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Northern Ireland national under-21 football team

(Redirected from Northern Ireland U-21)

The Northern Ireland national under-21 football team also known as the Northern Ireland under-21s or Northern Ireland U21s, is the national under-21 football team of Northern Ireland and is controlled by the Irish Football Association. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years. To date Northern Ireland haven't yet qualified for the finals tournament.

Northern Ireland Under-21
AssociationIrish Football Association
Head coachTommy Wright
Most capsLiam Donnelly (24)
Top scorerLiam Donnelly
Shayne Lavery (5)
First colours
Second colours
First international
 Republic of Ireland 1–1 Northern Ireland 
(Phibsborough, Republic of Ireland; 8 March 1978)
Biggest win
 Northern Ireland 5–0 Luxembourg 
(Lurgan, Northern Ireland; 16 November 2007)
 Northern Ireland 5–0 Azerbaijan 
(Ballymena, Northern Ireland; 12 October 2024)
Biggest defeat
 Northern Ireland 0–6 Spain 
(Larne, Northern Ireland; 3 June 2022)
UEFA U-21 Championship
Appearances0

The national under-21 team is the highest level of youth football in Northern Ireland, and is open to any players who were born in Northern Ireland or whose parents or grandparents were born in Northern Ireland. This team is for Northern Irish players aged 21 or under at the start of a two-year European Under-21 Football Championship campaign, so players can be, and often are, up to 23 years old. As long as they are eligible, players can play at any level, making it possible to play for the U21s, senior side and again for the U21s.

Competitive Record

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For the all-time record of the national team against opposing nations, see the team's all-time record page

UEFA European Under-21 Championship Record

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UEFA Under-21 Football Championship finals record Qualification record Manager(s)
Year Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
1978 did not enter did not enter None
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
  1994
  1996
  1998
  2000 did not qualify 8 1 3 4 5 9 Chris Nicholl
  2002 10 2 2 6 12 21 Roy Millar
  2004 8 2 1 5 8 16
  2006 did not enter did not enter None
  2007 did not qualify 4 2 0 2 10 7 Roy Millar
  2009 8 4 0 4 13 12 Roy Millar, Steve Beaglehole[1]
  2011 8 2 1 5 12 16 Steve Beaglehole
  2013 8 1 1 6 5 13 Steve Beaglehole, Stephen Robinson[2]
  2015 8 1 0 7 3 17 Stephen Robinson, Jim Magilton[3]
  2017 10 0 2 8 6 18 Jim Magilton
   2019 10 6 2 2 15 11 Ian Baraclough
   2021 10 2 3 5 7 13 Ian Baraclough, Andy Crosby[4]
   2023 8 2 1 5 8 18 John Schofield
  2025 10 3 2 5 10 10 Tommy Wright
Total - 0/25 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 110 28 18 64 114 181 -

Results and fixtures

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Main articles: Northern Ireland national under-21 football team results (2020–present) and Northern Ireland national under-21 football team results (1978–2019)

2023

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7 September 2025 UEFA U-21 Group F Qualifier Northern Ireland   0–1   Luxembourg Lurgan, Northern Ireland
14:00 BST report Rodrigues   13' Stadium: Mourneview Park
Attendance: 333
Referee: Andreas Argyrou (Cyprus)
12 September 2025 UEFA U-21 Group F Qualifier Ukraine   1–0   Northern Ireland Poprad, Slovakia
17:30 BST Roman   70' report Stadium: Národné tréningové centrum Poprad
Attendance: 275
Referee: Kai Erik Steen (Norway)
12 October 2025 UEFA U-21 Group F Qualifier Azerbaijan   0–1   Northern Ireland Baku, Azerbaijan
15:00 BST report McGuckin   19' Stadium: Dalga Arena
Attendance: 300
Referee: Georgi Davidov (Bulgaria)
16 October 2025 UEFA U-21 Group F Qualifier Northern Ireland   1–2   Serbia Lurgan, Northern Ireland
19:30 BST McGuckin   51' (pen.) report Lučić   15'
Pantović   82'		 Stadium: Mourneview Park
Attendance: 433
Referee: Kristoffer Hagenes (Norway)
21 November 2025 UEFA U-21 Group F Qualifier England   3–0   Northern Ireland Liverpool, England
19:45 GMT
report Stadium: Goodison Park
Attendance: 7,890
Referee: Lothar D'hondt (Belgium)

