Northern Ireland women's national football team

Northern Ireland
Association	Irish Football Association (IFA)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Tanya Oxtoby
Captain	Marissa Callaghan
Most caps	Julie Nelson (125)
Top scorer	Rachel Furness (38)
FIFA code	NIR
First colours	Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	46 (15 March 2024)
Highest	45 (March – June 2023)
Lowest	85 (June 2005)
First international
	Republic of Ireland 4–1 Northern Ireland ; (Dublin, Republic of Ireland; 30 June 1973)
Biggest win
	North Macedonia 0–11 Northern Ireland ; (Skopje, North Macedonia; 25 November 2021)
Biggest defeat
	Scotland 11–1 Northern Ireland ; (Clydebank, Scotland, 23 November 1974); England 10–0 Northern Ireland ; (Blackburn, England, 16 March 1986)
European Championship
Appearances	1 (first in 2022)
Best result	Group stage (2022)

The Northern Ireland women's national football team represents Northern Ireland in international women's football. Although most national football teams represent a sovereign state, FIFA statutes permit Northern Ireland as a member of the United Kingdom's Home Nations to maintain its own national side that competes in all major tournaments, with the exception of the Women's Olympic Football Tournament.

The team were the lowest UEFA-ranked team (27th)^[3] to qualify for the European Championships Finals in England in 2022.

In September 2021 it was announced that the senior women's team would be adopting a full-time professional set up ahead of Euro 2022.^[4]

Results and fixtures[edit]

The following is a list of matches in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Legend

Win Draw Lose Fixture

2023[edit]

14 July Friendly	Scotland	3–0	Northern Ireland	Dundee, Scotland
19:35 UTC+1		Source		Stadium: Kilmac Stadium

18 July Friendly	Czech Republic	0–2	Northern Ireland	Opava, Czech Republic
19:30 UTC+2		Source	McFadden 26' Beattie 48'	Stadium: Stadion v Městských sadech Attendance: 778 Referee: Michalina Diakow (Poland)

23 September UEFA Women's Nations League	Republic of Ireland	3–0	Northern Ireland	Dublin, Republic of Ireland
13:00 UTC+1	Lu. Quinn 31' Carusa 70' Agg 85'	Source		Stadium: Aviva Stadium Referee: Hristiyana Guteva (Bulgaria)

26 September UEFA Women's Nations League	Northern Ireland	1–0	Albania	Belfast
--:--	Wade 57'	Source		Stadium: Seaview Stadium Referee: Zulema González (Spain)

27 October UEFA Women's Nations League	Hungary	3–2	Northern Ireland	Győr, Hungary
--:-- 18:15	Szabó 18' Süle 83' Németh 90+4'	Source	Hamilton 81' Magill 89' (pen.)	Stadium: Ménfői úti Stadion Attendance: 332 Referee: Jurgita Mačikunytė (Lithuania)

31 October UEFA Women's Nations League	Northern Ireland	1–1	Hungary	Belfast
20:00 (19:00 GMT)	Maxwell 80'	Source	Zeller 56'	Stadium: Seaview Stadium Attendance: 948 Referee: Jelena Pejković (Croatia)

1 December 2023–24 UEFA Nations League	Albania	0–4	Northern Ireland	Tirana, Albania
		Report		Stadium: Arena Kombëtare

5 December 2023–24 UEFA Nations League	Northern Ireland	1–6	Republic of Ireland	Belfast
		Report		Stadium: Windsor Park

2024[edit]

23 February 2023–24 UEFA Women's Nations League promotion/relegation matches	Montenegro	0–2	Northern Ireland	Podgorica
14:00		Report	Wade 70' Vance 90+1'	Stadium: Podgorica City Stadium

27 February 2023–24 UEFA Women's Nations League promotion/relegation matches	Northern Ireland	1–1 (3–1 agg.)	Montenegro	Belfast
20:00 (19:00 GMT)		Report		Stadium: Windsor Park
Note: Northern Ireland won 3–1 on aggregate, and therefore both teams remained in their respective leagues.

