Northern Ireland Overview

Italy v Northern Ireland - FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs

O’Neill sparks outrage with NI selection

Northern Ireland and Blackburn Rovers manager Michael O'Neill has provoked a fierce backlash from Championship relegation rivals. Balancing his dual roles, the 56-year-old is accused of a major conflict of interest after heavily utilising key players from clubs battling Blackburn for survival in a 1-1 friendly draw, while resting his own prospect until the 80th minute.

UEFA slammed for 'pointless' Wales vs N. Ireland clash

Former Northern Ireland international Chris Brunt has sensationally hit out at UEFA over the scheduling of what he describes as a "pointless" friendly against Wales. Both nations saw their World Cup dreams extinguished during the play-off semi-finals, yet they are still required to travel to Cardiff for a fixture that has no bearing on tournament qualification.

Vicario Dimarco Esposito Italia Irlanda del Nord esultanza tv 2026 16.9

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
7	Rajaa El Jadidi	29	11	10	8	26	18	8	43	D D D W W
8	Union Temara	27	9	16	2	22	13	9	43	D W D D L
9	Adrar Souss	28	12	5	11	22	25	-3	41	W W L D W
10	Union Taroudant	28	11	8	9	31	22	9	41	D L W W L
11	Jeunesse Kasba Tadla	28	10	10	8	30	19	11	40	W W W L D

Team

+/-

PTS

Form