Northern Ireland national football team records and statistics

This page details Northern Ireland national football team records and statistics; the most capped players, the players with the most goals, and Northern Ireland's match record by opponent and decade.

Player records[edit]

Most capped players[edit]

As of 26 March 2024 after the match against  Scotland.

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	106	6	6 September 2006 vs.	17 October 2023 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.
11	Gareth McAuley	80	9	4 June 2005 vs.	18 November 2018 vs.
12	Chris Baird	79	0	3 June 2003 vs.	12 June 2016 vs.
13	Josh Magennis	78	11	26 May 2010 vs.	17 November 2023 vs.
14	Jimmy Nicholl	73	1	24 March 1976 vs.	12 June 1986 vs.
	Niall McGinn	73	6	19 November 2008 vs.	12 June 2022 vs.
	Craig Cathcart	73	2	3 September 2010 vs.	7 September 2023 vs.
17	Michael Hughes	71	5	13 November 1991 vs.	8 September 2004 vs.
18	Corry Evans	70	2	6 June 2009 vs.	24 September 2022 vs.
19	Paddy McNair	69	6	25 March 2015 vs.	20 November 2023 vs.
20	David McCreery	67	0	8 May 1976 vs.	18 May 1990 vs.
21	Nigel Worthington	66	0	22 May 1984 vs.	11 February 1997 vs.
22	Chris Brunt	65	3	18 August 2004 vs.	12 November 2017 vs.
23	Martin O'Neill	64	8	13 October 1971 vs.	14 November 1984 vs.
24	Gerry Armstrong	63	12	27 April 1977 vs.	12 June 1986 vs.
25	Stuart Dallas	62	3	27 May 2011 vs.	29 March 2022 vs.
26	Terry Neill	59	2	25 April 1961 vs.	19 May 1973 vs.
	Iain Dowie	59	12	27 March 1990 vs.	9 September 1999 vs.
28	Oliver Norwood	57	0	11 August 2010 vs.	15 October 2018 vs.
	Shane Ferguson	57	2	6 June 2009 vs.	23 March 2023 vs.
30	Danny Blanchflower	56	2	1 October 1949 vs.	28 November 1962 vs.
	Billy Bingham	56	9	12 May 1951 vs.	20 November 1963 vs.
	Damien Johnson	56	0	29 May 1999 vs.	14 October 2009 vs.
33	Jimmy McIlroy	55	10	6 October 1951 vs.	24 November 1965 vs.
34	Stephen Craigan	54	0	12 February 2003 vs.	29 March 2011 vs.
35	Allan Hunter	53	1	22 October 1969 vs.	21 November 1979 vs.
	John McClelland	53	1	16 May 1980 vs.	27 March 1990 vs.
37	Alan McDonald	52	3	16 October 1985 vs.	27 March 1996 vs.
	Jim Magilton	52	5	5 February 1991 vs.	27 March 2002 vs.
39	Sammy Nelson	51	1	21 April 1970 vs.	1 July 1982 vs.
	Chris Nicholl	51	3	30 October 1974 vs.	12 October 1983 vs.
	Gerry Taggart	51	7	27 March 1990 vs.	12 October 2002 vs.
	George Saville	51	0	5 October 2017 vs.	20 November 2023 vs.
43	Bryan Hamilton	50	4	11 December 1968 vs.	18 June 1980 vs.
	James Quinn	50	4	24 April 1996 vs.	11 October 2006 vs.

Players with an equal number of caps are ranked in chronological order of reaching the milestone.

Top goalscorers[edit]

As of 26 March 2024 after the match against  Scotland.

