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Northern Ireland national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Northern Ireland women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
Northern Ireland
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Green and White Army (GAWA)
Norn Iron
Association Irish Football Association (IFA)
Confederation UEFA (Europe)
Head coach Michael O'Neill
Captain Conor Bradley
Most caps Steven Davis (140)
Top scorer David Healy (36)
Home stadium Windsor Park
FIFA code NIR
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 36 Decrease 1 (7 February 2019)
Highest 20 (September 2017)
Lowest 129 (September 2012)
Elo ranking
Current 52 Decrease 5 (3 March 2019)
Highest 5 or 14 (1882 or May 1986)
Lowest 114 (11 October 2013)
First international
 Ireland 0–13 England 
(Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882)
as Northern Ireland
 Ireland 1–4 England 
(Belfast, Northern Ireland; 7 October 1950)
 France 3–1 Northern Ireland 
(Colombes, France; 11 November 1952)
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)
 Northern Ireland 5–0 Bulgaria 
(Belfast, Northern Ireland; 15 October 2024)
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)
Ulster Banner
The Ulster Banner, the flag of the Northern Ireland national football team

The Northern Ireland national football team plays for Northern Ireland in men's international association football (soccer) matches. For a long time, from 1882 to 1950, one team called "Ireland" represented the whole island. This team was organized by the Irish Football Association (IFA).

In 1921, after Ireland was divided, the IFA's control became limited to Northern Ireland. However, their team still played as the national team for all of Ireland until 1950. They even used the name Ireland until the 1970s. Meanwhile, a different group, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), started its own team for the Republic of Ireland.

Even though Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, it has its own football team that plays in big international tournaments. However, Northern Irish athletes play for Great Britain in the Olympic Games.

Northern Ireland has played in three FIFA World Cups. They reached the quarter-finals in 1958 and 1982. For many years, Northern Ireland was the smallest country to ever qualify for a World Cup! They held this record from 1958 until 2006. In UEFA Euro 2016, the team played in the European Championship for the first time and made it to the Round of 16. Their last World Cup appearance was in 1986.

Team History

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

The first international game for the Ireland team was on February 18, 1882. They played against England in Belfast and lost 13–0. This is still the team's biggest ever defeat. A few days later, on February 25, 1882, Ireland scored its first goal in a game against Wales.

In 1884, Ireland joined the first British Home Championship, but they lost all their games. Their first win didn't come until February 19, 1887, when they beat Wales 4–1 in Belfast. Before this win, they had a long streak of 14 losses and 1 draw.

Over time, the Irish FA changed its rules. In 1899, they started picking Irish players who played for clubs in England, not just those from the Irish League. This helped the team, and they won a game against Wales 1–0.

In 1920, Ireland was divided into Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. In 1922, Southern Ireland became independent as the Irish Free State. Because of these big political changes, a new football group, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), started in Dublin in 1921. They created their own league and national team.

For a while, both the IFA and FAI teams played as "Ireland." But in 1953, FIFA (the world football governing body) decided that players could only play for one team based on where they were born. FIFA also ruled that the FAI team would be called the Republic of Ireland, and the IFA team would be called Northern Ireland.

Great Moments in Football

British Home Championship

Before the 1950s, the main competition for Northern Ireland (or Ireland, as it was known) was the British Home Championship. The team won this competition eight times. They were the last team to win it in 1984 before it ended, so they are still the British champions! The trophy is still owned by the Irish FA.

FIFA World Cup

Aankomst Noordierse elftal op Zestienhoven; trainer Blanchflower en George Best (r)
Danny Blanchflower (left) was captain for Northern Ireland at the 1958 FIFA World Cup. George Best (right), a famous player, never played in a major international tournament with the team.

Northern Ireland's best World Cup performance was in their first appearance in 1958. They reached the quarter-finals after beating Czechoslovakia 2–1. They were then knocked out by France, losing 4–0.

In 1958, Northern Ireland became the country with the smallest population to ever qualify for the World Cup. This record stood until 2006. Northern Ireland still holds the record for the smallest country to qualify for more than one World Cup, win a World Cup match, and get past the first round.

The captain of the team in the 1958 World Cup was Danny Blanchflower. His younger brother, Jackie Blanchflower, was also a key player.

Northern Ireland also qualified for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. In their first game, 17-year-old Norman Whiteside became the youngest player ever to play in a World Cup final, a record he still holds! The game ended in a draw. They then drew with Honduras. Many thought their chances were over.

However, they needed to beat hosts Spain in their last group game. In a tough match, Gerry Armstrong scored the only goal. Even though Mal Donaghy was sent off, Northern Ireland won 1–0 and topped their group!

