14 (1882 or May 1986)
Lowest 114 (11 October 2013)
First international
Official:
 Ireland 0–13 England 
(Belfast; 18 February 1882)
Biggest win
 Ireland 7–0 Wales 
(Belfast; 1 February 1930)
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 1921 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.[1][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]

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[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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]

Stadium[edit]

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.[9]

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.[10] 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.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13] 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.[14] 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.[15]

Internal view of Windsor park as the redevelopment nears completion.
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.[16] 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.[17] 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.[18] 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.[19]

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.[20] 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.[21] 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.[22]

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".[23] 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.[24] 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.[25]

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 was sectarian.[26][27][28] 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.[29]

Steps taken to eradicate the sectarian element within the support have been successful.[30] Lennon has been quick to praise these initiatives. The IFA have made huge strides."[31] He also praised the "Football For All" Outstanding Achievement Award Winner Stewart MacAfee[32] 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[33] 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.[34][35] 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.[36] Sections of stands in Windsor Park were known for their chanting during games of anti-Catholic/Irish songs.

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.[37]

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.[38] 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.[39]

Competitive record[edit]

FIFA World Cup[edit]

Main article: Northern Ireland at the FIFA World Cup

     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
Uruguay 1930 Did not enter Did not enter
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950 Did not qualify 3 0 1 2 4 17
Switzerland 1954 3 1 0 2 4 7
Sweden 1958 Quarter-finals 8th 5 2 1 2 6 10 4 2 1 1 6 3
Chile 1962 Did not qualify 4 1 0 3 7 8
England 1966 6 3 2 1 9 5
Mexico 1970 4 2 1 1 7 3
West Germany 1974 6 1 3 2 5 6
Argentina 1978 6 2 1 3 7 6
Spain 1982 Round 2 9th 5 1 3 1 5 7 8 3 3 2 6 3
Mexico 1986 Group stage 21st 3 0 1 2 2 6 8 4 2 2 8 5
Italy 1990 Did not qualify 8 2 1 5 6 12
United States 1994 12 5 3 4 14 13
France 1998 10 1 4 5 6 10
South Korea Japan 2002 10 3 2 5 11 12
Germany 2006 10 2 3 5 10 18
South Africa 2010 10 4 3 3 13 9
Brazil 2014 10 1 4 5 9 17
Russia 2018 12 6 2 4 17 7
Qatar 2022 To be determined To be determined
Canada Mexico United States 2026
Total Quarter-finals 3/21 13 3 5 5 13 23 134 43 36 55 149 161

UEFA European Championship[edit]

Main article: Northern Ireland at the UEFA European Football Championship
UEFA European Football Championship record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
France 1960 Did not enter Did not enter
Spain 1964 Did not qualify 4 2 1 1 5 2
Italy 1968 6 1 1 4 2 8
Belgium 1972 6 2 2 2 10 6
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976 6 3 0 3 8 5
Italy 1980 8 4 1 3 8 14
France 1984 8 5 1 2 8 5
West Germany 1988 6 1 1 4 2 10
Sweden 1992 8 2 3 3 11 11
England 1996 10 5 2 3 20 15
Belgium Netherlands 2000 8 1 2 5 4 19
Portugal 2004 8 0 3 5 0 8
Austria Switzerland 2008 12 6 2 4 17 14
Poland Ukraine 2012 10 2 3 5 9 13
France 2016 Round of 16 16th 4 1 0 3 2 3 10 6 3 1 16 8
Total Round of 16 1/15 4 1 0 3 2 3 110 40 25 45 120 138

British Home Championship[edit]

Summary of results[edit]

All competitive matches[40]
P W D L F A Gd
503 131 109 263 547 987 −440
All matches including friendlies[41][42]‡
P W D L F A Gd
609 157 141 311 647 1163 −516

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

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

As of 3 June 2018.

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

  1. ^ Includes matches against  Czechoslovakia.
  2. ^ Includes matches against  West Germany.
  3. ^ Includes matches against  Soviet Union.
  4. ^ Includes matches against  Yugoslavia and  Serbia and Montenegro.