5 April Euro 2025 qualifying	Northern Ireland	0–0	Malta	Belfast
		Report		Stadium: Windsor Park Referee: Maria Marotta (Italy)

9 April Euro 2025 qualifying	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1–3	Northern Ireland	Zenica
		Report		Stadium: Bosnia and Herzegovina FA Training Centre Referee: Désirée Grundbacher (Switzerland)

Coaching staff[edit]

Manager history[edit]

Alfie Wylie (2004–2019)^[5]
Kenny Shiels (2019–2023)^[6]^[7]
Tanya Oxtoby (2023–)^[1]

Players[edit]

Current squad[edit]

The following players are named in the squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying matches against Malta and Bosnia and Herzegovina on 5 and 9 April 2024 respectively.^[8]

Caps and goals updated as of 5 December 2023 after the match against Republic of Ireland.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Lauren Perry	(2001-04-05) 5 April 2001 (age 23)	5	0	Montrose
	1GK	Maddy Harvey-Clifford	(2002-05-06) 6 May 2002 (age 21)	2	0	Crusaders
	1GK	Jackie Burns				Reading Women

	2DF	Rebecca Holloway	(1995-08-25) 25 August 1995 (age 28)	22	3	Birmingham City
	2DF	Rebecca McKenna	(2001-04-13) 13 April 2001 (age 22)	33	1	Charlton Athletic
	2DF	Laura Rafferty	(1996-04-29) 29 April 1996 (age 27)	38	0	Southampton
	2DF	Demi Vance	(1991-05-02) 2 May 1991 (age 32)	90	4	Glentoran
22	2DF	Abbie Magee	(2000-11-15) 15 November 2000 (age 23)	12	0	Cliftonville
	2DF	Rachel Dugdale	(1996-11-19) 19 November 1996 (age 27)	24	0	Reading
13	2DF	Rachel McLaren	(2002-11-19) 19 November 2002 (age 21)	1	0	Crusaders

	3MF	Joely Andrews	(2002-04-20) 20 April 2002 (age 21)	17	1	Glentoran
	3MF	Nadene Caldwell	(1991-01-24) 24 January 1991 (age 33)	78	2	Glentoran
	3MF	Chloe McCarron	(1997-12-22) 22 December 1997 (age 26)	35	1	Glentoran
	3MF	Megan Bell	(2001-04-17) 17 April 2001 (age 22)	25	2	Hearts
	3MF	Marissa Callaghan (captain)	(1985-09-02) 2 September 1985 (age 38)	86	9	Cliftonville
	3MF	Brenna McPartlan				Burnley Women

	4FW	Kerry Beattie	(2002-09-27) 27 September 2002 (age 21)	10	3	Glentoran
	4FW	Simone Magill	(1994-11-01) 1 November 1994 (age 29)	78	24	Aston Villa
	4FW	Lauren Wade	(1993-11-22) 22 November 1993 (age 30)	54	9	Reading
	4FW	Keri Halliday	(2005-02-11) 11 February 2005 (age 19)	1	0	Linfield
	4FW	Caragh Hamilton	(1996-10-18) 18 October 1996 (age 27)	38	6	Lewes
	4FW	Casey Howe				Athlone Town Ladies

Recent call-ups[edit]

The following players have been named to a squad in the past 12 months.
This list may be incomplete.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Shannon Turner	(1997-09-08) 8 September 1997 (age 26)	6	0	Wolverhampton Wanderers	v. Montenegro, 27 February 2024
GK	Rachael Norney	(2004-06-18) 18 June 2004 (age 19)	1	0	Liverpool Feds	v. Republic of Ireland, 5 December 2023
GK	Lilie Woods	(2003-08-29) 29 August 2003 (age 20)	1	0	Mid-Ulster	v. Hungary, 31 October 2023

