Northern Ireland Squad: Youth and Experience for Nations League
Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill has doubled down on youth and experience for a demanding Nations League window, keeping teenage prospects Ceadach O’Neill and Braiden Graham in a 28-man squad for an 11-day, four-game slog.
The Arsenal midfielder and Everton forward, both teenagers, did enough in June’s friendlies against Guinea and France to convince the manager they belong at this level. Ceadach O’Neill, 18, featured in both matches and now steps into competitive action with his stock rising fast.
Experience returns for brutal schedule
This time, the kids won’t be alone.
Defenders Dan Ballard, Paddy McNair, Terry Devlin and Eoin Toal are all back after missing the June fixtures, restoring some much-needed depth and know-how to the back line. The spine strengthens again with the return of goalkeepers Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Conor Hazard, who also sat out the summer games, and striker Dion Charles, another key attacking option recalled for this run.
Michael Forbes is included as well. The Dundee United defender, capped once against Finland in 2023, gets another chance to stake a claim in a squad that suddenly looks far more robust.
The context is unforgiving. Northern Ireland, promoted from the third tier last year, open their 2026 Nations League B campaign away to Georgia on 25 September and then close this international window at home to the same opposition on 5 October. Between those two meetings with Georgia, they host Hungary in Belfast and take on Ukraine in Slovakia.
Four matches. Eleven days. Little room for error, and even less for fatigue.
That’s why O’Neill has gone bigger this time, naming 28 players after selecting only 23 for the June window. He knows he will need every option.
Injury absences bite
Not everyone is back.
Liverpool full-back Conor Bradley, sidelined since January after knee surgery, remains out of contention. His energy and drive down the right will again be missing, a significant blow given his importance when fit.
He is joined on the injury list by Preston North End midfielder Ali McCann and Aberdeen’s Brad Lyons, both ruled out and leaving gaps in the engine room that others must fill.
To guard against further setbacks, O’Neill has also placed goalkeepers Luke Southwood and Josh Clarke, along with striker Jamie Reid, on standby. With the schedule as tight as this, the phone could ring for any of them at short notice.
The blend is clear: emerging talent, returning regulars, and a manager bracing his squad for a Nations League campaign that will test depth, resilience and ambition from the very first whistle in Georgia.