Results and fixtures[edit]

2017[edit]

2018[edit]

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.[43] The matches were scheduled to be played between September 2014 and October 2015.[44]

Pos Team
[ ]
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Northern Ireland Romania Hungary Finland Faroe Islands Greece
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 —
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers

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.[45] The matches are scheduled to be played between September 2016 and October 2017.[46]

Pos Team
[ ]
 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 —
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers

Players[edit]

Main article: List of Northern Ireland international footballers

Current squad[edit]

The following players have been called up for the friendly matches against Panama and Costa Rica on 29 May 2018 and 3 June 2018.
Caps and goals updated as of 3 June 2018 after the match against Costa Rica.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Trevor Carson (1988-03-05) 5 March 1988 (age 30) 3 0 Scotland Motherwell
23 1GK Conor Hazard (1998-03-05) 5 March 1998 (age 20) 1 0 Scotland Celtic
12 1GK Bailey Peacock-Farrell (1996-10-29) 29 October 1996 (age 21) 1 0 England Leeds United
18 2DF Aaron Hughes (1979-11-08) 8 November 1979 (age 38) 112 1 Scotland Heart of Midlothian
4 2DF Gareth McAuley (1979-12-05) 5 December 1979 (age 38) 79 9 England West Bromwich Albion
5 2DF Jonny Evans (1988-01-03) 3 January 1988 (age 30) 70 2 England Leicester City
20 2DF Craig Cathcart (1989-02-06) 6 February 1989 (age 29) 36 2 England Watford
2 2DF Conor McLaughlin (1991-07-26) 26 July 1991 (age 27) 33 1 England Millwall
6 2DF Lee Hodson (1991-10-02) 2 October 1991 (age 26) 24 0 Scotland Rangers
15 2DF Luke McCullough (1994-02-15) 15 February 1994 (age 24) 6 0 England Doncaster Rovers
19 2DF Ryan McLaughlin (1994-09-30) 30 September 1994 (age 23) 5 0 England Oldham Athletic
13 3MF Corry Evans (1990-07-17) 17 July 1990 (age 28) 47 1 England Blackburn Rovers
3 3MF Shane Ferguson (1991-07-12) 12 July 1991 (age 27) 35 1 England Millwall
14 3MF Stuart Dallas (1991-04-19) 19 April 1991 (age 27) 30 2 England Leeds United
17 3MF Paddy McNair (1995-04-27) 27 April 1995 (age 23) 20 0 England Middlesbrough
16 3MF Jordan Thompson (1997-01-03) 3 January 1997 (age 21) 2 0 England Blackpool
7 3MF Gavin Whyte (1996-01-31) 31 January 1996 (age 22) 0 0 Northern Ireland Crusaders
21 4FW Josh Magennis (1990-05-15) 15 May 1990 (age 28) 38 4 England Bolton Wanderers
10 4FW Liam Boyce (1991-04-08) 8 April 1991 (age 27) 13 1 England Burton Albion
8 4FW Paul Smyth (1997-09-10) 10 September 1997 (age 20) 2 1 England Queens Park Rangers
9 4FW Shay McCartan (1994-05-18) 18 May 1994 (age 24) 2 0 England Bradford City
11 4FW Shayne Lavery (1998-12-08) 8 December 1998 (age 19) 1 0 England Everton