Rank	Player	NI Career	Goals	Caps	Goals per game	First Goal	Last Goal
1	David Healy	2000–2013	36	95	0.38	23 February 2000 vs.	14 November 2012 vs.
2	Kyle Lafferty	2006–2022	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	2005–2022	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.
	Gerry Armstrong	1977–1986	12	63	0.19	16 November 1977 vs.	14 November 1984 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.
10	Olphie Stanfield	1887–1897	11	30	0.37	12 March 1887 vs.	6 March 1897 vs.
	Josh Magennis	2010–	11	78	0.14	8 October 2015 vs.	14 October 2023 vs.
12	Jimmy McIlroy	1951–1965	10	55	0.18	6 October 1956 vs.	22 November 1961 vs.
	Peter McParland	1954–1962	10	34	0.29	31 March 1954 vs.	9 November 1960 vs.
	Johnny Crossan	1959–1967	10	24	0.42	28 November 1962 vs.	2 October 1965 vs.
15	Billy Bingham	1951–1963	9[note 1]	56	0.16	3 November 1954 vs.	12 October 1963 vs.
	George Best	1964–1977	9	37	0.24	14 November 1964 vs.	21 April 1971 vs.
	Norman Whiteside	1982–1989	9	38	0.24	21 September 1983 vs.	6 September 1989 vs.
	Gareth McAuley	2005–2018	9	80	0.11	11 February 2009 vs.	11 November 2016 vs.
19	Derek Dougan	1958–1973	8	43	0.19	13 April 1961 vs.	21 April 1971 vs.
	Willie Irvine	1963–1972	8	23	0.35	30 May 1963 vs.	10 September 1968 vs.
	Martin O'Neill	1971–1984	8	64	0.13	28 March 1973 vs.	12 September 1984 vs.
22	John Peden	1887–1899	7	24	0.29	12 March 1887 vs.	19 February 1898 vs.
	Billy McAdams	1954–1962	7	15	0.47	3 November 1954 vs.	25 April 1961 vs.
	Sammy Wilson	1961–1967	7	12	0.58	12 October 1963 vs.	30 March 1966 vs.
	Gerry Taggart	1990–2002	7	51	0.14	5 February 1991 vs.	3 June 1998 vs.

Players with an equal number of goals are ranked in chronological order of reaching the milestone.

Most captaincies[edit]

As of 26 March 2024 after the match against  Scotland.

Rank	Player	Captaincy Span	Times	Record as Captain									First Captaincy	Last Captaincy
				W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %	Draw %	Loss %
1	Steven Davis	2006–2022	82	26	23	33	87	92	-5	31.71%	28.05%	40.24%	21 May 2006 vs.	29 March 2022 vs.
2	Aaron Hughes	2002–2015	47	12	18	17	46	56	-10	25.53%	38.30%	36.17%	14 April 2002 vs.	31 May 2015 vs.
3	Danny Blanchflower	1954–1962	42	10	12	20	60	96	-36	23.81%	28.57%	47.62%	3 November 1954 vs.	28 November 1962 vs.
4	Terry Neill	1963–1973	38	16	8	14	58	53	5	42.11%	21.05%	36.84%	3 April 1963 vs.	19 May 1973 vs.
5	Martin O'Neill	1980–1984	33	12	11	10	29	34	-5	36.36%	33.33%	30.30%	26 March 1980 vs.	14 November 1984 vs.
6	Alan McDonald	1990–1995	26	8	8	10	28	29	-1	30.77%	30.77%	38.46%	17 May 1990 vs.	7 June 1995 vs.
7	Steve Lomas	1997–2003	22	5	6	11	14	26	-12	22.73%	27.27%	50.00%	10 September 1997 vs.	2 April 2003 vs.
8	Allan Hunter	1974–1979	19	6	4	9	19	31	-12	31.58%	21.05%	47.37%	30 October 1974 vs.	21 November 1979 vs.
	Sammy McIlroy	1980–1986	19	7	7	5	15	15	0	36.84%	36.84%	26.32%	16 May 1980 vs.	12 June 1986 vs.
10	John McClelland	1984–1990	17	4	5	8	15	21	-6	23.53%	29.41%	47.06%	16 October 1984 vs.	27 March 1990 vs.
11	Jonny Evans	2015–	15	4	2	9	13	19	-6	26.67%	13.33%	60.00%	25 March 2015 vs.	17 October 2023 vs.
12	Billy Gillespie	1921–1930	14	4	3	7	19	27	-8	28.57%	21.43%	50.00%	22 October 1921 vs.	20 October 1930 vs.
	Maik Taylor	2004–2011	14	4	4	6	13	18	-5	28.57%	28.57%	42.86%	31 March 2004 vs.	11 October 2011 vs.
14	Dave Clements	1973–1976	13	3	3	7	6	12	-6	23.08%	23.08%	53.85%	16 October 1973 vs.	27 March 1976 vs.
15	Billy Cook	1935–1939	11	2	1	8	11	32	-21	18.18%	9.09%	72.73%	13 November 1935 vs.	15 March 1939 vs.
	Jackie Vernon	1947–1951	11	1	2	8	13	40	-27	9.09%	18.18%	72.73%	4 October 1947 vs.	20 November 1951 vs.
	Derek Dougan	1971–1973	11	4	2	5	9	9	0	36.36%	18.18%	45.45%	21 April 1971 vs.	14 February 1973 vs.
18	Billy Scott	1908–1912	10	1	1	8	8	29	-21	10.00%	10.00%	80.00%	15 February 1908 vs.	10 February 1912 vs.
	Iain Dowie	1996–1999	10	3	4	3	7	10	-3	30.00%	40.00%	30.00%	31 August 1996 vs.	29 May 1999 vs.
19	Alf McMichael	1952–1954	9	1	2	6	10	21	-11	11.11%	22.22%	66.67%	19 March 1952 vs.	2 October 1954 vs.
	Nigel Worthington	1993–1997	9	3	2	4	14	14	0	33.33%	22.22%	44.44%	8 September 1993 vs.	22 January 1997 vs.

