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Northern Ireland national football team records and statistics

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by HateBigotry (talk | contribs) at 17:47, 19 November 2020 (UEFA Nations League: Updated after latest games). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

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

  Players still active are highlighted in green

Most capped players

Caps and goals updated as of 18 November 2020 after the match against  Romania

# Name NI Career Caps Goals First Cap Last Cap
1 Steven Davis 2005– 124 12 9 February 2005 vs. Canada 15 October 2020 vs. Austria
2 Pat Jennings 1964–1986 119 0 15 April 1964 vs. Wales 12 June 1986 vs. Brazil
3 Aaron Hughes 1998–2018 112 1 25 March 1998 vs. Slovakia 3 June 2018 vs. Panama
4 David Healy 2000–2013 95 36 23 February 2000 vs. Luxembourg 26 March 2013 vs. Israel
5 Mal Donaghy 1980–1994 91 0 16 May 1980 vs. Scotland 11 June 1994 vs. Mexico
6 Jonny Evans 2006– 89 4 6 September 2006 vs. Spain 18 November 2020 vs. Romania
7 Sammy McIlroy 1972–1986 88 5 16 February 1972 vs. Spain 15 October 1986 vs. England
Maik Taylor 1999–2011 88 0 27 March 1999 vs. Germany 11 October 2011 vs. Italy
9 Keith Gillespie 1995–2008 86 2 7 September 1995 vs. Portugal 19 November 2008 vs. Hungary
10 Gareth McAuley 2005–2018 80 9 4 June 2005 vs. Germany 18 November 2018 vs. Austria
11 Chris Baird 2003–2016 79 0 3 June 2003 vs. Italy 12 June 2016 vs. Poland
Kyle Lafferty 2006– 79 20 21 May 2006 vs. Uruguay 12 November 2020 vs. Slovakia
13 Jimmy Nicholl 1976–1986 73 1 24 March 1976 vs. Israel 12 June 1986 vs. Brazil
14 Michael Hughes 1991–2004 71 5 13 November 1991 vs. Denmark 8 September 2004 vs. Wales
15 David McCreery 1976–1990 67 0 8 May 1976 vs. Scotland 18 May 1990 vs. Uruguay
16 Nigel Worthington 1984–1997 66 0 22 May 1984 vs. Wales 11 February 1997 vs. Belgium
17 Chris Brunt 2004–2017 65 3 18 August 2004 vs. Switzerland 12 November 2017 vs. Switzerland
18 Martin O'Neill 1971–1984 64 8 13 October 1971 vs. Soviet Union 14 November 1984 vs. Finland
Corry Evans 2009– 64 2 6 June 2009 vs. Italy 14 October 2020 vs. Norway
20 Gerry Armstrong 1977–1986 63 12 27 April 1977 vs. West Germany 12 June 1986 vs. Brazil
21 Niall McGinn 2008– 62 5 19 November 2008 vs. Hungary 12 November 2020 vs. Slovakia
22 Terry Neill 1961–1973 59 2 25 April 1961 vs. Italy 19 May 1973 vs. Wales
Iain Dowie 1990–1999 59 12 27 March 1990 vs. Norway 9 September 1999 vs. Germany
24 Oliver Norwood 2010–2018 57 0 11 August 2010 vs. Montenegro 15 October 2018 vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
Craig Cathcart 2010– 57 2 3 September 2010 vs. Slovenia 18 November 2020 vs. Romania
Josh Magennis 2010– 57 8 26 May 2010 vs. Turkey 18 November 2020 vs. Romania
27 Danny Blanchflower 1949–1962 56 2 1 October 1949 vs. Scotland 28 November 1962 vs. Poland
Billy Bingham 1951–1963 56 9 12 May 1951 vs. France 20 November 1963 vs. Scotland
Damien Johnson 1999–2009 56 0 29 May 1999 vs. Republic of Ireland 14 October 2009 vs. Czech Republic
30 Jimmy McIlroy 1951–1965 55 10 6 October 1951 vs. Scotland 24 November 1965 vs. Albania
31 Stephen Craigan 2003–2011 54 0 12 February 2003 vs. Finland 29 March 2011 vs. Slovenia
32 Allan Hunter 1969–1979 53 1 22 October 1969 vs. Soviet Union 21 November 1979 vs. Republic of Ireland
John McClelland 1980–1990 53 1 16 May 1980 vs. Scotland 27 March 1990 vs. Norway
34 Alan McDonald 1985–1996 52 3 16 October 1985 vs. Romania 27 March 1996 vs. Norway
Jim Magilton 1991–2002 52 5 5 February 1991 vs. Poland 27 March 2002 vs. Liechtenstein
Stuart Dallas 2011– 52 3 27 May 2011 vs. Wales 18 November 2020 vs. Romania
37 Sammy Nelson 1970–1982 51 1 21 April 1970 vs. England 1 July 1982 vs. Austria
Chris Nicholl 1974–1983 51 3 30 October 1974 vs. Sweden 12 October 1983 vs. Turkey
Gerry Taggart 1990–2002 51 7 27 March 1990 vs. Norway 12 October 2002 vs. Spain
40 Bryan Hamilton 1968–1980 50 4 11 December 1968 vs. Turkey 18 June 1980 vs. Australia
James Quinn 1996–2006 50 4 24 April 1996 vs. Sweden 11 October 2006 vs. Latvia

