Northern Ireland Squad: Youth and Experience Unite for Nations League B
Michael O’Neill leans on youth and experience as Northern Ireland brace for a punishing Nations League schedule, and two teenage hopefuls have survived the cut.
Arsenal’s Ceadach O'Neill and Everton’s Braiden Graham, both blooded in June’s friendlies, have kept their places in a 28-man squad for a demanding Nations League B quadruple-header. O’Neill, 18, featured in both matches against Guinea and France and has clearly done enough to convince his international manager he belongs at this level. Graham stays in too, another nod to the next generation.
The return of some familiar names gives the squad a far more seasoned spine. Dan Ballard, Paddy McNair, Terry Devlin and Eoin Toal are all back in the defensive unit after missing the June window. Their absence was felt. Their presence now feels essential, with four games crammed into just 11 days.
The recall list does not stop there. Goalkeepers Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Conor Hazard are back in the fold after sitting out the summer, while Dion Charles returns to bolster the striking options. There is also a place for Michael Forbes, the Dundee United defender whose only cap so far came against Finland in 2023. He steps back into a set-up that suddenly looks deeper, more flexible, and far better equipped for the grind ahead.
Not everyone is on the plane. Liverpool full-back Conor Bradley, sidelined since January following knee surgery, remains out and will watch this international window from afar. Preston North End midfielder Ali McCann and Aberdeen’s Brad Lyons join him on the treatment table, stripping O’Neill of three combative, high-energy options in key areas of the pitch.
The calendar offers no sympathy. Northern Ireland open their 2026 Nations League B campaign away to Georgia on 25 September and close the same window at home to the Georgians on 5 October. Between those fixtures, they face Hungary in Belfast and Ukraine in Slovakia, a run that will test depth, conditioning and concentration.
O’Neill has responded by going big. After naming just 23 players for the June friendlies, he has expanded this squad to 28, a clear acknowledgement of the physical and tactical demands of four competitive matches in less than a fortnight. On top of that, goalkeepers Luke Southwood and Josh Clarke, along with striker Jamie Reid, are on standby, ready to step in if injuries or form force late changes.
It is a squad shaped by necessity but tinged with opportunity. Established internationals return to steady the ship, while young faces like O’Neill, Graham and Forbes are handed another chance to prove they can be part of the next Northern Ireland cycle.
With promotion from the third tier already banked, the challenge now is sharper. Nations League B will expose any weakness. The question for Michael O’Neill is whether this blend of hardened regulars and fearless teenagers can turn a brutal 11-day slog into the start of something more ambitious.
