Northern Ireland Squad for Nations League: Youth and Experience Combined
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 a gruelling four-game run.
The Arsenal midfielder and Everton forward, both still teenagers, impressed enough in June’s friendlies against Guinea and France to retain their spots. O'Neill, 18, featured in both of those games and now steps into his first competitive window with the senior side.
Experience returns for Nations League push
This time, the kids won’t be carrying it alone. A spine of familiar names is back.
Defenders Dan Ballard, Paddy McNair, Terry Devlin and Eoin Toal all return after missing the June fixtures, restoring depth and know-how to a back line that will be tested heavily across 11 intense days.
The recalls don’t stop there. Goalkeepers Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Conor Hazard are also back in the frame after sitting out the summer, while Bolton Wanderers striker Dion Charles returns to bolster the attacking options.
There is another defensive option too. Michael Forbes, now at Dundee United and capped once before against Finland in 2023, has been handed a place in the squad as O'Neill stretches his resources for the upcoming schedule.
Injury absences linger
Not everyone is ready to rejoin the fight.
Liverpool full-back Conor Bradley, sidelined since January following knee surgery, remains out. His energy and drive from right-back will again be missed. He is joined on the injury list by Preston North End midfielder Ali McCann and Aberdeen’s Brad Lyons, both unavailable for this window.
Their absence has shaped the size and balance of the group. After naming just 23 players for the June friendlies, O'Neill has moved to 28 this time, aware of the physical toll that awaits.
Four games, 11 days, one demanding test
Northern Ireland step into Nations League B after promotion from the third tier last year, and the schedule is unforgiving.
They open away to Georgia on 25 September, a tricky start on the road, and close the window back in Belfast against the same opposition on 5 October. Between those two meetings with Georgia lie home and neutral challenges: Hungary in Belfast, Ukraine in Slovakia.
Four matches. Eleven days. Little margin for error, even less time for recovery.
To guard against any late setbacks, O'Neill has also named a standby trio: goalkeepers Luke Southwood and Josh Clarke, plus striker Jamie Reid. They wait in the wings, ready if the intensity of the schedule claims more bodies.
Youth retained, experience restored, and a swollen squad braced for a brutal run. Northern Ireland’s Nations League campaign is about to reveal how far this group has really come.