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

Top goalscorers

Caps and goals updated as of 18 November 2020 after the match against  Romania

# Name NI Career Goals Caps Goals per game First Goal Last Goal
1 David Healy 2000–2013 36 95 0.38 23 February 2000 vs. Luxembourg 14 November 2012 vs. Azerbaijan
2 Kyle Lafferty 2006– 20 79 0.25 16 August 2006 vs. Finland 11 November 2016 vs. Azerbaijan
3 Billy Gillespie 1913–1932 13 25 0.52 15 February 1913 vs. England 20 October 1926 vs. England
Colin Clarke 1986–1993 13 38 0.34 23 April 1986 vs. Morocco 9 September 1992 vs. Albania
5 Joe Bambrick 1928–1940 12 11 1.09 22 October 1928 vs. England 16 March 1938 vs. Wales
Gerry Armstrong 1977–1986 12 63 0.19 16 November 1977 vs. Belgium 14 November 1984 vs. Finland
Jimmy Quinn 1984–1995 12 46 0.26 16 October 1984 vs. Israel 11 October 1995 vs. Liechtenstein
Iain Dowie 1990–1999 12 59 0.20 16 October 1991 vs. Austria 18 November 1998 vs. Moldova
Steven Davis 2005– 12 124 0.10 8 October 2005 vs. Wales 21 March 2019 vs. Estonia
10 Olphie Stanfield 1887–1897 11 30 0.37 12 March 1887 vs. Wales 6 March 1897 vs. Wales
11 Jimmy McIlroy 1951–1965 10 55 0.18 6 October 1956 vs. England 22 November 1961 vs. England
Peter McParland 1954–1962 10 34 0.29 31 March 1954 vs. Wales 9 November 1960 vs. Scotland
Johnny Crossan 1959–1967 10 24 0.42 28 November 1962 vs. Poland 2 October 1965 vs. Scotland
14 Billy Bingham 1951–1963 9[note 1] 56 0.16 3 November 1954 vs. Scotland 12 October 1963 vs. Scotland
George Best 1964–1977 9 37 0.24 14 November 1964 vs. Switzerland 21 April 1971 vs. Cyprus
Norman Whiteside 1982–1989 9 38 0.24 21 September 1983 vs. Austria 6 September 1989 vs. Hungary
Gareth McAuley 2005–2018 9 80 0.11 11 February 2009 vs. San Marino 11 November 2016 vs. Azerbaijan
18 Derek Dougan 1958–1973 8 43 0.19 13 April 1961 vs. Wales 21 April 1971 vs. Cyprus
Willie Irvine 1963–1972 8 23 0.35 30 May 1963 vs. Spain 10 September 1968 vs. Israel
Martin O'Neill 1971–1984 8 64 0.13 28 March 1973 vs. Portugal 12 September 1984 vs. Romania
Josh Magennis 2010– 8 57 0.14 8 October 2015 vs. Greece 15 November 2020 vs. Austria
22 John Peden 1887–1899 7 24 0.29 12 March 1887 vs. Wales 19 February 1898 vs. Wales
Billy McAdams 1954–1962 7 15 0.47 3 November 1954 vs. Scotland 25 April 1961 vs. Italy
Sammy Wilson 1961–1967 7 12 0.58 12 October 1963 vs. Scotland 30 March 1966 vs. Wales
Gerry Taggart 1990–2002 7 51 0.14 5 February 1991 vs. Poland 3 June 1998 vs. Spain

