Northern Ireland can clinch Nations League promotion with win at Windsor Park
Northern Ireland can secure promotion to Nations League A for the first time on Saturday, 14 November, when they host Ukraine at Windsor Park, having moved top of Group B2 with eight points from four games played across September and October. Hungary must lose to Georgia in Tbilisi earlier in the day for Northern Ireland to be confirmed as a League A side that night.
Before this Nations League campaign, Northern Ireland had won just one of 16 games played in the second tier of the competition, but they have taken eight points from four matches, all without conceding a goal. A draw against Ukraine would guarantee a top-two finish and ensure Michael O'Neill's team are among the second group of seeds when the draw for Euro 2028 qualifying is made in Belfast next month. There is also the potential backdoor route into the qualification play-offs too, the same method used by Northern Ireland to find themselves just two games from the summer's World Cup despite finishing third in their group.
O'Neill stressed his squad would not be looking beyond the first game of the double-header and underlined the challenge of stepping up a level. "You do look at the teams that do step up and it's tough. We've seen teams do that before and they find it very difficult," he said.
On the value of facing higher-ranked opponents in competitive fixtures, O'Neill said such matches would benefit his players' development. "But for us to get that opportunity to play against those big teams in a competitive group stage would be great, it would be great for the development of the team. "I wouldn't say the results at that point wouldn't be important, but I think we'd learn a lot," he added.
Midfielder Shea Charles reflected on the personal benefits of those encounters, saying that playing against Spain's Rodri helped "prepare" him for the Premier League before he got his £30m move to Fulham. Charles's comment was used by O'Neill to illustrate how exposure to top opposition can aid individual progress.
Barnsley midfielder Patrick Kelly scored his first international goal in the friendly against France, the strike coming on a night he shared the field with Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise. The 22-year-old, who joined the Tykes in the summer of 2025 having not made a senior appearance for West Ham, has played all his club football in either League One, League Two, or the Irish Premiership. "Playing those bigger nations, it would only improve us as a team," he said. "You want to test yourself against the best. A couple of the lads have experienced it, they would have played Germany in the last [qualifying ]campaign and done well, and I had it that night against France. "Playing against the best players in the world, you see where you're at and the team as well."
Defender Tom Atcheson, who missed the France game through suspension and whose only international start before this campaign had been against Guinea, expressed belief the squad belongs at a higher level. "I think we do belong there and we're showing it," he said. "We want to have those challenges, we want to challenge ourselves against the best because it's exciting times. "We know what we're capable of. To get into League A with those massive nations would be unbelievable, that's where we all want to get. "We're looking forward to the next two games and hopefully to make that happen."
Northern Ireland face Ukraine at Windsor Park on Saturday at 19:45 GMT; if they draw they will finish in the top two and be seeded for the Euro 2028 qualifying draw in Belfast next month. If Northern Ireland beat Ukraine and Hungary lose to Georgia earlier the same day, they will be promoted to League A that night; a win would also leave them travelling to Budapest on Tuesday knowing a point would be enough to top the group and seal promotion.