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 Michael McGovern (1984-07-12) 12 July 1984 (age 34) 28 0 England Norwich City v.  South Korea, 23 March 2018
GK Roy Carroll (1977-09-30) 30 September 1977 (age 40) 45 0 Northern Ireland Linfield v.   Switzerland, 12 November 2017
GK Alan Mannus (1982-05-19) 19 May 1982 (age 36) 9 0 Scotland St Johnstone v.   Switzerland, 12 November 2017
DF Jamal Lewis (1998-01-25) 25 January 1998 (age 20) 1 0 England Norwich City v.  South Korea, 23 March 2018
DF Chris Brunt (1984-12-14) 14 December 1984 (age 33) 65 3 England West Bromwich Albion v.   Switzerland, 12 November 2017
DF Rory McArdle (1987-05-01) 1 May 1987 (age 31) 7 0 England Scunthorpe United v.   Switzerland, 12 November 2017
DF Daniel Lafferty (1989-05-18) 18 May 1989 (age 29) 13 0 England Sheffield United v.   Switzerland, 9 November 2017 PRE
DF Tom Flanagan (1991-10-21) 21 October 1991 (age 26) 1 0 England Burton Albion v.   Switzerland, 9 November 2017 PRE
DF Callum Morris (1990-02-03) 3 February 1990 (age 28) 0 0 Scotland Dunfermline Athletic v.  Norway, 8 October 2017
MF Cameron McGeehan (1995-04-06) 6 April 1995 (age 23) 0 0 England Barnsley v.  Panama, 29 May 2018INJ
MF George Saville (1993-06-01) 1 June 1993 (age 25) 5 0 England Millwall v.  Panama, 29 May 2018INJ
MF Oliver Norwood (1991-04-12) 12 April 1991 (age 27) 53 0 England Sheffield United v.  Panama, 29 May 2018INJ
MF Jordan Jones (1994-10-24) 24 October 1994 (age 23) 2 0 Scotland Kilmarnock v.  South Korea, 23 March 2018
MF Steven Davis (Captain) (1985-01-01) 1 January 1985 (age 33) 101 10 England Southampton v.  South Korea, 23 March 2018
MF Niall McGinn (1987-07-20) 20 July 1987 (age 31) 53 3 Scotland Aberdeen v.  South Korea, 23 March 2018
MF Paul Paton (1987-04-18) 18 April 1987 (age 31) 4 0 Scotland St Johnstone v.   Switzerland, 12 November 2017
MF Matty Lund (1990-11-21) 21 November 1990 (age 27) 3 0 England Burton Albion v.   Switzerland, 12 November 2017
FW Jamie Ward (1986-05-12) 12 May 1986 (age 32) 33 4 Wales Cardiff City v.  South Korea, 23 March 2018
FW Conor Washington (1992-05-18) 18 May 1992 (age 26) 17 3 England Queens Park Rangers v.  South Korea, 23 March 2018
FW Kyle Lafferty (1987-09-16) 16 September 1987 (age 30) 67 20 Scotland Heart of Midlothian v.  South Korea, 23 March 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

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).[47]

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 3 June 2018 after the match against Costa Rica

Aaron Hughes is the most capped outfield player
No. Name Career Caps Goals
1 Pat Jennings 1964–1986 119 0
2 Aaron Hughes 1998– 112 1
3 Steven Davis 2005– 101 10
4 David Healy 2000–2013 95 36
5 Mal Donaghy 1980–1994 91 0
6 Sammy McIlroy 1972–1987 88 5
Maik Taylor 1999–2011 88 0
8 Keith Gillespie 1995–2008 86 2
9 Chris Baird 2003–2016 79 0
Gareth McAuley 2005– 79 9
11 Jimmy Nicholl 1976–1986 73 1
12 Michael Hughes 1992–2004 71 5
13 Jonny Evans 2006– 70 2
14 David McCreery 1976–1990 67 0
Kyle Lafferty 2006– 67 20
16 Nigel Worthington 1984–1997 66 0
17 Chris Brunt 2004– 65 3
18 Martin O'Neill 1972–1985 64 8
19 Gerry Armstrong 1977–1986 63 12
20 Iain Dowie 1990–2000 59 12
Terry Neill 1961–1973 59 2

Top Ireland / Northern Ireland goalscorers[edit]

As of 12 November 2017 after the match against Norway

David Healy, the current top goalscorer of Northern Ireland
No. Player Career Goals (Caps) Goals per game
1 David Healy (list) 2000–2013 36 (95) 0.38
2 Kyle Lafferty 2006–present 20 (67) 0.31
3 Billy Gillespie 1913–1932 13 (25) 0.52
Colin Clarke 1986–1993 13 (38) 0.34
5 Joe Bambrick 1928–1940 12 (11) 1.09
Gerry Armstrong 1977–1986 12 (63) 0.19
Jimmy Quinn 1985–1996 12 (46) 0.26
Iain Dowie 1990–2000 12 (59) 0.20
9 Olphie Stanfield 1887–1897 11 (30) 0.37
10 Billy Bingham 1951–1964 10 (56) 0.18
Jimmy McIlroy 1952–1966 10 (55) 0.18
Peter McParland 1954–1962 10 (34) 0.29
Johnny Crossan 1960–1968 10 (24) 0.42
Steven Davis 2005–present 10 (101) 0.09