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

Most captaincies

  Players still active are highlighted in green

Captaincies updated as of 18 November 2020 after the match against  Romania

# Name Captaincy Span Times Record as Captain First Captaincy Last Captaincy
W D L GF GA GD Win % Draw % Loss %
1 Steven Davis 2006– 69 23 18 28 75 79 -4 33.33% 26.09% 40.58% 21 May 2006 vs. Uruguay 12 November 2020 vs. Slovakia
2 Aaron Hughes 2002–2015 47 12 18 17 46 56 -10 25.53% 38.30% 36.17% 14 April 2002 vs. Spain 31 May 2015 vs. Qatar
3 Danny Blanchflower 1954–1962 42 10 12 20 60 96 -36 23.81% 28.57% 47.62% 3 November 1954 vs. Scotland 28 November 1962 vs. Poland
4 Terry Neill 1963–1973 38 16 8 14 58 53 5 42.11% 21.05% 36.84% 3 April 1963 vs. Wales 19 May 1973 vs. Wales
5 Martin O'Neill 1980–1984 33 12 11 10 29 34 -5 36.36% 33.33% 30.30% 26 March 1980 vs. Israel 14 November 1984 vs. Finland
6 Alan McDonald 1990–1995 26 8 8 10 28 29 -1 30.77% 30.77% 38.46% 17 May 1990 vs. Uruguay 7 June 1995 vs. Latvia
7 Steve Lomas 1997–2003 22 5 6 11 14 26 -12 22.73% 27.27% 50.00% 10 September 1997 vs. Albania 2 April 2003 vs. Greece
8 Allan Hunter 1974–1979 19 6 4 9 19 31 -12 31.58% 21.05% 47.37% 30 October 1974 vs. Sweden 21 November 1979 vs. Republic of Ireland
Sammy McIlroy 1980–1986 19 7 7 5 15 15 0 36.84% 36.84% 26.32% 16 May 1980 vs. Scotland 12 June 1986 vs. Brazil
10 John McClelland 1984–1990 17 4 5 8 15 21 -6 23.53% 29.41% 47.06% 16 October 1984 vs. Israel 27 March 1990 vs. Norway
11 Billy Gillespie 1921–1930 14 4 3 7 19 27 -8 28.57% 21.43% 50.00% 22 October 1921 vs. England 20 October 1930 vs. England
Maik Taylor 2004–2011 14 4 4 6 13 18 -5 28.57% 28.57% 42.86% 31 March 2004 vs. Estonia 11 October 2011 vs. Italy
13 Dave Clements 1973–1976 13 3 3 7 6 12 -6 23.08% 23.08% 53.85% 16 October 1973 vs. Bulgaria 27 March 1976 vs. Wales
14 Billy Cook 1935–1939 11 2 1 8 11 32 -21 18.18% 9.09% 72.73% 13 November 1935 vs. Scotland 15 March 1939 vs. Wales
Jackie Vernon 1947–1951 11 1 2 8 13 40 -27 9.09% 18.18% 72.73% 4 October 1947 vs. Scotland 20 November 1951 vs. England
Derek Dougan 1971–1973 11 4 2 5 9 9 0 36.36% 18.18% 45.45% 21 April 1971 vs. Cyprus 14 February 1973 vs. Cyprus
17 Billy Scott 1908–1912 10 1 1 8 8 29 -21 10.00% 10.00% 80.00% 15 February 1908 vs. England 10 February 1912 vs. England
Iain Dowie 1996–1999 10 3 4 3 7 10 -3 30.00% 40.00% 30.00% 31 August 1996 vs. Ukraine 29 May 1999 vs. Republic of Ireland
19 Alf McMichael 1952–1954 9 1 2 6 10 21 -11 11.11% 22.22% 66.67% 19 March 1952 vs. Wales 2 October 1954 vs. England
Nigel Worthington 1993–1997 9 3 2 4 14 14 0 33.33% 22.22% 44.44% 8 September 1993 vs. Latvia 22 January 1997 vs. Italy

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

  Players still active are highlighted in green

Caps and goals updated as of 18 November 2020 after the match against  Romania

# Name 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. Uruguay 23 April 1986 vs. Morocco
2 Maik Taylor 1999–2011 34 88 0.39 31 March 1999 vs. Moldova 8 October 2010 vs. Italy
3 Roy Carroll 1997–2017 18 45 0.40 21 May 1997 vs. Thailand 2 June 2017 vs. New Zealand
4 Michael McGovern 2010– 16 33 0.48 30 May 2010 vs. Chile 5 September 2019 vs. Luxembourg
5 Tommy Wright 1989–1999 11 31 0.35 26 April 1989 vs. Malta 29 March 1997 vs. Portugal
6 Alan Mannus 2004–2016 7 9 0.78 6 June 2004 vs. Trinidad and Tobago 27 May 2016 vs. Belarus
7 Elisha Scott 1920–1936 6 31 0.19 18 April 1925 vs. Wales 5 December 1931 vs. Wales
Jim Platt 1976–1986 6 23 0.26 24 March 1976 vs. Israel 15 December 1982 vs. Albania
Alan Fettis 1991–1998 6 25 0.24 26 April 1995 vs. Latvia 10 October 1998 vs. Finland
Bailey Peacock-Farrell 2018– 6 19 0.32 29 May 2018 vs. Panama 16 November 2019 vs. Netherlands
11 Billy Scott 1903–1913 5 25 0.20 21 March 1903 vs. Scotland 19 March 1910 vs. Scotland
12 Harry Gregg 1954–1963 4 25 0.16 10 April 1957 vs. Wales 17 October 1961 vs. Greece
Allen McKnight 1987–1989 4 10 0.40 11 November 1987 vs. Turkey 14 September 1988 vs. Republic of Ireland
Jonny Tuffey 2008–2011 4 8 0.50 12 August 2009 vs. Israel 17 November 2010 vs. Morocco

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

Hat-tricks

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]
More than a hat-trick scored *