2024

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21 March Friendly Czech Republic   3–0   Northern Ireland Pardubice, Czech Republic
16:30 GMT Sejk   17', 34'
Halinský   78'		 Stadium: CFIG Arena
Attendance: 2,892
26 March 2025 UEFA U-21 Group F Qualifier Serbia   1–2   Northern Ireland Leskovac, Serbia
17:00 GMT Mitrović   39' Report Allen   56'
Farquhar   70'		 Stadium: Dubočica Stadium
Attendance: 2,958
Referee: Yigal Frid (Israel)
6 September 2025 UEFA U-21 Group F Qualifier Northern Ireland   0–0   England Ballymena, Northern Ireland
19:45 BST Report Stadium: Ballymena Showgrounds
Attendance: 3,237
Referee: David Šmajc (Slovenia)
10 September 2025 UEFA U-21 Group F Qualifier Northern Ireland   1–2   Ukraine Ballymena, Northern Ireland
19:45 BST Allen   81' (pen.) Report Voloshyn   10'
Braharu   30'		 Stadium: Ballymena Showgrounds
Attendance: 697
Referee: Oliver Reitala (Finland)
12 October 2025 UEFA U-21 Group F Qualifier Northern Ireland   5–0   Azerbaijan Ballymena, Northern Ireland
15:00 BST Allen   11' (pen.)
McKiernan   56'
Kelly   64'
Devenny   68'
Samigullin   81' (o.g.)		 report Stadium: Ballymena Showgrounds
Attendance: 440
Referee: Heini Ziskason Viðoy (Faroe Islands)
15 October 2025 UEFA U-21 Group F Qualifier Luxembourg   0–0   Northern Ireland Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
19:30 BST report Stadium: Stade Émile Mayrisch
Attendance: 257
Referee: Visar Kastrati (Kosovo)

UEFA European Under-21 Championship

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2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification

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Main article: 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group F
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification            
1   England 10 8 1 1 41 6 +35 25 Final tournament — 2–1 9–1 3–0 7–0 7–0
2   Ukraine 10 8 0 2 20 7 +13 24 3–2 — 2–1 1–0 4–0 1–0
3   Serbia 10 5 1 4 13 18 −5 16 0–3 1–0 — 1–2 2–0 2–0
4   Northern Ireland 10 3 2 5 10 10 0 11 0–0 1–2 1–2 — 0–1 5–0
5   Luxembourg 10 2 2 6 6 23 −17 8 0–3 0–3 1–1 0–0 — 2–0
6   Azerbaijan 10 1 0 9 4 30 −26 3 1–5 0–3 0–2 0–1 3–2 —
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Coaching staff

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Current coaching staff

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As of 31 August 2023
Position Name
Manager   Tommy Wright
Assistant Manager   Paul Stephenson
Goalkeeping Coach   Roy Carroll
Sports Scientist   Simon Coleman

Manager history

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  Current manager highlighted in green

Last updated after the match against   Luxembourg on 15 October 2024.

Manager First Game Last Game Pld W D L GF GA GD Win % Draw % Loss %
  Danny Blanchflower 8 March 1978 vs.   8 March 1978 vs.   1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0.00% 100.00% 0.00%
  Billy Bingham 3 April 1990 vs.   3 April 1990 vs.   1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 100.00% 0.00% 0.00%
  Bryan Hamilton 22 March 1994 vs.   22 March 1994 vs.   1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.00% 100.00% 0.00%
  Roy Millar 21 April 1998 vs.   21 April 1998 vs.   1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 100.00% 0.00% 0.00%
  Chris Nicholl 20 May 1998 vs.   8 October 1999 vs.   13 3 5 5 11 13 –2 23.08% 38.46% 38.46%
  Roy Millar 28 March 2000 vs.   26 March 2008 vs.   48 18 8 22 64 79 –15 37.50% 16.67% 45.83%
  Steve Beaglehole 19 August 2008 vs.   15 November 2011 vs.   21 4 3 14 23 39 –16 19.05% 14.29% 66.67%
  Steve Robinson 10 May 2012 vs.   15 October 2013 vs.   10 0 0 10 5 24 –19 0.00% 0.00% 100.00%
  Jim Magilton* 14 November 2013 vs.   11 October 2016 vs.   14 1 2 11 8 27 –19 7.14% 14.29% 78.57%
  Ian Baraclough 8 June 2017 vs.   19 November 2019 vs.   19 9 6 4 22 19 +3 47.37% 31.58% 21.05%
  Andy Crosby** 4 September 2020 vs.   5 June 2021 vs.   7 3 0 4 9 11 –2 42.86% 0.00% 57.14%
  John Schofield 3 September 2021 vs.   25 September 2022 vs.   11 2 2 7 10 27 –17 18.18% 18.18% 63.64%
  Tommy Wright 7 September 2023 vs.   11 3 2 6 10 13 –3 27.27% 18.18% 54.55%
Total 158 45 30 83 167 255 -88 28.48% 18.99% 52.53%
  • * first two games as caretaker manager
  • ** caretaker manager for all 7 games

