Northern Ireland at the FIFA World Cup

The Northern Ireland national football team have appeared in the finals of the FIFA World Cup on three occasions.

Their 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 & 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, to have scored at a World Cup finals, 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 most of the 1960s and into the 1970s, Northern Ireland failed to qualify for any major tournaments during this time.

Northern Ireland also qualified for the 1982 World Cup. Their opening game was against Yugoslavia at the La Romareda 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.[1] 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.[2] However a mistake from goalkeeper Luis Arconada 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 qualified for the 2018 World Cup playoffs.

Record at the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
1930Did not enter
1934
1938
1950Did not qualify
1954
1958Quarter-finals8th5212610
1962Did not qualify
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982Second round9th513157
1986Group stage21st301226
1990Did not qualify
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022To be determined
2026
TotalQuarter-finals3/21133551323
*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

By Match

World Cup Round Opponent Score Result Venue Scorers
1958Group stage Czechoslovakia1–0WHalmstadW. Cush
 Argentina1–3LHalmstadP. McParland
 West Germany2–2DMalmöP. McParland (2)
 Czechoslovakia2–1 (a.e.t.)WMalmöP. McParland (2)
Quarter-finals France0–4LNorrköping—
1982Group stage Yugoslavia0–0DZaragoza—
 Honduras1–1DZaragozaG. Armstrong
 Spain1–0WValenciaG. Armstrong
Second round Austria2–2DMadridB. Hamilton (2)
 France1–4LMadridG. Armstrong
1986Group stage Algeria1–1DGuadalajaraN. Whiteside
 Spain1–2LGuadalajaraC. Clarke
 Brazil0–3LGuadalajara—

Record by Opponent

FIFA World Cup matches (by team)
Opponent Wins Draws Losses Total Goals Scored Goals Conceded
 Algeria010111
 Argentina001113
 Austria010122
 Brazil001103
 Czechoslovakia200231
 France002218
 Honduras010111
 Spain101222
 West Germany010122
 Yugoslavia010100

Northern Ireland at Sweden 1958

First round

Group 1

Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
 West Germany 3120751.404
 Northern Ireland 3111450.803
 Czechoslovakia 3111842.003
 Argentina 31025100.502
Northern Ireland 1 – 0 Czechoslovakia
Cush  21' Report
Attendance: 10,647
Referee: Seipelt (Austria)
Argentina 3 – 1 Northern Ireland
Corbatta  37' (pen.)
Menéndez  56'
Avio  60'		 Report McParland  4'
Attendance: 14,174
Referee: Ahlner (Sweden)
Play-off
Northern Ireland 2–1 (a.e.t.) Czechoslovakia
McParland  44', 97' Report Zikán  18'
Attendance: 6,196
Referee: Guigue (France)
West Germany 2 – 2 Northern Ireland
Rahn  20'
Seeler  78'		 Report McParland  18', 60'
Attendance: 21,990
Referee: Campos (Portugal)

Quarter-final 1958 World Cup

France 4 – 0 Northern Ireland
Wisnieski  22'
Fontaine  55', 63'
Piantoni  68'		 Report
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Gardeazabal (Spain)

Northern Ireland at 1982 World Cup

Squad

Head coach: Billy Bingham

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Club
1 1GK Pat Jennings (1945-06-12)12 June 1945 (aged 37) Arsenal
2 2DF Jimmy Nicholl (1956-02-28)28 February 1956 (aged 26) Toronto Blizzard
3 2DF Mal Donaghy (1957-09-13)13 September 1957 (aged 24) Luton Town
4 3MF David McCreery (1957-09-16)16 September 1957 (aged 24) Tulsa Roughnecks
5 2DF Chris Nicholl (1946-10-12)12 October 1946 (aged 35) Southampton
6 2DF John O'Neill (1958-03-11)11 March 1958 (aged 24) Leicester City
7 3MF Noel Brotherston (1956-11-18)18 November 1956 (aged 25) Blackburn Rovers
8 3MF Martin O'Neill (c) (1952-03-01)1 March 1952 (aged 30) Norwich City
9 4FW Gerry Armstrong (1954-05-23)23 May 1954 (aged 28) Watford
10 3MF Sammy McIlroy (1954-08-02)2 August 1954 (aged 27) Stoke City
11 4FW Billy Hamilton (1957-05-09)9 May 1957 (aged 25) Burnley
12 2DF John McClelland (1955-12-07)7 December 1955 (aged 26) Rangers
13 2DF Sammy Nelson (1949-04-01)1 April 1949 (aged 33) Brighton
14 3MF Tommy Cassidy (1950-11-18)18 November 1950 (aged 31) Burnley
15 3MF Tommy Finney (1952-11-06)6 November 1952 (aged 29) Cambridge United
16 3MF Norman Whiteside (1965-05-07)7 May 1965 (aged 17) Manchester United
17 1GK Jim Platt (1952-01-26)26 January 1952 (aged 30) Middlesbrough
18 3MF Johnny Jameson (1958-03-11)11 March 1958 (aged 24) Glentoran
19 4FW Felix Healy (1955-09-27)27 September 1955 (aged 26) Coleraine
20 3MF Jim Cleary (1956-05-27)27 May 1956 (aged 26) Glentoran
21 4FW Bobby Campbell (1956-09-13)13 September 1956 (aged 25) Bradford City
22 1GK George Dunlop (1956-01-16)16 January 1956 (aged 26) Linfield