Red cards

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 Chile 1962 FIFA World Cup Group 3 Qualifier [12]
Billy Ferguson 22 October 1966  England Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland 0–2 England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1966–67 British Home Championship
Italy UEFA Euro 1968 Group 8 Qualifier
[13]
George Best 18 April 1970  Scotland Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland 0–1 England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1969–70 British Home Championship [14]
George Best 18 October 1972  Bulgaria Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria 0–3 Germany 1974 FIFA World Cup Group 6 Qualifier [15]
Terry Cochrane 3 June 1981  Sweden Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden 0–1 Spain 1982 FIFA World Cup Group 6 Qualifier [16]
Mal Donaghy 25 June 1982  Spain Estadio Luis Casanova, Valencia, Spain 1–0 Spain 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 Portugal UEFA Euro 2004 Group 6 Qualifier [21]
Keith Gillespie 2 April 2003  Greece Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland 0–2 Portugal UEFA Euro 2004 Group 6 Qualifier [22]
George McCartney 11 October 2003  Greece Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium, Athens, Greece 0–1 Portugal UEFA Euro 2004 Group 6 Qualifier [23]
Mark Williams 30 May 2004  Barbados Barbados National Stadium, Saint Michael, Barbados 1–1 International Friendly [24]
Michael Hughes 8 September 2004  Wales Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales 2–2 Germany 2006 FIFA World Cup Group 6 Qualifier [25]
David Healy 8 September 2004  Wales Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales 2–2 Germany 2006 FIFA World Cup Group 6 Qualifier [26]
Keith Gillespie 17 August 2005  Malta Ta' Qali National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta 1–1 International Friendly [27]
Damien Johnson 12 October 2005  Austria Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 0–2 Germany 2006 FIFA World Cup Group 6 Qualifier [28]
James Quinn 26 May 2006  Romania Soldier Field, Chicago, United States 0–2 International Friendly [29]
Ryan McGivern 20 August 2008  Scotland Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland 0–0 International Friendly [30]
Adam Thompson 24 May 2011  Republic of Ireland Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland 0–5 Republic of Ireland 2011 Nations Cup [31]
Chris Brunt 6 September 2013  Portugal Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland 2–4 Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup Group F Qualifier [32]
Kyle Lafferty 6 September 2013  Portugal Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland 2–4 Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup Group F Qualifier [33]
Jonny Evans 11 October 2013  Azerbaijan Eighth Kilometer District Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan 0–2 Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup Group F Qualifier [34]
Gareth McAuley 5 March 2014  Cyprus GSP Stadium, Strovolos, Cyprus 0–0 International Friendly [35]
Chris Baird 7 September 2015  Hungary Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland 1–1 France UEFA Euro 2016 Group F Qualifier [36]
Josh Magennis 4 September 2020  Romania Arena Națională, Bucharest, Romania 1–1 2020–21 UEFA Nations League - Group B1 [37]

Individual and Team records

Age records

  • 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

Firsts

  • 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, 25th May 1922
  • First win over an overseas opponent: 1 May 1957 vs  Portugal

Streaks

Biggest wins

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

Heaviest defeats

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

Competition Records

FIFA World Cup

Qualification
Finals

UEFA European Championship

Qualification
Finals

UEFA Nations League

Qualification

Rankings

  • 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

Performance by competition

Last updated after match against  Romania on 18 November 2020.

Competition Pld W D L GF GA GD Win % Draw % Loss %
FIFA World Cup 13 3 5 5 13 23 -10 23.08% 38.46% 38.46%
FIFA World Cup qualification 134 43 36 55 149 161 -12 32.09% 26.89% 41.05%
UEFA European Championship 4 1 0 3 2 3 -1 25.00% 0.00% 75.00%
UEFA European Championship qualification 120 44 27 49 131 154 -23 36.67% 22.50% 40.83%
UEFA Nations League 10 0 2 8 6 18 -12 0.00% 20.00% 80.00%
British Home Championship 265 48 49 168 284 710 -426 18.11% 18.49% 63.40%
Competitive[note 3] 528 137 115 276 571 1029 -458 25.95% 21.78% 52.27%
International Friendlies 117 30 34 53 107 190 -83 25.64% 29.06% 45.30%
Minor Tournaments 5 0 0 5 1 14 -13 0.00% 0.00% 100.00%
Total 656 167 151 338 683 1241 -558 25.46% 23.02% 51.52%

Statistics include official FIFA recognised matches only

Performance by manager

  Current manager highlighted in green

Last updated after match against  Romania on 18 November 2020.

Manager First Game Last Game Pld W D L GF GA GD Win % Draw % Loss %
Northern Ireland Irish FA Selection Committee 18 February 1882 vs. England 12 May 1951 vs. France 177 29 27 121 200 568 -368 16.38% 15.25% 68.36%
Northern Ireland Peter Doherty 6 October 1951 vs. Scotland 9 May 1962 vs. Netherlands 51 9 14 28 67 119 -52 17.65% 27.45% 54.90%
Northern Ireland Bertie Peacock 10 October 1962 vs. Poland 12 April 1967 vs. Wales 28 11 4 13 46 54 -8 39.29% 14.29% 46.43%
Northern Ireland Billy Bingham 21 October 1967 vs. Scotland 22 May 1971 vs. Wales 20 8 3 9 24 22 +2 40.00% 15.00% 45.00%
Northern Ireland Terry Neill 22 September 1971 vs. Soviet Union 30 October 1974 vs. Sweden 20 6 6 8 16 18 -2 30.00% 30.00% 40.00%
Northern Ireland Dave Clements 16 April 1975 vs. Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 14 May 1976 vs. Wales 11 3 2 6 7 15 -8 27.27% 18.18% 54.55%
Northern Ireland Danny Blanchflower 13 October 1976 vs. Netherlands 21 November 1979 vs. Republic of Ireland 24 6 5 13 19 38 -19 25.00% 20.83% 54.17%
Northern Ireland Billy Bingham 26 March 1980 vs. Israel 17 November 1993 vs. Republic of Ireland 98 32 31 35 91 107 -16 32.65% 31.63% 35.71%
Northern Ireland Bryan Hamilton 23 March 1994 vs. Romania 11 October 1997 vs. Portugal 31 8 8 15 34 41 -7 25.81% 25.81% 48.39%
England Lawrie McMenemy 25 March 1998 vs. Slovakia 9 October 1999 vs. Finland 14 4 3 7 9 25 -16 28.57% 21.43% 50.00%
Northern Ireland Sammy McIlroy 23 February 2000 vs. Luxembourg 2 April 2003 vs. Greece 29 5 7 17 19 40 -21 17.24% 24.14% 58.62%
Northern Ireland Lawrie Sanchez 18 February 2004 vs. Norway 28 March 2007 vs. Sweden 32 11 10 11 35 42 -7 34.38% 31.25% 34.38%
Northern Ireland Nigel Worthington 22 August 2007 vs. Liechtenstein 11 October 2011 vs. Italy 41 9 10 22 35 55 -20 21.95% 24.39% 53.66%
Northern Ireland Michael O'Neill 29 February 2012 vs. Norway 19 November 2019 vs. Germany 72 26 18 28 75 83 -8 36.11% 25.00% 38.89%
England Ian Baraclough 4 September 2020 vs. Romania - 8 0 3 5 6 14 -8 0.00% 37.50% 62.50%
Total 656 167 151 338 683 1241 -558 25.46% 23.02% 51.52%

