Northern Ireland Squad for Nations League: Youth and Experience Unite

Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill has doubled down on youth and experience for a punishing Nations League schedule, keeping teenage duo Ceadach O'Neill and Braiden Graham in a 28-man squad for a four-game burst that will test depth as much as quality.

Arsenal prospect O'Neill, 18, keeps his place after featuring in both June friendlies against Guinea and France, while Everton youngster Graham is also retained following his first senior call-up in that window. The message is clear: the kids are in to stay, not just to make up numbers.

Returning Players

Around them, the spine of the side returns.

• Dan Ballard
• Paddy McNair
• Terry Devlin
• Eoin Toal

are all back in the defensive unit after missing the June fixtures, restoring some much-needed continuity at the back. Between the posts, Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Conor Hazard rejoin the group, adding familiar faces to a goalkeeping department that will be busy across 11 intense days.

Up front, Dion Charles returns to the fold, offering O'Neill a recognised striker option as the schedule tightens.

There is also a recall for Michael Forbes. The Dundee United defender, capped once before against Finland in 2023, gets another chance to stake a claim in a back line that suddenly looks far more competitive than it did in early summer.

Injuries

Not everyone is ready to return, though. Liverpool full-back Conor Bradley, sidelined since January after knee surgery, remains out. He is joined on the casualty list by Preston North End midfielder Ali McCann and Aberdeen’s Brad Lyons, three absences that strip energy and bite from the middle of the pitch.

The calendar gives no sympathy.

Upcoming Matches

Fresh from promotion out of the third tier last year, Northern Ireland open their 2026 Nations League B campaign away to Georgia on 25 September and close the window at home to the same opponents on 5 October. In between, they host Hungary in Belfast and meet Ukraine on neutral ground in Slovakia.

Four games. Eleven days. No room for a thin squad.

O'Neill has responded by stretching his selection from 23 in June to 28 this time, building cover in every department as he prepares for rotation and inevitable fatigue. On standby, he has also named goalkeepers Luke Southwood and Josh Clarke, along with striker Jamie Reid, ready to step in if the schedule – or injuries – demand even more bodies.

The platform is set. Now the question is whether this blend of returning stalwarts and fearless teenagers can carry Northern Ireland through a brutal window and prove they truly belong in League B.