Managers[edit]

As of 29 May 2018 after the match against Panama

Manager Career Played Won Drawn Lost Win % Loss %
Northern Ireland Peter Doherty 1951–1962 56 11 15 30 19.64 53.57
Northern Ireland Bertie Peacock 1962–1967 22 9 3 10 40.91 45.45
Northern Ireland Billy Bingham 1967–1971 20 8 3 9 40.00 45.00
Northern Ireland Terry Neill 1971–1975 20 6 6 8 30.00 40.00
Northern Ireland Dave Clements 1975–1976 11 2 2 7 18.18 63.64
Northern Ireland Danny Blanchflower 1976–1979 16 4 4 8 25.00 50.00
Northern Ireland Billy Bingham 1980–1994 118 40 34 44 33.90 37.29
Northern Ireland Bryan Hamilton 1994–1998 32 8 9 15 25.00 46.88
England Lawrie McMenemy 1998–1999 14 4 3 7 28.57 50.00
Northern Ireland Sammy McIlroy 2000–2003 31 4 10 17 12.90 54.84
Northern Ireland Lawrie Sanchez 2004–2007 32 11 10 11 34.38 34.38
Northern Ireland Nigel Worthington 2007–2011 41 9 10 22 21.95 53.66
Northern Ireland Michael O'Neill 2011–Present 57 20 17 21 35.08 36.84

Current coaching staff[edit]

Position Name
Manager Northern Ireland Michael O'Neill
Assistant Manager Northern Ireland Jimmy Nicholl
Coach Northern Ireland Steve Robinson
Assistant coach/analyst Scotland Austin MacPhee
Goalkeeping coach Northern Ireland Maik Taylor
Physio England Caroline Woods
Team Attendant vacant

Kit suppliers[edit]

Kit provider Period
United Kingdom Umbro 1975–1977
Germany Adidas 1977–1990
United Kingdom Umbro 1990–1994
Japan ASICS 1994–1998
Belgium Olympic Sportswear 1998–1999
Belgium Patrick 1999–2004
United Kingdom Umbro 2004–2012
Germany Adidas 2012–present

Media coverage[edit]

Sky Sports currently have the rights to show Northern Ireland's international competitive qualifying fixtures, with home friendlies on eirSport and Premier Sports.