Statistics include official FIFA recognised matches only

Performance by venue

Last updated after match against  Romania on 18 November 2020.

Venue Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD Win % Draw % Loss %
Home 313 107 69 137 402 532 -130 34.19% 22.04% 43.77%
Away 315 56 76 183 263 656 -393 17.78% 24.13% 58.10%
Neutral 28 4 6 18 18 53 -35 14.29% 21.43% 64.29%
Total 656 167 151 338 683 1241 -558 25.46% 23.02% 51.52%

Performance by confederation

Last updated after match against  Romania on 18 November 2020.

Confederation Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD Win % Draw % Loss %
UEFA 623 157 142 324 651 1202 -551 25.20% 22.79% 52.01%
CONCACAF 11 3 4 4 12 13 -1 27.27% 36.36% 36.36%
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

  Still active decade highlighted in green

Last updated after match against  Romania on 18 November 2020.

Decade Pld W D L GF GA GD Win % Draw % Loss %
1880s 22 1 1 20 20 139 -119 4.55% 4.55% 90.91%
1890s 30 5 4 21 45 124 -79 16.67% 13.33% 70.00%
1900s 31 5 4 22 24 83 -59 16.13% 12.90% 70.97%
1910s 16 5 3 8 20 30 -10 31.25% 18.75% 50.00%
1920s 33 5 8 20 32 63 -31 15.15% 24.24% 60.61%
1930s 29 6 3 20 38 75 -37 20.69% 10.34% 68.97%
1940s 11 2 2 7 16 40 -24 18.18% 18.18% 63.64%
1950s 43 8 15 20 54 89 -35 18.60% 34.88% 46.51%
1960s 52 16 8 28 77 111 -34 30.77% 15.38% 53.85%
1970s 64 19 13 32 53 80 -27 29.69% 20.31% 50.00%
1980s 73 23 24 26 59 77 -18 31.51% 32.88% 35.62%
1990s 70 21 18 31 75 96 -21 30.00% 25.71% 44.29%
2000s 84 23 23 38 79 107 -28 27.38% 27.38% 45.24%
2010s 90 28 22 40 85 113 -28 31.11% 24.44% 44.44%
2020s 8 0 3 5 6 14 -8 0.00% 37.50% 62.50%
Total 656 167 151 338 683 1241 -558 25.46% 23.02% 51.52%

Statistics include official FIFA recognised matches only

All-time records

Head to head records

All opponents of the Northern Ireland national team

Last updated after match against  Romania on 18 November 2020.

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

Statistics include official FIFA recognised matches only

FIFA members yet to play against Northern Ireland

Last updated after match against  Romania on 18 November 2020.

Competitive record

  Champions   Runners-up   Third Place   Fourth Place

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup finals record Qualification record Manager(s)
Year Round Pos Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member None
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950 Did not qualify 3 0 1 2 4 17 Irish FA Committee
Switzerland 1954 3 1 0 2 4 7 Peter Doherty
Sweden 1958 Quarter Finals 8th 5 2 1 2 6 10 Squad 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 Bertie Peacock
Mexico 1970 4 2 1 1 7 3 Billy Bingham
West Germany 1974 6 1 3 2 5 6 Terry Neill
Argentina 1978 6 2 1 3 7 6 Danny Blanchflower
Spain 1982 Round of 16 9th 5 1 3 1 5 7 Squad 8 3 3 2 6 3 Billy Bingham
Mexico 1986 Group Stage 21st 3 0 1 2 2 6 Squad 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 Bryan Hamilton
South Korea Japan 2002 10 3 2 5 11 12 Sammy McIlroy
Germany 2006 10 2 3 5 10 18 Lawrie Sanchez
South Africa 2010 10 4 3 3 13 9 Nigel Worthington
Brazil 2014 10 1 4 5 9 17 Michael O'Neill
Russia 2018 12 6 2 4 17 7
Qatar 2022 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
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