DF	Kelsie Burrows	(2001-02-22) 22 February 2001 (age 23)	13	0	Cliftonville	v. Montenegro, 27 February 2024
DF	Ellie Mason	(1996-02-16) 16 February 1996 (age 28)	4	0	Birmingham City	v. Montenegro, 27 February 2024
DF	Sarah McFadden	(1987-05-23) 23 May 1987 (age 36)	104	9	Durham	v. Montenegro, 27 February 2024

MF	Rachel Furness	(1988-06-19) 19 June 1988 (age 35)	95	38	Bristol City	v. Hungary, 31 October 2023 ^INJ

FW	Danielle Maxwell	(2002-04-09) 9 April 2002 (age 22)	9	2	Blackburn Rovers	v. Montenegro, 27 February 2024
FW	Emily Wilson	(2001-08-26) 26 August 2001 (age 22)	21	1	Glentoran	v. Montenegro, 27 February 2024
FW	Caitlin McGuinness	(2002-08-30) 30 August 2002 (age 21)	18	1	Cliftonville	v. Hungary, 31 October 2023
FW	Kirsty McGuinness	(1994-11-04) 4 November 1994 (age 29)	57	14	Cliftonville	v. Albania, 26 September 2023

Notes:

^INJ Withdrew due to injury.
^WD Withdrew from the squad due to non-injury or medical issue

Records[edit]

Statistics correct as of 5 December 2023.
Active players in bold.

Most caps[edit]

Rank	Name	Career	Caps
1	Julie Nelson	2004–	126
2	Ashley Hutton	2005–	114
3	Sarah McFadden	2005–	104
4	Rachel Furness	2005–	95
5	Demi Vance	2009–	90
6	Marissa Callaghan	2010–	86
7	Nadene Caldwell	2009–	78
7	Simone Magill	2010–	78
9	Kirsty McGuinness	2010–	57
10	Lauren Wade	2015–	54

Most goals[edit]

Rank	Name	Career	Caps	Goals
1	Rachel Furness	2005–	95	38
2	Simone Magill	2010–	78	24
3	Kirsty McGuinness	2010–	57	14
4	Marissa Callaghan	2010–	86	9
	Ashley Hutton	2005–	114
	Sarah McFadden	2005–	104
	Julie Nelson	2004–	126
	Lauren Wade	2015–	54
9	Caragh Hamilton	2012–	38	6
10	Demi Vance	2009–	90	4

Simone Magill holds the world record for the fastest international goal in women's football. Previously, US forward Alex Morgan had held the record at twelve seconds. Magill achieved an eleven-second goal against Georgia at the start of a European Qualifying match on 3 June 2016. The goal marks the fastest ever international goal by any national Northern Irish team – male or female.^[9]

Competitive record[edit]

FIFA Women's World Cup[edit]

Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GF	GA	GD	GP	W	D*	L	GF	GA	GD
FIFA Women's World Cup record									Qualification record
1991	Did not qualify								UEFA EURO 1991
1995	Did not enter								UEFA EURO 1995
1999									Did not enter
2003									Did not enter
2007	Did not qualify								6	2	1	3	7	11	−4
2011									10	3	2	5	8	16	−8
2015									10	1	2	7	3	19	−16
2019									8	1	0	7	4	27	−23
2023									10	6	1	3	36	16	+20
2027	To be determined								To be determined
Total	0/10	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	44	13	11	23	58	89	−31

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

UEFA Women's Championship[edit]

Year	Result	GP	W	D*	L	GF	GA	GP	W	D*	L	GF	GA
UEFA Women's Championship record								Qualifying record
1984	Did not qualify							6	0	0	6	5	21
1987	Did not qualify							6	0	0	6	2	35
1989	Did not enter							Did not enter
1991	Did not qualify							4	0	0	4	1	21
1993	Did not enter							Did not enter
1995
1997
2001
2005
2009	Did not qualify							11	2	1	8	11	28
2013								10	3	2	5	12	15
2017								8	2	1	5	10	22
2022	Group stage	3	0	0	3	1	11	10	6	2	2	21	18
2025	To be determined							To be determined
Total	1/13	3	0	0	3	1	11	55	13	6	36	62	160

*Draws include knockout matches decided by penalty kicks.

