The Northern Ireland senior men’s team could face Scotland and the Republic of Ireland in the UEFA Nations League this autumn.
All three countries will be competing in League B in the fifth edition of the Nations League later this year.
And they have all been placed in different pots for the league phase draw of the 2026/27 UNL, which means they could face each other in the competition.
The draw is due to be staged at the Brussels Expo in Belgium on Thursday (12 February) at 5pm GMT.
Northern Ireland earned promotion to League B for the fifth edition of the Nations League back in the autumn of 2024.
Michael O’Neill’s side topped League C Group 3 with 11 points from six games, while Bulgaria finished second on nine points. Belarus were third with seven points and Luxembourg registered three points.
Northern Ireland’s potential opponents from Pot 1 for UNL edition five include Scotland, Hungary, Poland and Israel.
The four teams in Pot 2 are Switzerland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria and Ukraine.
Potential opponents from Pot 3 include the Republic along with Slovenia, Georgia and Romania.
Northern Ireland are in Pot 4 for the draw along with Sweden, North Macedonia and Kosovo.
Ahead of the event in Brussels, Northern Ireland senior men’s team manager Michael O’Neill said: “We are growing the team here and part of the process to grow any team is to expose it to higher levels.
“The Nations League was good for us. We were at League C and we were the best team in our group, and I think we proved that. And it has given us a route to the World Cup.
“Now we are going to be tested against better nations again. I think that will certainly help us coming in to the qualification for Euro 2028. We believe we can play at this level. It is the next task for the players to prove that. They are growing and developing as a group.”
The dates for the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League are:
Matchday 1: 24-26 September 2026
Matchday 2: 27-29 September 2026
Matchday 3: 30 September-3 October 2026
Matchday 4: 4-6 October 2026
Matchday 5: 12-14 November 2026
Matchday 6: 15-17 November 2026
League A quarter-finals: 25-30 March 2027
League A/B and B/C play-offs: 25-30 March 2027
Final tournament: 9-13 June 2027
