Northern Ireland’s men will host Switzerland and Iceland in international friendlies next month and in June.
First up is a friendly against the Swiss at Windsor Park on Friday March 21 (7.45pm kick-off). The challenge game against Iceland is pencilled in for Tuesday June 10, also with a 7.45pm kick-off at Windsor.
Senior men’s team boss Michael O’Neill said the matches will provide good tests for his players ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 European qualifiers this autumn.
Switzerland are 20th in the latest FIFA Coca-Cola Men’s World Rankings, while Iceland are in 70th place, with Northern Ireland currently 71st.
O’Neill said: “The Swiss are a consistent Pot 1 team and this game will provide an opportunity for our players to test themselves against strong opposition. Iceland have been solid performers on the international stage in recent years.”
The game against Switzerland will be followed by a trip to the Strawberry Arena in Stockholm to face Sweden in another friendly on Tuesday March 25 (6pm kick-off GMT).
NI controversially lost a 2018 World Cup play-off against the Swiss, and also met them during the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, drawing 0-0 at home before losing 2-0 in the away game.
Northern Ireland are in Group A for stage one of the FIFA World Cup 2026 European qualifiers and will play either Germany or Italy, Slovakia, and Luxembourg between September and November.
O’Neill’s team will also have an away friendly in June prior to the game against Iceland, however this will not be confirmed until after the Nations League play-offs in March.