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b Archer, Kenny (1 September 2023). "New Northern Ireland women's manager Tanya Oxtoby targeting top tournaments". The Irish News. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
^ "Women's National Teams Coefficient Overview" (PDF). editorial.uefa.com. 24 February 2021.
^ VAVEL.com (29 September 2021). "Northern Ireland Women move to a full-time international set-up". VAVEL. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
^ "Alfie Wylie leaves role as Northern Ireland women's manager after 15 years to take new IFA job". Belfast Telegraph. 12 April 2019.
^ "Kenny Shiels: Former Kilmarnock boss appointed Northern Ireland senior women's manager". BBC Sport. 16 May 2019.
^ "Kenny Shiels: Northern Ireland women's manager leaves role". BBC Sport. 31 January 2023.
^ "Senior women's squad for upcoming Euro qualifiers revealed". Irish Football Association. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
^ Fullerton, Gareth (7 October 2017). "Northern Ireland striker recognised for scoring fastest goal ever!". belfastlive. Retrieved 25 May 2019.

External links[edit]

[:0-1] Archer, Kenny (1 September 2023). "New Northern Ireland women's manager Tanya Oxtoby targeting top tournaments". The Irish News. Retrieved 15 September 2023.

[FIFA_Women's_World_Rankings-2] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.

[3] "Women's National Teams Coefficient Overview" (PDF). editorial.uefa.com. 24 February 2021.

[4] VAVEL.com (29 September 2021). "Northern Ireland Women move to a full-time international set-up". VAVEL. Retrieved 29 September 2021.

[5] "Alfie Wylie leaves role as Northern Ireland women's manager after 15 years to take new IFA job". Belfast Telegraph. 12 April 2019.

[6] "Kenny Shiels: Former Kilmarnock boss appointed Northern Ireland senior women's manager". BBC Sport. 16 May 2019.

[7] "Kenny Shiels: Northern Ireland women's manager leaves role". BBC Sport. 31 January 2023.

[8] "Senior women's squad for upcoming Euro qualifiers revealed". Irish Football Association. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.

[9] Fullerton, Gareth (7 October 2017). "Northern Ireland striker recognised for scoring fastest goal ever!". belfastlive. Retrieved 25 May 2019.

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v t e Northern Ireland national football team
General	Irish Football Association Ireland national football team (1882–1950) Managers
Venues	Windsor Park Celtic Park Solitude Grosvenor Park The Oval Dalymount Park Balmoral Showgrounds Bloomfield Ulster Cricket Ground
Results	1882–99 1900–29 1930–59 1960–79 1980–99 2000–19 2020–present Matches v Home Nations
Statistics	Records & Statistics U21 Records & Statistics
Players	Players Pre-1950 players Dual Ireland footballers
Goals	David Healy
World Finals	Summary 1958 1982 1986
European Finals	Summary 2016
Other tournaments	British Home Championship (1884–1984) 2011 Nations Cup
Culture	Green and White Army Rivalry with the Republic of Ireland
Other teams	Women's B Amateur (defunct) U-23 U-21 U-19 U-18 Schools U-17 U-16 Schools Juniors

v t e National women's football teams of Europe (UEFA)
Active	Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark England Estonia Faroe Islands Finland France Georgia Germany Gibraltar Greece Hungary Iceland Israel Italy Kazakhstan Kosovo Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Northern Ireland Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Ireland Romania Russia San Marino Scotland Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine Wales
Defunct	Czechoslovakia East Germany Serbia and Montenegro Soviet Union Yugoslavia
Other	Great Britain Vatican City

v t e National sports teams of Northern Ireland
Men	Cricket Football B U23 U21 U19 U18 U17 U16 CP Volleyball
Women	Football U19 U17 Netball Volleyball
Multi-sport events	Commonwealth Games