Northern Ireland Under-17s boss Andy Waterworth has named his squad for the UEFA U17 Euro 2026 round two qualifiers.
The U17s are set to face Spain, Turkiye and Scotland in League A Group 6 next week in the second and final stage of qualifiers for the men’s tournament.
Coleraine Showgrounds will host five of the six matches in the A6 group – there’s free entry to all the games – with Solitude in Belfast hosting one game.
Waterworth, who has chosen a 20-strong panel, said his players are looking forward to playing Euro qualifiers on home soil.
“We know it’s going to be a tough challenge but the players will be well prepared for the games,” he insisted.
First up in the mini tournament for Northern Ireland is an encounter with group top seeds Spain in Coleraine on Sunday (15 March) at 6pm.
Earlier that day, at noon, third seeds Scotland will take on second seeds Turkiye at the Showgrounds.
Matchday two (Wednesday 18 March) sees Spain come up against Scotland at noon and Northern Ireland face Turkiye at 6pm. Both of those games are in Coleraine.
On the final matchday (Saturday 21 March) both games are due to kick off at 2pm. Northern Ireland will be taking on Scotland at the home of Coleraine FC as Spain and Turkiye clash at Solitude, the home of Cliftonville FC.
This spring a total of 28 teams in Round 2 League A of the U17 Euro qualifiers will compete in seven groups for seven places in the UEFA European Under-17 Championship final tournament. Estonia have already qualified as hosts.
The finals are due to be staged in Estonia between 25 May and 7 June. At the tournament Europe's berths in the 2026 FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar will also be decided.
The Northern Ireland U17s squad for the round two qualifiers is as follows:
Goalkeepers – Phoenix Blayney (Larne), Kyle Chivers (Ballymena United).
Defenders – David Green, Shea McGarry and Paul Stanfield (all Cliftonville), Alfie Mulvenna and Sonny Trainor (both Larne), Calum Anderson (Southampton), Daniel McCarron (Dungannon Swifts), Alfie Wilson (Hearts),
Midfielders – Charlie McConnell (UCD), Alfie Anderson (Cliftonville), Finlay Ross (Linfield), Liam Kelly (Derry City).
Forwards – Luke Hawe (Southampton), Joel Kerr (West Ham United), Zak Magowan (Glentoran), Eamonn Tohill (Cliftonville), Jack May (Larne), Michael Mulholland (Crusaders).
Image: Joel Kerr (front) and Luke Hawe, seen here in action in a friendly against Sweden last month, have both been included in the Northern Ireland squad for the U17 Euro 2026 round two qualifiers.