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

Dating from the 1960s, for many years 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.[48] In May 2013, Sky acquired the rights to all Northern Ireland qualifying games for UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[49] From 2008–2013, 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 on Premier Sports/eirSport.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The last match played as Ireland was 1978 versus Scotland,[2] however, apart from this match, all British Championship matches had been played as "Northern Ireland" since the 1973–74 tournament.[3] 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".[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Matthew Taylor (2008). The Association Game: A History of British Football. Harlow:Pearson Education Ltd.
  2. ^ "NIFG: Northern Ireland Programmes 1975–1978". Retrieved 13 June 2016. 
  3. ^ "NIFG: Northern Ireland Programmes 1972–1975". Retrieved 13 June 2016. 
  4. ^ "NIFG: Northern Ireland Programmes 1968–1972". Retrieved 13 June 2016. 
  5. ^ Whiteside, Norman (2007). Determined. Headline Publishing Group. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-7553-1598-7. 
  6. ^ Whiteside, Norman (2007). Determined. Headline Publishing Group. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-7553-1598-7. 
  7. ^ "Northern Ireland 3 Greece 1". BBC Sport. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2015. 
  8. ^ Jackson, Lyle (16 June 2016). "Ukraine 0, Northern Ireland 2". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 June 2016. 
  9. ^ "IFA wants out of Windsor contract". BBC News. 17 July 2007. Retrieved 20 May 2010. 
  10. ^ "Lord's Hansard on the question of building an NI national stadium". 
  11. ^ "Tide Turns Against The Maze". 
  12. ^ Report slams Windsor Park safety BBC News
  13. ^ IFA wants out of Windsor contract BBC News
  14. ^ South Stand future under threat BBC News
  15. ^ Plans for £128m Belfast stadium unveiled – The Independent, 25/03/09
  16. ^ IFA 'backs Windsor as NI stadium' – BBC News, 07/09/09
  17. ^ Linfield FC has £20m stadium plan – BBC News, 12/06/09
  18. ^ "Stadiums fit for our heroes on way at last Belfast Telegraph". Belfast Telegraph. 11 March 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2013. 
  19. ^ "WINDSOR PARK REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT". Irish Football Association. 25 June 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2013. 
  20. ^ "GREEN LIGHT FOR STADIUM REDEVELOPMENT". Irish Football Association. 20 February 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013. 
  21. ^ "Windsor Park funding faces legal challenge from Crusaders". BBC Sport. 17 April 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013. 
  22. ^ "Crusaders win right to oppose government funding for Windsor". BBC Sport. 22 May 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013. 
  23. ^ "Crusaders support settlement on Windsor Park upgrade". BBC Sport. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2013. 
  24. ^ "Sports Minister Caral Ni Chuilin 'committed' to Windsor upgrade". BBC Sport. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013. 
  25. ^ "WORK BEGINS AT WINDSOR PARK". Irish Football Association. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014. 
  26. ^ Brian McNally (5 March 2010). "Why Northern Ireland continue to pay the price for abuse dished out to Neil Lennon". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 21 February 2011. 
  27. ^ "Anger at sectarian songs after NI game". UTV News. UTV. Retrieved 18 October 2012. 
  28. ^ Horne, John. "Racism, sectarianism and football in Scotlandaccessdate=18 October 2012" (PDF). 
  29. ^ Tim Rich (23 August 2002). "Death threat forces Lennon to place family feelings first". London: The Independent. Retrieved 21 February 2011. 
  30. ^ "BBC News Star helps in graffiti removal". 30 October 2003. Retrieved 6 January 2010. 
  31. ^ "Lennon hails anti-sectarian drive". BBC News. 25 October 2006. Retrieved 6 January 2010. 
  32. ^ "PRAISE FOR IFA'S FOOTBALL FOR ALL AWARDS NIGHT". 
  33. ^ "Northern Ireland Fans Are Officially The Best In Europe". Irishfa.com. 24 August 2006. Retrieved 5 November 2012. 
  34. ^ "Holding pen plan is dismissed by Northern Ireland supporters' group". Belfast Telegraph. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2011. 
  35. ^ "Ballymena's Denver Gage faces sectarian songs probe". BBC. 19 February 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2011. 
  36. ^ "Irish FA to ban Northern Ireland fan after chants". BBC News. 18 February 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2011. 
  37. ^ "Caral Ni Chuilin attends NI game at Windsor Park". BBC News. 11 August 2011. 
  38. ^ "BBC news story on NI ticket sales". BBC News. 5 April 2006. Retrieved 6 January 2010. 
  39. ^ "Football: George Best: Football's first icon". The Guardian. London. 27 November 2005. 
  40. ^ "Historical Results – Fixtures And Results – International – The Irish Football Association". Irishfa.com. 16 July 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012. 
  41. ^ Irish Football Association (2009). Official Souvenir Programme: Northern Ireland vs Serbia. Belfast:Irish Football Association
  42. ^ Jackson, Lyle (14 November 2009). "BBC:''Northern Ireland 0–1 Serbia''". BBC News. Retrieved 2 July 2010. 
  43. ^ "Spain face Ukraine return in EURO 2016 qualifying". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 22 February 2014. 
  44. ^ "UEFA EURO 2016 regulations published". UEFA.com. 18 December 2013. 
  45. ^ "FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw". FIFA.com. 
  46. ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup Competition Format". UEFA.com. 
  47. ^ "Irish Football Association's Greatest Ever Football Team". 
  48. ^ "Sky TV deal to net IFA over £10m". BBC Sport. BBC. 27 April 2007. Retrieved 5 October 2013. 
  49. ^ Beacom, Steven (15 May 2013). "Northern Ireland fans can reach for the Sky again with new TV deal". Belfast Telegraph. INM. Retrieved 5 October 2013. 

External links[edit]

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