Captaincy appearances are only awarded to players who were assigned the captaincy at the start of an international game.
Players with an equal number of captaincies are ranked in chronological order of reaching the milestone.

Most clean sheets[edit]

As of 26 March 2024 after the match against  Scotland.

Rank	Player	NI Career	Clean Sheets	Caps	Clean sheets per game	First Clean Sheet	Last Clean Sheet
1	Pat Jennings	1964–1986	45	119	0.38	29 April 1964 vs.	23 April 1986 vs.
2	Maik Taylor	1999–2011	34	88	0.39	31 March 1999 vs.	8 October 2010 vs.
3	Roy Carroll	1997–2017	18	45	0.4	21 May 1997 vs.	2 June 2017 vs.
4	Michael McGovern	2010–2020	16	33	0.48	30 May 2010 vs.	5 September 2019 vs.
5	Bailey Peacock-Farrell	2018–	15	44	0.34	29 May 2018 vs.	26 March 2024 vs.
6	Tommy Wright	1989–1999	11	31	0.35	26 April 1989 vs.	29 March 1997 vs.
7	Alan Mannus	2004–2016	7	9	0.78	6 June 2004 vs.	27 May 2016 vs.
8	Elisha Scott	1920–1936	6	31	0.19	18 April 1925 vs.	5 December 1931 vs.
	Jim Platt	1976–1986	6	23	0.26	24 March 1976 vs.	15 December 1982 vs.
	Alan Fettis	1991–1998	6	25	0.24	26 April 1995 vs.	10 October 1998 vs.
11	Billy Scott	1903–1913	5	25	0.2	21 March 1903 vs.	19 March 1910 vs.
	Conor Hazard	2018–	5	8	0.63	3 June 2018 vs.	20 November 2023 vs.
13	Harry Gregg	1954–1963	4	25	0.16	10 April 1957 vs.	17 October 1961 vs.
	Allen McKnight	1987–1989	4	10	0.4	11 November 1987 vs.	14 September 1988 vs.
	Jonny Tuffey	2008–2011	4	8	0.5	12 August 2009 vs.	17 November 2010 vs.

A goalkeeper is awarded a clean sheet if he does not concede a goal during his time on the pitch.

Hat-tricks[edit]

The result is presented with Northern Ireland's score first.