They then drew 2–2 with Austria. A win against France would have taken them to the semi-finals, but France, led by Michel Platini, won 4–1 and knocked Northern Ireland out.

They also qualified for the 1986 FIFA World Cup but were knocked out in the group stages. Billy Bingham, who played in the 1958 squad, was the manager for both the 1982 and 1986 tournaments. Northern Ireland has not qualified for any other World Cups since then.

Recent Games

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

In January 2004, Lawrie Sanchez became the manager. Before him, the team had gone 13 games without scoring a goal! This was a European record. Lawrie Sanchez's first game ended the scoring drought, and his second game ended the 16-game winless streak.

On September 7, 2005, Northern Ireland famously beat England 1–0 in a World Cup qualifier at Windsor Park. David Healy scored the winning goal. Almost a year later, on September 6, 2006, Northern Ireland beat Spain 3–2 in a qualifier for UEFA Euro 2008, with Healy scoring all three goals!

Michael O'Neill became manager in February 2012. The team then qualified for its first ever UEFA European Championship, Euro 2016, in France. This was their first major tournament in 30 years! At the tournament, they won one game against Ukraine and lost to Poland and Germany. This was enough to reach the Round of 16, where they lost 1–0 to Wales due to an unfortunate own goal.

Home Stadium

Main article: Windsor Park
Windsor Park football stadium - Empty
Windsor Park before its big makeover in 2015.

Northern Ireland plays its home matches at Windsor Park in Belfast. This stadium is also the home of Linfield. The Northern Ireland team uses the stadium on a long-term lease.

There were talks about building a new stadium for football, rugby, and Gaelic games outside Belfast. However, many fans wanted the team to stay in Belfast. After some checks showed that Windsor Park needed improvements, the Irish FA decided to redevelop it.

Windsor Park redevelopment
The new redeveloped Windsor Park.

In 2011, the Northern Ireland government set aside money for stadium improvements, with £28 million for Windsor Park. The plan was to turn Windsor Park into an 18,000-seat stadium. The old East and South Stands were demolished and replaced with new ones. The North and West Stands were also renovated. The work started in May 2014 and was finished in 2015.

Team Look

Colours

The Northern Ireland football team's traditional colours are green, white, and azure blue. Green is a very old symbolic colour for Ireland. The azure blue comes from St. Patrick's blue, which is also a traditional Irish colour. The team's kit has been made by Adidas since 2012. Before that, Umbro made the kits.

Supporters

GAWA
The Green and White Army, Northern Ireland's loyal fans.
Main article: Green and White Army

The fans who follow the Northern Ireland national football team are known as the Green and White Army.

After the team beat England in 2005, more and more people wanted tickets to games! Fans love to sing funny songs at home matches, like "We're not Brazil, we're Northern Ireland."

One of the most famous Northern Ireland footballers was George Best. He played for Manchester United and won the European Footballer of the Year award in 1968. He played 37 times for his country and scored 9 goals.

Before UEFA Euro 2016, a YouTuber named Sean Kennedy released a song called "Will Grigg's on Fire." It was a parody song about Northern Irish player Will Grigg and became a huge hit and a popular chant.

Media Coverage

Premier Sports currently shows all of Northern Ireland's important international matches until 2024. Highlights of qualifying games are shown on BBC Northern Ireland. Major tournaments like the World Cup and European Championships are shown on both BBC and ITV.

Latest Matches

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

Here are the results of the team's matches in the last 12 months, and any future games that are planned.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024

Team Leaders

Current Coaching Staff

The current manager of the Northern Ireland team is Michael O'Neill.

Current Squad

The players listed below were chosen for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League matches in November 2024.

