Northern Ireland prepare for the second of their back-to-back 2026 World Cup qualifiers away from home, with a tough match against Germany.
Best bets for Germany vs Northern Ireland
- Germany -2 (Handicap 3-Way) at odds of 2.01 with Stake
- Over 3.5 goals at odds of 2.07 with Stake
- Nick Woltemade Anytime Goalscorer at odds of 2.06 with Stake
We expect Germany to easily secure a 4-0 win.
Our analysis: Form of both teams
Northern Ireland begin their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with two away trips to Luxembourg and Germany. The clash in Cologne will be significant for Michael O’Neil’s side.
Germany topped their Nations League group in League A, before reaching the semi-finals, where they lost to Portugal. Julian Nagelsmann’s team travelled to Slovakia on Thursday for their opening 2026 World Cup qualifier. They will now host the Green and White Army.
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The main topic of Nagelsmann’s squad for September’s double-header involves young stars Finn Dahmen, Nnamdi Collins, and Paul Nebel. All of them have impressed in the German U21 side that reached the Euro 2025 final this summer. Germany have won their last nine successive competitive meetings with Northern Ireland since 1997.
Northern Ireland enjoyed a solid Nations League campaign last year, albeit at League C level. Having lost only one of their six games, Michael O’Neil’s men won their group and secured promotion to League B.
For most players in O’Neil’s youthful squad, this will be their first experience with a World Cup qualifying campaign. Despite some recent heavy losses, including five-goal losses to Spain and Sweden, their Nations League promotion should give them confidence to compete at this level.
Probable lineups for Germany vs Northern Ireland
Germany expected lineup: Baumann; Raum, Kimmich, Tah, Rudiger, Stiller, Goretzka, Adeyemi, Wirtz, Gnabry, Woltemade
Northern Ireland expected lineup: Peacock-Farrell; Bradley, Hume, McConville, McNair, McCann, Saville, S. Charles, Galbraith, Price, D. Charles
Germans to win by at least a three-goal margin
The last time Germany and Northern Ireland met was during qualification for Euro 2020. Germany secured a dominant 6-1 victory in November 2019 and a 2-0 win in Belfast in September of the same year.
They were also drawn in the same group for 2018 World Cup qualifying, when Germany won 3-1 in Belfast and 2-0 in Hannover. Four of the last seven competitive meetings between these nations have featured at least four goals.
With that kind of record, online betting sites are offering attractive markets on goals being scored in Cologne.
Northern Ireland is a team in transition with many inexperienced players at the international level. So, backing the world's ninth-best nation in the latest rankings to win by three goals or more against the world number 71 nation is a very realistic bet.
Northern Ireland lost 5-1 to Sweden earlier this year in a friendly, and the Swedes are currently ranked 29th in the world.
- Germany vs Northern Ireland Bet 1: Germany -2 (Handicap 3-Way) at odds of 2.01 with Stake
Head-to-head history suggests a goalfest
Germany's record of 13 goals scored in their last four competitive meetings with Northern Ireland suggests this weekend’s contest is likely to be an entertaining one. Northern Ireland have also managed to score in two of those four previous contests.
Germans will be keen to overcome the disappointment of their Nations League failure in the semi-final and third-place play-off matches. Therefore, they are expected to dominate Northern Ireland in Cologne.
The betting markets currently indicate that there’s only a 47.62% chance for this match to feature four or more goals. However, there may be more than an even-money chance, making it the value pick of this trio of Germany vs Northern Ireland predictions.
- Germany vs Northern Ireland Bet 2: Over 3.5 goals at odds of 2.07 with Stake
Backing new Magpie Woltemade to net in Cologne
Nick Woltemade’s life-changing move to Premier League giants Newcastle United has put the 23-year-old into the spotlight. The former VfB Stuttgart target man managed 13 goals in 18 appearances for Germany U21s at a strike rate of 72%.
Woltemade has not yet scored in his two appearances for the senior team. However, if he maintains his current strike rate, he will surely score in this qualifying campaign. The betting markets suggest that he has a 47.62% chance of scoring any time against Michael O’Neil’s side, which is well below his U21s strike rate.
Woltemade will fancy his chances of scoring against defenders with more experience of playing in England’s second and third tiers than the Premier League.
- Germany vs Northern Ireland Bet 3: Nick Woltemade Anytime Goalscorer at odds of 2.06 with Stake