Player	Goals	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Type of Game	Ref
Olphie Stanfield	4*	7 February 1891	Wales	Ulsterville, Belfast, Northern Ireland	7–2	1890–91 British Home Championship	[1]
Jack Peden	3	8 April 1893	Wales	Solitude, Belfast, Northern Ireland	4–3	1892–93 British Home Championship	[2]
Andy Gara	3	22 February 1902	Wales	Ninian Park, Cardiff, Wales	3–0	1901–02 British Home Championship	[3]
Harold Sloan	3	2 April 1906	Wales	Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, Wales	4–4	1905–06 British Home Championship	[4]
Joe Bambrick	6*	1 February 1930	Wales	Celtic Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	7–0	1929–30 British Home Championship	[5]
Billy McAdams	3	26 October 1960	West Germany	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	3–4	1962 FIFA World Cup Group 3 Qualifier	[6]
Johnny Crossan	3	7 May 1965	Albania	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	4–1	1966 FIFA World Cup Group 5 Qualifier	[7]
George Best	3	21 April 1971	Cyprus	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	5–0	UEFA Euro 1972 Group 4 Qualifier	[8]
Colin Clarke	3	11 September 1991	Faroe Islands	Landskrona IP, Landskrona, Sweden[note 2]	5–0	UEFA Euro 1992 Group 4 Qualifier	[9]
David Healy	3	6 September 2006	Spain	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	3–2	UEFA Euro 2008 Group F Qualifier	[10]
David Healy	3	24 March 2007	Liechtenstein	Rheinpark, Vaduz, Liechtenstein	4–1	UEFA Euro 2008 Group F Qualifier	[11]

Red cards[edit]

The result is presented with Northern Ireland's score first.

Player	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Type of Game	Ref
Jimmy Nicholson	17 October 1961	Greece	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	2–0	1962 FIFA World Cup UEFA Group 3 Qualifier	[12]
Billy Ferguson	22 October 1966	England	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	0–2	1966–67 British Home Championship UEFA Euro 1968 Group 8 Qualifier	[13]
George Best	18 April 1970	Scotland	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	0–1	1969–70 British Home Championship	[14]
George Best	18 October 1972	Bulgaria	Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria	0–3	1974 FIFA World Cup UEFA Group 6 Qualifier	[15]
Terry Cochrane	3 June 1981	Sweden	Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden	0–1	1982 FIFA World Cup UEFA Group 6 Qualifier	[16]
Mal Donaghy	25 June 1982	Spain	Estadio Luis Casanova, Valencia, Spain	1–0	1982 FIFA World Cup Group 5	[17]
Phil Gray	23 March 1994	Romania	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	2–0	International Friendly	[18]
Iain Dowie	27 March 1996	Norway	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	0–2	International Friendly	[19]
Steve Lomas	27 March 2002	Liechtenstein	Rheinpark, Vaduz, Liechtenstein	0–0	International Friendly	[20]
James Quinn	2 April 2003	Greece	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	0–2	UEFA Euro 2004 Group 6 Qualifier	[21]
Keith Gillespie	2 April 2003	Greece	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	0–2	UEFA Euro 2004 Group 6 Qualifier	[21]
George McCartney	11 October 2003	Greece	Leoforos Alexandras Stadium, Athens, Greece	0–1	UEFA Euro 2004 Group 6 Qualifier	[22]
Mark Williams	30 May 2004	Barbados	Barbados National Stadium, Saint Michael, Barbados	1–1	International Friendly	[23]
Michael Hughes	8 September 2004	Wales	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales	2–2	2006 FIFA World Cup UEFA Group 6 Qualifier	[24]
David Healy	8 September 2004	Wales	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales	2–2	2006 FIFA World Cup UEFA Group 6 Qualifier	[24]
Keith Gillespie	17 August 2005	Malta	Ta' Qali National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	1–1	International Friendly	[25]
Damien Johnson	12 October 2005	Austria	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria	0–2	2006 FIFA World Cup UEFA Group 6 Qualifier	[26]
James Quinn	26 May 2006	Romania	Soldier Field, Chicago, United States	0–2	International Friendly	[27]
Ryan McGivern	20 August 2008	Scotland	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	0–0	International Friendly	[28]
Adam Thompson	24 May 2011	Republic of Ireland	Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland	0–5	2011 Nations Cup	[29]
Chris Brunt	6 September 2013	Portugal	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	2–4	2014 FIFA World Cup UEFA Group F Qualifier	[30]
Kyle Lafferty	6 September 2013	Portugal	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	2–4	2014 FIFA World Cup UEFA Group F Qualifier	[30]
Jonny Evans	11 October 2013	Azerbaijan	Eighth Kilometer District Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan	0–2	2014 FIFA World Cup UEFA Group F Qualifier	[31]
Gareth McAuley	5 March 2014	Cyprus	GSP Stadium, Strovolos, Cyprus	0–0	International Friendly	[32]
Chris Baird	7 September 2015	Hungary	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	1–1	UEFA Euro 2016 Group F Qualifier	[33]
Josh Magennis	4 September 2020	Romania	Arena Națională, Bucharest, Romania	1–1	2020–21 UEFA Nations League - Group B1	[34]
Jamal Lewis	9 October 2021	Switzerland	Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland	0–2	2022 FIFA World Cup UEFA Group C Qualifier	[35]
Shea Charles	17 October 2023	Slovenia	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	0–1	UEFA Euro 2024 Group H Qualifier	[36]