UEFA European Championship

UEFA European Championship record Qualification record Manager(s)
Year Round Pos Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
France 1960 Did not enter Did not enter None
Spain 1964 Did not qualify 4 2 1 1 5 2 Bertie Peacock
Italy 1968 6 1 1 4 2 8 Bertie Peacock, Billy Bingham[note 5]
Belgium 1972 6 2 2 2 10 6 Billy Bingham, Terry Neill[note 6]
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976 6 3 0 3 8 5 Terry Neill, Dave Clements[note 7]
Italy 1980 8 4 1 3 8 14 Danny Blanchflower
France 1984 8 5 1 2 8 5 Billy Bingham
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 Bryan Hamilton
Belgium Netherlands 2000 8 1 2 5 4 19 Lawrie McMenemy
Portugal 2004 8 0 3 5 0 8 Sammy McIlroy
Austria Switzerland 2008 12 6 2 4 17 14 Lawrie Sanchez, Nigel Worthington[note 8]
Poland Ukraine 2012 10 2 3 5 9 13 Nigel Worthington
France 2016 Round of 16 16th 4 1 0 3 2 3 Squad 10 6 3 1 16 8 Michael O'Neill
Europe 2020 Did not qualify 10 4 2 4 11 16 Michael O'Neill, Ian Baraclough[note 9]
Germany 2024 To be determined
Total Round of 16 1/16 4 1 0 3 2 3 120 44 27 49 131 154
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League record Manager(s)
Year Division Group Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK
Portugal 2018–19 B 3 4 0 0 4 2 7 Same position 24th Michael O'Neill
Italy 2020–21 B 1 6 0 2 4 4 11 Fall 32nd Ian Baraclough
2022–23 C To Be Determined
Total 10 0 2 8 6 18 24th

British Home Championship

British Home Championship record
Year Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1883–84 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 1 19 -18 0
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1884–85 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 4 20 -16 0
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1885–86 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 3 18 -15 0
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1886–87 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 5 12 -7 2
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1887–88 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 3 26 -23 0
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1888–89 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 2 16 -14 0
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1889–90 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 4 18 -14 0
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1890–91 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 9 10 -1 2
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1891–92 Third place 3rd 3 0 1 2 3 6 -3 1
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1892–93 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 6 15 -9 2
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1893–94 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 4 8 -4 1
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1894–95 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 3 14 -11 1
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1895–96 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 4 11 -7 1
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1896–97 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 5 14 -9 2
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1897–98 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 3 6 -3 2
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1898–99 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 4 22 -18 2
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1899–00 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 0 7 -7 0
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1900–01 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 0 15 -15 0
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1901–02 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 4 6 -2 2
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1902–03 Champions 1st= 3 2 0 1 4 4 0 4
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1903–04 Runners-up 2nd 3 1 1 1 3 4 -1 3
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1904–05 Fourth place 4th 3 0 2 1 3 7 -4 2
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1905–06 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 4 10 -6 1
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1906–07 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 2 7 -5 0
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1907–08 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 2 8 -6 2
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1908–09 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 2 12 -10 0
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1909–10 Third place 3rd 3 1 1 1 3 5 -2 3
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1910–11 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 2 6 -4 0
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1911–12 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 5 12 -7 2
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1912–13 Fourth place 4th 3 1 0 2 3 4 -1 2
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1913–14 Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 6 2 +4 5
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1919–20 Fourth place 4th 3 0 2 1 3 6 -3 2
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1920–21 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 1 6 -5 0
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1921–22 Fourth place 4th 3 0 2 1 3 4 -1 2
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1922–23 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 3 3 0 2
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1923–24 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 2 4 -2 2
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1924–25 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 1 6 -5 1
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1925–26 Runners-up 2nd 3 1 1 1 3 4 -1 3
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1926–27 Third place 3rd 3 0 2 1 5 7 -2 2
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1927–28 Runners-up 2nd 3 2 0 1 4 2 +2 4
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1928–29 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 6 11 -5 1
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1929–30 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 8 6 +2 2
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1930–31 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 3 8 -5 1
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1931–32 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 7 9 -2 2
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1932–33 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 1 9 -8 0
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1933–34 Third place 3rd 3 1 1 1 3 5 -2 3
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1934–35 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 4 6 -2 2
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1935–36 Fourth place 4th 3 1 0 2 5 7 -2 2
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1936–37 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 3 10 -7 0
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1937–38 Third place 3rd 3 1 1 1 3 6 -3 3
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1938–39 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 1 12 -11 0
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1946–47 Runners-up 2nd 3 1 1 1 4 8 -4 3
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1947–48 Third place 3rd 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 3
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1948–49 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 4 11 -7 0
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1949–50 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 4 17 -13 1
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1950–51 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 3 12 -9 0
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1951–52 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 0 8 -8 0
England Scotland Wales Ireland 1952–53 Third place 3rd 3 0 2 1 5 6 -1 2
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1953–54 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 4 7 -3 2
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1954–55 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 4 7 -3 1
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1955–56 Champions 1st= 3 1 1 1 3 5 -2 3
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1956–57 Third place 3rd 3 0 2 1 1 2 -1 2
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1957–58 Champions 1st= 3 1 2 0 5 4 +1 4
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1958–59 Champions 1st= 3 1 2 0 9 6 +3 4
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1959–60 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 3 9 -6 0
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1960–61 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 5 15 -10 0
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1961–62 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 2 11 -9 1
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1962–63 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 3 12 -9 0
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1963–64 Champions 1st= 3 2 0 1 8 11 -3 4
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1964–65 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 5 12 -7 0
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1965–66 Runners-up 2nd 3 2 0 1 8 5 +3 4
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1966–67 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 1 4 -3 1
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1967–68 Fourth place 4th 3 1 0 2 1 4 -3 2
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1968–69 Third place 3rd 3 0 2 1 2 4 -2 2
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1969–70 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 1 5 -4 0
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1970–71 Runners-up 2nd 3 2 0 1 2 1 +1 4
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1971–72 Third place 3rd 3 1 1 1 1 2 -1 3
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1972–73 Runners-up 2nd 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 4
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1973–74 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 1 2 -1 2
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1974–75 Third place 3rd 3 1 1 1 1 3 -2 3
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1975–76 Fourth place 4th 3 0 0 3 0 8 -8 0
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1976–77 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 2 6 -4 1
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1977–78 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 1 3 -2 1
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1978–79 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 1 4 -3 1
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1979–80 Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 3 1 +2 5
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1980–81 Cancelled[note 10] 1 0 0 1 0 2 -2 0
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1981–82 Fourth place 4th 3 0 1 2 1 8 -7 1
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1982–83 Third place 3rd 3 0 2 1 0 1 -1 2
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 1983–84 Champions 1st 3 1 1 1 3 2 +1 3
Total 8/88 8 Titles 265 48 49 168 284 710 -426 145