Players

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Current squad

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Players born on or after 1 January 2002 will be eligible until the completion of the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

The following players were named in the squad for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualifiers against   Azerbaijan on the 12 October 2024 and   Luxembourg on the 15 October 2024.[5]

Last updated after the match against   Luxembourg on 15 October 2024. Names in bold denote players who have been capped for the senior team.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Stephen McMullan (2004-12-31) 31 December 2004 (age 19) 6 0   Caernarfon Town
1GK Josh Clarke (2004-07-28) 28 July 2004 (age 20) 1 0   Celtic
1GK Fraser Barnsley (2004-10-06) 6 October 2004 (age 20) 1 0   Everton
2DF Aaron Donnelly (2003-06-08) 8 June 2003 (age 21) 20 0   Colchester United
2DF Carl Johnston (2002-05-29) 29 May 2002 (age 22) 17 1   Fleetwood Town
2DF Sean Stewart (2003-01-21) 21 January 2003 (age 21) 14 0   Cliftonville
2DF Tommy Fogarty (2004-03-15) 15 March 2004 (age 20) 10 0   Dunfermline Athletic
2DF Michael Forbes (2004-04-29) 29 April 2004 (age 20) 8 0   Bristol Rovers
2DF Ruairi McConville (2005-05-01) 1 May 2005 (age 19) 5 0   Brighton
2DF Shea Kearney (2004-03-26) 26 March 2004 (age 20) 2 0   Cliftonville
2DF Matty Carson (2004-04-29) 29 April 2004 (age 20) 0 0   Torquay United
2DF Josh Briggs (2006-03-14) 14 March 2006 (age 18) 0 0   West Ham United
3MF Terry Devlin (2003-11-06) 6 November 2003 (age 21) 14 0   Portsmouth
3MF Charlie Allen (2003-11-22) 22 November 2003 (age 20) 14 3   Linfield
3MF JJ McKiernan (2002-01-18) 18 January 2002 (age 22) 11 1   Lincoln City
3MF Patrick Kelly (2004-10-02) 2 October 2004 (age 20) 10 1   Doncaster Rovers
3MF Justin Devenny (2003-10-11) 11 October 2003 (age 21) 8 1   Crystal Palace
3MF Darren Robinson (2004-12-29) 29 December 2004 (age 19) 7 0   Hartlepool United
3MF Jamie McDonnell (2004-02-16) 16 February 2004 (age 20) 5 0   Colchester United
3MF Dylan Sloan (2004-04-15) 15 April 2004 (age 20) 2 0   Larne
4FW Dale Taylor (2003-12-12) 12 December 2003 (age 20) 15 3   Wigan Athletic
4FW Matthew Lusty (2003-07-14) 14 July 2003 (age 21) 3 0   Larne
4FW Makenzie Kirk (2004-02-06) 6 February 2004 (age 20) 3 0   St Johnstone