Individual and Team records[edit]

Age records[edit]

• Youngest player to make debut: Samuel Johnston – 15 years and 154 days, 18 February 1882 vs  England
• Oldest player to play a game: Elisha Scott – 42 years and 200 days, 11 March 1936 vs  Wales
• Youngest player to play at World Cup finals: Norman Whiteside – 17 years and 41 days, 17 June 1982 vs  Yugoslavia
• Oldest player to play at World Cup finals: Pat Jennings – 41 years and 0 days, 12 June 1986 vs  Brazil
• Youngest player to score a goal: Samuel Johnston – 15 years and 161 days, 25 February 1882 vs  Wales

Goal records[edit]

• First Irish goal: Samuel Johnston – 15 years and 161 days, 25 February 1882 vs  Wales
• Most goals scored in one game by a player: 6 – Joe Bambrick, 1 February 1930 vs  Wales

Firsts[edit]

• First International: 18 February 1882 vs  England
• First home international: 18 February 1882 vs  England
• First win: 12 March 1887 vs  Wales
• First overseas opponent:  Norway, 25 May 1922
• First win over an overseas opponent: 1 May 1957 vs  Portugal

Streaks[edit]

• Most consecutive victories: 5
  • 26 March 2017 – 4 September 2017
  • 21 March 2019 – 5 September 2019
• Most consecutive matches without defeat: 12
  • 29 March 2015 – 4 June 2016
• Most consecutive draws: 4
  • 11 September 2012 – 6 February 2013
• Most consecutive matches without a draw: 24
  • 26 January 1884 – 28 March 1891
• Most consecutive matches without victory: 21
  • 5 November 1947 – 7 November 1953
• Most consecutive defeats: 11
  • 26 January 1884 – 19 February 1887
  • 3 October 1959 – 7 October 1961
• Most consecutive matches scoring: 13
  • 4 November 1933 – 16 March 1938
• Most consecutive matches without scoring: 13
  • 27 March 2002 – 11 October 2003
• Most consecutive matches conceding a goal: 46
  • 18 February 1882 – 27 March 1897
• Most consecutive matches without conceding a goal: 6
  • 27 March 1985 – 26 February 1986

Biggest wins[edit]

Best Results by Northern Ireland
	Date	Opponent	Round	Result	Difference
1	1 February 1930	Wales	1929–30 British Home Championship	7–0	+7
2	7 February 1891	Wales	1890–91 British Home Championship	7–2	+5
	21 April 1971	Cyprus	UEFA Euro 1972 Group 4 Qualifier	5–0
	11 September 1991	Faroe Islands	UEFA Euro 1992 Group 4 Qualifier	5–0
3	5 December 1931	Wales	1931–32 British Home Championship	4–0	+4
	11 October 1995	Liechtenstein	UEFA Euro 1996 Group 6 Qualifier	4–0
	15 October 2008	San Marino	2010 FIFA World Cup Group 3 Qualifier	4–0
	10 August 2011	Faroe Islands	UEFA Euro 2012 Group C Qualifier	4–0
	8 October 2016	San Marino	2018 FIFA World Cup Group 3 Qualifier	4–0
	11 November 2016	Azerbaijan	2018 FIFA World Cup Group 3 Qualifier	4–0

Heaviest defeats[edit]