Minor tournaments

Year Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA GD
Canada 1995 Canada Cup Group stage 3rd 2 0 0 2 1 4 -3
Republic of Ireland 2011 Nations Cup Group stage 4th 3 0 0 3 0 10 -10
Total 5 0 0 5 1 14 -13

Honours

Titles

FIFA Rankings

Last updated 16 July 2020

Northern Ireland's Historical FIFA Ranking and Points Total
Year January February March April May June July August September October November December
Pos (Pts) Pos (Pts) Pos (Pts) Pos (Pts) Pos (Pts) Pos (Pts) Pos (Pts) Pos (Pts) Pos (Pts) Pos (Pts) Pos (Pts) Pos (Pts)
1992 43 (31)
1993 40 (37) 40 (37) 42 (36) 42 (37) 39 (38)
1994 39 (38) 38 (38) 42 (36) 35 (39) 33 (41) 41 (37) 39 (37) 39 (37) 45 (35) 39 (38) 44 (37) 45 (37)
1995 45 (37) 50 (37) 50 (37) 54 (35) 52 (36) 53 (35) 54 (36) 55 (35) 45 (35) 46 (38) 46 (39) 45 (39)
1996 48 (38) 51 (38) 51 (38) 57 (36) 60 (34) 60 (34) 60 (36) 63 (35) 65 (35) 74 (34) 75 (34) 64 (37)
1997 64 (37) 68 (37) 68 (37) 63 (40) 63 (40) 69 (39) 69 (39) 71 (39) 72 (38) 75 (38) 83 (36) 93 (34)
1998 93 (34) 99 (31) 98 (31) 92 (32) 90 (33) 90 (33) 88 (32) 90 (32) 94 (31) 87 (34) 88 (34) 86 (35)
1999 67 (467) 67 (465) 67 (463) 69 (459) 69 (455) 69 (462) 71 (460) 71 (459) 71 (456) 78 (441) 80 (435) 84 (427)
2000 84 (427) 88 (425) 88 (431) 87 (435) 92 (426) 95 (414) 95 (410) 98 (404) 96 (425) 91 (438) 90 (440) 93 (437)
2001 94 (437) 94 (436) 96 (433) 98 (430) 101 (423) 105 (420) 106 (413) 107 (411) 97 (446) 90 (465) 90 (465) 88 (465)
2002 89 (465) 92 (463) 92 (462) 91 (462) 90 (455) 90 (455) 89 (448) 90 (444) 98 (420) 98 (428) 100 (422) 103 (413)
2003 106 (413) 107 (411) 107 (409) 111 (404) 111 (399) 110 (408) 110 (403) 112 (395) 111 (404) 118 (393) 118 (389) 122 (383)
2004 124 (383) 124 (382) 124 (379) 115 (400) 114 (404) 110 (421) 112 (425) 110 (424) 109 (428) 110 (432) 107 (442) 107 (443)
2005 109 (442) 111 (441) 111 (439) 113 (435) 114 (430) 114 (425) 112 (418) 116 (410) 101 (464) 104 (451) 101 (460) 103 (461)
2006 103 (460) 102 (463) 98 (472) 96 (471) 96 (469) 96 (469) 75 (425) 72 (425) 58 (486) 45 (600) 48 (625) 48 (625)
2007 47 (625) 49 (602) 47 (615) 33 (742) 33 (742) 29 (838) 28 (838) 27 (886) 36 (707) 36 (716) 32 (780) 32 (780)
2008 32 (780) 34 (754) 34 (763) 34 (704) 34 (704) 32 (752) 33 (750) 32 (750) 32 (761) 35 (721) 42 (670) 52 (580)
2009 52 (580) 49 (593) 42 (619) 27 (795) 27 (795) 27 (820) 32 (784) 32 (784) 31 (795) 30 (775) 39 (737) 40 (729)
2010 40 (729) 39 (748) 50 (628) 57 (555) 56 (566) 56 (566) 59 (540) 59 (540) 45 (638) 41 (627) 42 (627) 43 (615)
2011 43 (615) 38 (615) 40 (605) 65 (520) 65 (520) 62 (498) 62 (498) 59 (545) 70 (477) 84 (421) 89 (403) 88 (403)
2012 87 (403) 86 (412) 87 (400) 100 (338) 100 (338) 103 (336) 102 (336) 101 (336) 129 (257) 117 (287) 100 (356) 96 (367)
2013 98 (367) 102 (354) 97 (367) 119 (285) 119 (285) 116 (304) 111 (307) 109 (307) 86 (431) 90 (399) 90 (381) 89 (381)
2014 90 (381) 85 (397) 86 (388) 84 (400) 84 (400) 90 (381) 89 (356) 95 (341) 71 (435) 43 (625) 47 (615) 48 (615)
2015 47 (615) 51 (626) 43 (679) 42 (672) 42 (672) 44 (676) 37 (721) 40 (721) 41 (687) 35 (724) 29 (797) 30 (825)
2016 30 (825) 29 (825) 28 (833) 26 (825) 26 (825) 25 (851) 28 (822) 28 (822) 30 (798) 36 (739) 32 (767) 32 (767)
2017 32 (767) 35 (772) 35 (786) 26 (823) 26 (823) 28 (837) 22 (897) 23 (897) 20 (945) 23 (889) 24 (867) 24 (867)
2018 25 (867) 26 (867) 24 (879) 27 (837) 27 (837) 29 (803) 29 (1887) 27 (1492) 28 (1487) 34 (1472) 35 (1465) 35 (1465)
2019 35 (1465) 36 (1465) 36 (1465) 33 (1481) 28 (1496) 28 (1496) 29 (1496) 29 (1496) 33 (1488) 34 (1483) 36 (1476) 36 (1476)
2020 36 (1476) 36 (1476) 36 (1476) 36 (1476) 36 (1476) 36 (1476) 36 (1476) 36 (1476) (–) (–) (–) (–)
Table Key Highest position Lowest position Ranking formula adjusted

