Original Adidas Northern Ireland 2017/18 Football Shirt

The Northern Ireland national football team is a team of footballers that represent Northern Ireland in international competitions, such as the qualifying rounds for the World Cup and European Championship.

Originally, the team represented the entire island of Ireland under the name "Ireland". After the independence of the Irish Free State (today's Republic of Ireland), the latter got its own football association with its own national football team. Until 1950 Northern Ireland continued to play under the name "Ireland" (in the British Home Championship even until the mid-1970s) and players from all over Ireland were selected.

The best performance at a World Cup was reaching the quarterfinals in 1958, where they lost 4-0 to France. In the 1970s and 1980s, the country was still a formidable opponent. In 1982 and 1986 it qualified for the World Cup finals. Northern Ireland qualified for a European Championship for the first time on 8 October 2015.