Recent call-ups

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The following players have previously been called up to the Northern Ireland under-21 squad and remain eligible.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Pierce Charles (2005-07-21) 21 July 2005 (age 19) 4 0   Sheffield Wednesday v.   Ukraine, 10 September 2024
DF Johnny Russell (2004-09-19) 19 September 2004 (age 20) 2 0   Glentoran v.   Ukraine, 10 September 2024
DF Tom Atcheson (2006-09-22) 22 September 2006 (age 18) 0 0   Marine v.   Ukraine, 10 September 2024
MF Charlie Lindsay (2004-01-26) 26 January 2004 (age 20) 2 0   Glentoran v.   Serbia, 26 March 2024
MF Harry Wilson (2004-02-16) 16 February 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Unattached v.   England, 21 November 2023
MF Archie Heron (2004-09-15) 15 September 2004 (age 20) 0 0   Missouri State University v.   England, 21 November 2023
FW Rhys Annett (2004-11-06) 6 November 2004 (age 20) 1 0   Linfield v.   Serbia, 26 March 2024
FW Conor Falls (2004-01-02) 2 January 2004 (age 20) 1 0   Huddersfield Town v.   Czech Republic, 21 March 2024 INJ
FW Liam McStravick (2004-11-27) 27 November 2004 (age 19) 0 0   Airdrieonians v.   Serbia, 16 October 2023
FW Callum Marshall (2004-11-28) 28 November 2004 (age 19) 2 0   Huddersfield Town v.   Ukraine, 12 September 2023

COVID = Player withdrew due to a positive COVID test or from being in close contact with someone with a positive COVID test.
INJ = Player withdrew from the squad before any games had been played.
PRE = Preliminary squad / standby.
SEN = Player withdrew from the squad due to a call up to the senior team.
SUS = Suspended from national team.
WTD = Withdrew due to other reasons.

Player records

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Main article: Northern Ireland national under-21 football team records and statistics

Most appearances

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  Players still active are highlighted in green

Last updated after the match against   Luxembourg on 15 October 2024.

Rank Player Year(s) U-21 Caps U-21 Goals First Cap Last Cap
1 Liam Donnelly 2012–2018 24 5 13 November 2012 vs.   16 October 2018 vs.  
2 Sean Friars 1998–2001 21 2 21 April 1998 vs.   5 June 2001 vs.  
Caolan Boyd-Munce 2017–2022 21 0 25 March 2019 vs.   25 September 2022 vs.  
4 Kofi Balmer 2019–2022 20 0 22 March 2019 vs.   4 June 2022 vs.  
Ethan Galbraith 2019–2022 20 1 22 March 2019 vs.   7 June 2022 vs.  
Aaron Donnelly 2021– 20 0 2 June 2021 vs.   15 October 2024 vs.  
7 Terry McFlynn 2000–2003 19 2 28 March 2000 vs.   10 October 2003 vs.  
Rory McArdle 2006–2008 19 1 6 February 2006 vs.   26 March 2008 vs.  
Thomas Stewart 2006–2008 19 4 6 February 2006 vs.   26 March 2008 vs.  
10 Chris Casement 2007–2009 18 2 6 February 2007 vs.   17 November 2009 vs.  
Cameron Dummigan 2014–2018 18 0 9 September 2014 vs.   16 October 2018 vs.  
Alfie McCalmont 2019–2022 18 3 25 March 2019 vs.   25 September 2022 vs.  

Top goalscorers

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  Players still active are highlighted in green

Last updated after the match against   Luxembourg on 15 October 2024.