Worst Results by Northern Ireland
	Date	Opponent	Round	Result	Difference
1	18 February 1882	England	International Friendly	0–13	-13
2	18 February 1899	England	1898–99 British Home Championship	2–13	-11
	3 March 1888	Wales	1887–88 British Home Championship	0–11
	23 February 1901	Scotland	1900–01 British Home Championship	0–11
3	9 March 1895	England	1894–95 British Home Championship	0–9	-9
4	24 March 1888	Scotland	1887–88 British Home Championship	2–10	-8
	15 March 1890	England	1889–90 British Home Championship	1–9
	25 March 1899	Scotland	1898–99 British Home Championship	1–9
5	16 November 1949	England	1949–50 British Home Championship 1950 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Group 1	2–9	-7
	23 February 1884	England	1883–84 British Home Championship	1–8
	24 February 1883	England	International Friendly	0–7
	5 February 1887	England	1886–87 British Home Championship	0–7
	9 March 1889	Scotland	1888–89 British Home Championship	0–7
	16 November 1938	England	1938–39 British Home Championship	0–7
6	14 March 1885	Scotland	1884–85 British Home Championship	2–8	-6
	11 April 1885	Wales	1884–85 British Home Championship	2–8
	1 October 1949	Scotland	1949–50 British Home Championship 1950 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Group 1	2–8
	25 February 1882	Wales	International Friendly	1–7
	9 February 1884	Wales	1883–84 British Home Championship	0–6
	20 February 1897	England	1896–97 British Home Championship	0–6
	2 June 2012	Netherlands	International Friendly	0–6

Competition Records[edit]

FIFA World Cup[edit]

Qualification

• First match: 1 October 1949 vs  Scotland
• First goal: Sammy Smyth vs  Scotland, 1 October 1949

Finals

• First finals: Sweden 1958
• Total number of times qualified for the finals: 3 (1958), (1982) and (1986)
• First game: 8 June 1958 vs  Czechoslovakia
• First goal: Wilbur Cush vs  Czechoslovakia, 8 June 1958
• Most Successful final: 1958 – Quarter finals
• World Cup top goal scorer: 5
  • Peter McParland (1958)

UEFA European Championship[edit]

Qualification

• First match: 10 October 1962 vs  Poland
• First goal: Derek Dougan vs  Poland, 10 October 1962

Finals

• First finals: France 2016
• Total number of times qualified for the finals: 1 (2016)
• First game: 12 June 2016 vs  Poland
• First goal: Gareth McAuley vs  Ukraine, 16 June 2016
• Most Successful final: 2016 - Round of 16
• European Championship scorer: 1
  • Gareth McAuley (2016)
  • Niall McGinn (2016)

UEFA Nations League[edit]

Qualification

• First match: 8 September 2018 vs  Bosnia and Herzegovina
• First goal: Will Grigg vs  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 8 September 2018

Rankings[edit]

• Highest FIFA Rank: 20 (September 2017)
• Lowest FIFA Rank: 129 (September 2012)
• Highest Elo Rank: 5 (1882)
• Lowest Elo Rank: 114 (11 October 2013)

Performance[edit]

Performance by competition[edit]

As of 26 March 2024 after the match against  Scotland.

Statistics include official FIFA recognised matches only

Performance by manager[edit]

As of 26 March 2024 after the match against  Scotland.

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	16.38%	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%	46.43%
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%	31.63%	35.71%
Bryan Hamilton	23 March 1994 vs.	11 October 1997 vs.	31	8	8	15	34	41	-7	25.81%	25.81%	48.39%
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%	31.25%	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	23 March 2023 vs.		12	4	1	7	11	14	-3	33.33%	8.33%	58.33%
Total			688	177	157	354	715	1277	-562	25.73%	22.82%	51.45%

Statistics include official FIFA recognised matches only

Performance by venue[edit]

As of 26 March 2024 after the match against  Scotland.

Performance by confederation[edit]

As of 26 March 2024 after the match against  Scotland.

	Confederation	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Win %	Draw %	Loss %
	UEFA	652	167	148	339	682	1236	-554	25.54%	22.63%	51.83%
	CONCACAF	12	3	4	5	13	15	-2	25.00%	33.33%	41.67%
	CONMEBOL	11	2	0	9	6	16	-10	18.18%	0.00%	81.82%
	CAF	4	1	2	1	5	5	0	25.00%	50.00%	25.00%
	OFC[note 4]	4	3	1	0	6	3	+3	75.00%	25.00%	0.00%
	AFC	3	1	2	0	3	2	+1	33.33%	66.67%	0.00%

Statistics include official FIFA recognised matches only

Performance by decade[edit]

As of 26 March 2024 after the match against  Scotland.

