Northern Ireland reached the quarter-finals of this year’s Unity Cup.
The 2025 edition of the competition was hosted by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) at its HQ in Zeist.
It was Northern Ireland’s third appearance at the event, which is a collaboration between UEFA and UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) and features mixed-gender teams competing to promote social inclusion and integration within communities.
The hosts provided an excellent competition, starting with the opening ceremony where players from each country paraded their flags with pride.
Northern Ireland got off to a great start in the tournament with a 3-0 victory over Spain and a draw against last year's winners Latvia. They then lost 2-1 to Germany in their final group stage match.
The result against the Germans meant they faced Armenia in the quarter-finals.
After a valiant effort, with the game tied 1-1 and Northern Ireland pushing for a winner, they were caught on the break by the Armenians who scored to make it 2-1 – and that’s how it finished. Armenia would go on to lose on penalties in the final to Unity Cup 25 winners Finland.
“The Northern Ireland players were able to fully embrace the spirit of the tournament on and off the pitch, celebrating diversity and promoting inclusion while engaging with players from the other countries involved. It was a tremendous experience for everyone in the Netherlands,” said John Marshall, Community Engagement Officer with the Irish FA Foundation.
Image: Action from the game against Latvia in Zeist.