Rank Player Year(s) U-21 Goals U-21 Caps Goals per game First Goal Last Goal
1 Liam Donnelly 2012–2018 5 24 0.21 8 June 2017 vs.   11 September 2018 vs.  
Shayne Lavery 2016–2020 5 14 0.36 10 November 2017 vs.   25 March 2019 vs.  
3 Adrian Coote 1998–1999 4 12 0.33 21 April 1998 vs.   17 August 1999 vs.  
David Healy 1998–1999 4 8 0.5 17 November 1998 vs.   17 August 1999 vs.  
Sam Morrow 2005–2006 4 4 1 8 February 2005 vs.   12 April 2006 vs.  
Thomas Stewart 2006–2008 4 19 0.21 16 May 2006 vs.   26 March 2008 vs.  
Josh Magennis 2009–2012 4 17 0.24 8 September 2009 vs.   7 September 2012 vs.  
Oliver Norwood 2009–2012 4 11 0.36 13 November 2009 vs.   2 March 2010 vs.  
Paul O'Neill 2019–2021 4 10 0.4 9 October 2020 vs.   12 November 2021 vs.  
10 Gary Hamilton 2000–2001 3 12 0.25 2 June 2000 vs.   10 October 2000 vs.  
Mo Harkin 2000–2001 3 9 0.33 28 March 2000 vs.   10 October 2000 vs.  
Grant McCann 2000–2001 3 11 0.27 10 October 2000 vs.   5 October 2001 vs.  
Lee McEvilly 2002–2003 3 9 0.33 6 September 2002 vs.   1 April 2003 vs.  
Chris Turner 2006–2008 3 12 0.25 1 June 2007 vs.   16 November 2007 vs.  
Andrew Little 2008–2010 3 6 0.5 18 November 2008 vs.   3 September 2010 vs.  
Billy Kee 2009–2011 3 10 0.3 10 August 2011 vs.   10 August 2011 vs.  
David Parkhouse 2017–2020 3 17 0.18 8 June 2017 vs.   4 September 2020 vs.  
Alfie McCalmont 2019–2022 3 18 0.17 14 November 2019 vs.   12 November 2021 vs.  
Dale Taylor 2021– 3 15 0.2 2 June 2021 vs.   25 September 2022 vs.  
Charlie Allen 2022– 3 14 0.21 26 March 2024 vs.   12 October 2024 vs.  

Under-21 graduates

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Players who have won 25 or more Northern Ireland 'Full' caps after playing at least twice for the Northern Ireland U21.

  Players still active are highlighted in green

Full caps and goals updated as of 19 June 2023 after the Northern Ireland senior team match against   Kazakhstan.

Name U21 Caps U21 Goals U21 Career Full Caps Full Goals Full Career
Chris Baird 6 1 2002–2003 79 0 2003–2016
Chris Brunt 2 1 2005–2006 65 3 2004–2017
Roy Carroll 11 0 1998–1999 45 0 1997–2017
Craig Cathcart 15 0 2006–2009 72 2 2010–
Sammy Clingan 11 1 2003–2006 39 0 2006–2014
Stuart Dallas 2 0 2011–2012 62 3 2011–
Steven Davis 3 0 2003–2004 140 13 2005–
Stuart Elliott 3 0 1998–1999 39 4 2000–2007
Corry Evans 10 0 2008–2010 70 2 2009–
Jonny Evans 3 0 2006 102 5 2006–
Warren Feeney 8 2 2001–2003 46 5 2002–2011
Shane Ferguson 11 0 2008–2012 57 2 2009–
Danny Griffin 10 1 1998–1999 29 1 1996–2004
David Healy 8 4 1998–1999 95 36 2000–2013
Damien Johnson 11 0 1998–1999 56 0 1999–2009
Kyle Lafferty 2 0 2006 89 20 2006–2022
Neil Lennon 2 0 1990–1994 40 2 1994–2002
Josh Magennis 17 4 2009–2012 71 10 2010–
Grant McCann 11 3 2000–2001 39 4 2001–2012
George McCartney 5 0 2000–2001 34 1 2001–2010
Michael McGovern 10 0 2005–2006 33 0 2010–2020
Conor McLaughlin 7 0 2010–2012 43 1 2011–2021
Paddy McNair 2 0 2014 62 6 2015–
Philip Mulryne 5 1 1998–1999 27 3 1997–2007
Oliver Norwood 11 4 2009–2012 57 0 2010–2018
Jordan Thompson 12 0 2016-2018 30 0 2018–
Jamie Ward 7 2 2006–2008 35 4 2011–2018
Gavin Whyte 7 0 2015-2018 30 5 2018–

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Roy Millar managed for the first seven qualifying matches. Steve Beaglehole managed the last game of the qualification campaign.
  2. ^ Steve Beaglehole managed for the first five qualifying matches. Stephen Robinson managed for the remainder of the qualification campaign.
  3. ^ Stephen Robinson managed for the first four qualifying matches. Jim Magilton managed for the remainder of the qualification campaign.
  4. ^ Ian Baraclough managed for the first five qualifying matches. Andy Crosby was appointed caretaker manager for the remainder of the qualification campaign.
  5. ^ "U21s squad for Euro qualifiers announced". 2 October 2024.
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