Statistics include official FIFA recognised matches only

All-time records[edit]

Head to head records[edit]

As of 26 March 2024 after the match against  Scotland.

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

Opponent	Confederation	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %	Draw %	Loss %
Albania	UEFA	9	5	2	2	13	5	+8	55.56%	22.22%	22.22%
Algeria	CAF	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0.00%	100.00%	0.00%
Argentina	CONMEBOL	1	0	0	1	1	3	-2	0.00%	0.00%	100.00%
Armenia	UEFA	4	0	2	2	1	3	-2	0.00%	50.00%	50.00%
Australia	AFC	3	2	1	0	5	3	+2	66.67%	33.33%	0.00%
Austria	UEFA	13	4	3	6	19	21	-2	30.77%	23.08%	46.15%
Azerbaijan	UEFA	6	3	2	1	8	3	+5	50.00%	33.33%	16.67%
Barbados	CONCACAF	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0.00%	100.00%	0.00%
Belarus	UEFA	3	3	0	0	6	1	+5	100.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Belgium	UEFA	3	2	0	1	6	2	+4	66.67%	0.00%	33.33%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	UEFA	3	0	1	2	2	5	-3	0.00%	33.33%	66.67%
Brazil	CONMEBOL	1	0	0	1	0	3	-3	0.00%	0.00%	100.00%
Bulgaria	UEFA	9	2	2	5	8	11	-3	22.22%	22.22%	55.56%
Canada	CONCACAF	3	0	1	2	1	4	-3	0.00%	33.33%	66.67%
Chile	CONMEBOL	4	0	0	4	1	6	-5	0.00%	0.00%	100.00%
Colombia	CONMEBOL	1	0	0	1	0	2	-2	0.00%	0.00%	100.00%
Costa Rica	CONCACAF	1	0	0	1	0	3	-3	0.00%	0.00%	100.00%
Croatia	UEFA	1	0	0	1	0	3	-3	0.00%	0.00%	100.00%
Cyprus	UEFA	8	3	4	1	13	3	+10	37.50%	50.00%	12.50%
Czech Republic	UEFA	7	2	3	2	6	6	0	28.57%	42.86%	28.57%
Denmark	UEFA	13	3	5	5	11	15	-4	23.08%	38.46%	38.46%
England	UEFA	98	7	16	75	81	323	-242	7.14%	16.33%	76.53%
Estonia	UEFA	7	5	0	2	9	7	+2	71.43%	0.00%	28.57%
Faroe Islands	UEFA	6	4	2	0	16	3	+13	66.67%	33.33%	0.00%
Finland	UEFA	11	4	2	5	12	18	-6	36.36%	18.18%	45.45%
France	UEFA	9	0	3	6	4	22	-18	0.00%	33.33%	66.67%
Georgia	UEFA	1	1	0	0	4	1	+3	100.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Germany	UEFA	12	0	3	9	7	31	-24	0.00%	25.00%	75.00%
Greece	UEFA	9	3	0	6	11	13	-2	33.33%	0.00%	66.67%
Honduras	CONCACAF	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0.00%	100.00%	0.00%
Hungary	UEFA	7	1	1	5	4	9	-5	14.29%	14.29%	71.43%
Iceland	UEFA	6	2	0	4	6	7	-1	33.33%	0.00%	66.67%
Israel	UEFA	10	4	5	1	14	8	+6	40.00%	50.00%	10.00%
Italy	UEFA	11	1	3	7	6	19	-13	9.09%	27.27%	63.64%
Kazakhstan	UEFA	1	0	0	2	0	2	-2	0.00%	0.00%	100.00%
Kosovo	UEFA	2	1	0	1	4	4	0	50.00%	0.00%	50.00%
Latvia	UEFA	7	5	0	2	8	4	+4	71.43%	0.00%	28.57%
Liechtenstein	UEFA	5	4	1	0	15	3	+12	80.00%	20.00%	0.00%
Lithuania	UEFA	4	3	1	0	8	3	+5	75.00%	25.00%	0.00%
Luxembourg	UEFA	5	3	1	1	10	6	+4	60.00%	20.00%	20.00%
Malta	UEFA	8	6	2	0	14	1	+13	75.00%	25.00%	0.00%
Mexico	CONCACAF	2	1	0	1	4	4	0	50.00%	0.00%	50.00%
Moldova	UEFA	2	0	2	0	2	2	0	0.00%	100.00%	0.00%
Montenegro	UEFA	1	0	0	1	0	2	-2	0.00%	0.00%	100.00%