Caps (games played) and goals are updated as of November 18, 2024.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Bailey Peacock-Farrell (1996-10-29) 29 October 1996 (age 28) 48 0 England Birmingham City
1GK Pierce Charles (2005-07-21) 21 July 2005 (age 19) 4 0 England Sheffield Wednesday
1GK Luke Southwood (1997-12-06) 6 December 1997 (age 27) 1 0 England Bolton Wanderers
2DF Jamal Lewis (1998-01-25) 25 January 1998 (age 27) 39 0 Brazil São Paulo
2DF Daniel Ballard (1999-09-22) 22 September 1999 (age 25) 28 5 England Sunderland
2DF Ciaron Brown (1998-01-14) 14 January 1998 (age 27) 23 0 England Oxford United
2DF Conor Bradley (captain) (2003-07-09) 9 July 2003 (age 22) 23 4 England Liverpool
2DF Trai Hume (2002-03-18) 18 March 2002 (age 23) 19 0 England Sunderland
2DF Brodie Spencer (2004-05-06) 6 May 2004 (age 21) 13 0 England Huddersfield Town
2DF Ruairi McConville (2005-05-01) 1 May 2005 (age 20) 2 0 England Brighton & Hove Albion
2DF Kofi Balmer (2000-09-19) 19 September 2000 (age 24) 0 0 Scotland Motherwell
3MF George Saville (1993-06-01) 1 June 1993 (age 32) 56 0 England Millwall
3MF Jordan Thompson (1997-01-03) 3 January 1997 (age 28) 38 0 England Stoke City
3MF Ali McCann (1999-12-04) 4 December 1999 (age 25) 28 1 England Preston North End
3MF Shea Charles (2003-11-05) 5 November 2003 (age 21) 23 0 England Sheffield Wednesday
3MF Isaac Price (2003-09-26) 26 September 2003 (age 21) 18 6 Belgium Standard Liège
3MF Paul Smyth (1997-09-10) 10 September 1997 (age 27) 16 2 England Queens Park Rangers
3MF Ross McCausland (2003-05-12) 12 May 2003 (age 22) 5 0 Scotland Rangers
3MF Ethan Galbraith (2001-05-11) 11 May 2001 (age 24) 4 0 England Leyton Orient
3MF Brad Lyons (1997-05-26) 26 May 1997 (age 28) 3 0 Scotland Kilmarnock
3MF Caolan Boyd-Munce (2000-01-26) 26 January 2000 (age 25) 2 0 Scotland St Mirren
3MF Justin Devenny (2003-10-11) 11 October 2003 (age 21) 1 0 England Crystal Palace
4FW Josh Magennis (1990-05-15) 15 May 1990 (age 35) 82 12 England Exeter City
4FW Dion Charles (1995-10-07) 7 October 1995 (age 29) 28 4 England Bolton Wanderers
4FW Callum Marshall (2004-11-28) 28 November 2004 (age 20) 8 0 England West Ham United
4FW Jamie Reid (1994-07-15) 15 July 1994 (age 30) 8 1 England Stevenage
4FW Lee Bonis (1999-08-03) 3 August 1999 (age 25) 1 0 Netherlands ADO Den Haag

Most Appearances

Steven Davis, CZE-NIR 2019-10-14 (2)
Steven Davis is Northern Ireland's most capped player, having played 140 games.

Here are the players who have played the most games for Northern Ireland:

Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Steven Davis 140 13 2005–2022
2 Pat Jennings 119 0 1964–1986
3 Aaron Hughes 112 1 1998–2018
4 Jonny Evans 107 6 2006–2024
5 David Healy 95 36 2000–2013
6 Mal Donaghy 91 0 1980–1994
7 Kyle Lafferty 89 20 2006–2022
8 Sammy McIlroy 88 5 1972–1986
Maik Taylor 88 0 1999–2011
10 Keith Gillespie 86 2 1995–2008

Top Goalscorers

David Healy (footballer)
David Healy has scored the most goals for Northern Ireland's men's team, with 36 goals.

These players have scored the most goals for Northern Ireland:

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 David Healy (list) 36 95 0.38 2000–2013
2 Kyle Lafferty 20 89 0.22 2006–2022
3 Billy Gillespie 13 25 0.52 1913–1932
Colin Clarke 13 38 0.34 1986–1993
Steven Davis 13 140 0.09 2005–2022
6 Joe Bambrick 12 11 1.09 1928–1940
Jimmy Quinn 12 46 0.26 1984–1995
Iain Dowie 12 59 0.2 1990–1999
Gerry Armstrong 12 63 0.19 1977–1986
Josh Magennis 12 82 0.13 2010–present

Team Records

Main article: Northern Ireland national football team records and statistics

Here's a summary of Northern Ireland's football results:

All competitive matches
Games Played Wins Draws Losses Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference
564 146 124 294 608 1070 −462
All matches including friendly games‡
Games Played Wins Draws Losses Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference
696 181 159 356 729 1285 −556

Results updated after match against  Luxembourg on 18 November 2024.

FIFA Rankings Over Time

This chart shows how Northern Ireland's FIFA World Rankings have changed over the years.


Awards and Honours

Regional Competitions

  • British Home Championship
    • Champions (8 times)
      • Won outright (3 times): 1914 (as  Ireland), 1980, 1984
      • Shared the title (5 times): 1903 (as  Ireland), 1956, 1958, 1959, 1964

Images for kids

  • Northern Ireland national football team in 2021

    The Northern Ireland national football team in 2021.

See Also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Irlanda del Norte para niños

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