Matches

Yugoslavia 0–0 Northern Ireland
Report
Attendance: 25,000
Honduras 1–1 Northern Ireland
Laing  60' Report Armstrong  10'
Attendance: 15,000
Spain 0–1 Northern Ireland
Report Armstrong  47'
Attendance: 49,562
Austria 2–2 Northern Ireland
Pezzey  50'
Hintermaier  68'		 Report Hamilton  27', 75'
Attendance: 20,000
Northern Ireland 1–4 France
Armstrong  75' Report Giresse  33', 80'
Rocheteau  46', 68'
Attendance: 37,000
Referee: Alojzy Jarguz (Poland)

Northern Ireland at 1986 World Cup

Squad

Head coach: Billy Bingham

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Club
1 1GK Pat Jennings (1945-06-12)12 June 1945 (aged 40) Tottenham Hotspur
2 2DF Jimmy Nicholl (1956-12-28)28 December 1956 (aged 29) West Bromwich Albion
3 2DF Mal Donaghy (1957-09-13)13 September 1957 (aged 28) Luton Town
4 2DF John O'Neill (1958-03-11)11 March 1958 (aged 28) Leicester City
5 2DF Alan McDonald (1963-10-12)12 October 1963 (aged 22) Queens Park Rangers
6 3MF David McCreery (1957-09-16)16 September 1957 (aged 28) Newcastle United
7 3MF Steve Penney (1964-01-16)16 January 1964 (aged 22) Brighton
8 3MF Sammy McIlroy (c) (1954-08-02)2 August 1954 (aged 31) Manchester City
9 4FW Jimmy Quinn (1959-11-18)18 November 1959 (aged 26) Blackburn Rovers
10 3MF Norman Whiteside (1965-05-07)7 May 1965 (aged 21) Manchester United
11 4FW Ian Stewart (1961-09-10)10 September 1961 (aged 24) Newcastle United
12 1GK Jim Platt (1952-01-26)26 January 1952 (aged 34) Coleraine
13 1GK Philip Hughes (1964-11-19)19 November 1964 (aged 21) Bury
14 4FW Gerry Armstrong (1954-05-23)23 May 1954 (aged 32) Tottenham Hotspur
15 3MF Nigel Worthington (1961-11-04)4 November 1961 (aged 24) Sheffield Wednesday
16 3MF Paul Ramsey (1962-09-03)3 September 1962 (aged 23) Leicester City
17 4FW Colin Clarke (1962-10-30)30 October 1962 (aged 23) Bournemouth
18 2DF John McClelland (1955-12-07)7 December 1955 (aged 30) Watford
19 4FW Billy Hamilton (1957-05-09)9 May 1957 (aged 29) Oxford United
20 2DF Bernard McNally (1963-02-17)17 February 1963 (aged 23) Shrewsbury Town
21 3MF David Campbell (1965-06-02)2 June 1965 (aged 20) Nottingham Forest
22 4FW Mark Caughey (1960-08-31)31 August 1960 (aged 25) Linfield

Matches

Algeria 1 – 1 Northern Ireland
Zidane  59' Report Whiteside  6'
Attendance: 22,000
Northern Ireland 1 – 2 Spain
Clarke  46' Report Butragueño  1'
Salinas  18'
Attendance: 28,000
Northern Ireland 0 – 3 Brazil
Report Careca  15', 87'
Josimar  42'
Attendance: 51,000

Record players

One of Northern Ireland's record World Cup players, Norman Whiteside, also holds the record for the youngest player ever to appear in the tournament. When he was fielded against Yugoslavia, he was only 17 years and 41 days old.

No. Name Matches World Cups
1 Billy Hamilton81982 and 1986
David McCreery81982 and 1986
Sammy McIlroy81982 and 1986
Jimmy Nicholl81982 and 1986
Norman Whiteside81982 and 1986
6 Mal Donaghy71982 and 1986
Pat Jennings71982 and 1986
8Gerry Armstrong61982 and 1986
9Eleven players5

Top goalscorers

No. Name Goals World Cups
1Peter McParland51958
2Gerry Armstrong31982
3 Billy Hamilton21982
4 Wilbur Cush11958
Colin Clarke11986
Norman Whiteside11986

References

  1. Whiteside, Norman (2007). Determined. Headline Publishing Group. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-7553-1598-7.
  2. Whiteside, Norman (2007). Determined. Headline Publishing Group. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-7553-1598-7.
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