Morocco	CAF	2	1	1	0	3	2	+1	50.00%	50.00%	0.00%
Netherlands	UEFA	8	1	3	4	5	17	-12	12.50%	37.50%	50.00%
New Zealand	OFC	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Norway	UEFA	12	2	0	10	11	27	-16	16.67%	0.00%	83.33%
Panama	CONCACAF	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0.00%	100.00%	0.00%
Poland	UEFA	10	4	2	4	13	14	-1	40.00%	20.00%	40.00%
Portugal	UEFA	13	2	7	4	13	14	-1	15.38%	53.85%	30.77%
Qatar	AFC	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0.00%	100.00%	0.00%
Republic of Ireland	UEFA	11	2	5	4	4	17	-13	18.18%	45.45%	36.36%
Romania	UEFA	9	3	4	2	9	9	0	33.33%	44.44%	22.22%
Russia	UEFA	2	1	0	1	1	2	-1	50.00%	0.00%	50.00%
Saint Kitts and Nevis	CONCACAF	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	100.00%	0.00%	0.00%
San Marino	UEFA	6	6	0	0	19	0	+19	100.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Scotland	UEFA	96	16	17	64	82	261	-179	16.49%	17.53%	65.98%
Serbia	UEFA	3	0	0	3	1	4	-3	0.00%	0.00%	100.00%
Slovakia	UEFA	4	1	1	3	3	6	-3	20.00%	20.00%	60.00%
Slovenia	UEFA	7	3	1	3	5	7	-2	42.86%	14.29%	42.86%
South Africa	CAF	1	0	0	1	1	2	-1	0.00%	0.00%	100.00%
South Korea	AFC	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1	100.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Spain	UEFA	18	2	5	11	11	38	-27	11.11%	27.78%	61.11%
Sweden	UEFA	7	3	1	3	10	7	+3	42.86%	14.29%	42.86%
Switzerland	UEFA	8	2	3	3	3	5	-2	25.00%	37.50%	37.50%
Thailand	AFC	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0.00%	100.00%	0.00%
Trinidad and Tobago	CONCACAF	1	1	0	0	3	0	+3	100.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Turkey	UEFA	12	5	2	5	12	12	0	41.67%	16.67%	41.67%
Ukraine	UEFA	6	1	2	3	3	4	-1	16.67%	33.33%	50.00%
United States	CONCACAF	1	0	0	1	1	2	-1	0.00%	0.00%	100.00%
Uruguay	CONMEBOL	4	2	0	2	4	2	+2	50.00%	0.00%	50.00%
Wales	UEFA	96	27	24	45	132	191	-59	28.13%	25.00%	46.88%
West Germany	UEFA	7	2	1	4	8	15	-7	28.57%	14.29%	57.14%
Former Teams
Czechoslovakia	UEFA	2	2	0	0	3	1	+2	100.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Serbia and Montenegro	UEFA	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0.00%	100.00%	0.00%
Soviet Union	UEFA	4	0	2	2	1	4	-3	0.00%	50.00%	50.00%
Yugoslavia	UEFA	8	1	1	6	4	14	-10	12.50%	12.50%	75.00%
Total		688	177	157	354	715	1277	-562	25.73%	22.82%	51.45%

Statistics include official FIFA recognised matches only

FIFA members yet to play against Northern Ireland[edit]

As of 26 March 2024 after the match against  Scotland.

AFC
Afghanistan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei
Cambodia
China
Chinese Taipei
Guam
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Japan
Jordan
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Macau
Malaysia
Maldives
Mongolia
Myanmar
Nepal
North Korea
Oman
Pakistan
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