Notes

  1. ^ Some sources list Bingham as having scored ten goals, but a goal against Spain in 1958 credited to him was more likely scored by Wilbur Cush.
  2. ^ Match played in Sweden as the Faroe Islands did not have a UEFA-approved grass pitch arena.
  3. ^ 12 games of the British Home Championship doubled as qualification games for the World Cup and European championship: Each game is counted in both applicable lines, but only counts once towards the subtotal.
  4. ^ Includes matches against Australia until their move to AFC in 2006.
  5. ^ Bertie Peacock managed for the first three qualifying matches. Billy Bingham managed the remainder of the qualification campaign.
  6. ^ Billy Bingham managed for the first three qualifying matches. Terry Neill managed the remainder of the qualification campaign.
  7. ^ Terry Neill managed for the first two qualifying matches. Dave Clements managed the remainder of the qualification campaign.
  8. ^ Lawrie Sanchez managed for the first six qualifying matches. Nigel Worthington managed the remainder of the qualification campaign.
  9. ^ Michael O'Neill managed the team for the eight qualifying group stage matches. Ian Baraclough managed the team in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs.
  10. ^ The 1980–81 British Home Championship was cancelled due to The Troubles.

References

  1. ^ "Ireland Game 1891".
  2. ^ "Ireland Game 1893".
  3. ^ "Ireland Game 1902".
  4. ^ "Ireland Game 1906".
  5. ^ "Ireland Game 1930".
  6. ^ "Northern Ireland vs. West Germany 1960".
  7. ^ "Northern Ireland vs. Albania 1965".
  8. ^ "Northern Ireland vs. Cyprus 1971".
  9. ^ "Faroe Islands vs. Northern Ireland 1991".
  10. ^ "Northern Ireland vs. Spain 2006".
  11. ^ "Liechtenstein vs. Northern Ireland 2007".
  12. ^ "Northern Ireland vs Greece football match, 17 October 1961".
  13. ^ "Northern Ireland vs England football match, 22 October 1966".
  14. ^ "Northern Ireland vs Scotland football match, 18 April 1970".
  15. ^ "Bulgaria vs Northern Ireland football match, 18 October 1972".
  16. ^ "Sweden vs Northern Ireland football match, 3 June 1981".
  17. ^ "Spain vs Northern Ireland football match, 25 June 1982".
  18. ^ "Northern Ireland vs Romania football match, 23 March 1994".
  19. ^ "Northern Ireland vs Norway football match, 27 March 1996".
  20. ^ "Liechtenstein vs Northern Ireland football match, 27 March 2002".
  21. ^ "Northern Ireland vs Greece football match, 2 April 2003".
  22. ^ "Northern Ireland vs Greece football match, 2 April 2003".
  23. ^ "Greece vs Northern Ireland football match, 11 October 2003".
  24. ^ "Barbados vs Northern Ireland football match, 30 May 2004".
  25. ^ "Wales vs Northern Ireland football match, 8 September 2004".
  26. ^ "Wales vs Northern Ireland football match, 8 September 2004".
  27. ^ "Malta vs Northern Ireland football match, 17 August 2005".
  28. ^ "Austria vs Northern Ireland football match, 12 October 2005".
  29. ^ "Romania vs Northern Ireland football match, 26 May 2006".
  30. ^ "Scotland vs Northern Ireland football match, 20 August 2008".
  31. ^ "Rep. of Ireland vs Northern Ireland football match, 24 May 2011".
  32. ^ "Northern Ireland vs Portugal football match, 6 September 2013".
  33. ^ "Northern Ireland vs Portugal football match, 6 September 2013".
  34. ^ "Azerbaijan vs Northern Ireland football match, 11 October 2013".
  35. ^ "Cyprus vs Northern Ireland football match, 5 March 2014".
  36. ^ "Northern Ireland vs Hungary football match, 7 September 2015".
  37. ^ "Romania vs Northern Ireland football match, 4 September 2020".