Northern Ireland's return to Uefa Nations League B will see them face a player manager Michael O'Neill calls "one of the best in the world" but they enter the campaign without their own captain.
Northern Ireland's return to Uefa Nations League B will see them face a player manager Michael O'Neill calls "one of the best in the world" but they enter the campaign without their own captain.
For the first time since June 2022, Northern Ireland will face four games in the same international window.
Starting away to Georgia on 25 September and finishing at home to the same opposition on 5 October, in between Michael O'Neill's side will face Hungary at Windsor Park and Ukraine in Slovakia.
The manager has named a 28-man panel for the games, compared to bringing 23 players along for June's double-header of friendlies against Guinea and France.
O'Neill said the schedule was challenging but that his team "must deal" with the change given the four-game window will be used again this time next year in Euro 2028 qualifying.
"I think for a smaller association, it poses more challenges if I'm honest. If a player picks up a calf strain the Saturday before we meet up, he's going to miss four games. It's a window that, I believe, is more beneficial for the bigger nations.
"I'm sure within the period, players will get injured, two bookings and I think you're suspended as well. It will be challenging, but it's the way the window will be going forward."
The campaign represents a step up in quality as well as quantity, not least when facing a player O'Neill calls one of the best in the world in Georgia's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia,
While Northern Ireland have sought friendlies against Spain, France, Sweden and Denmark across the past two and a half years, as well as facing Germany in World Cup qualifying, these will be the side's first games in the second tier of the Nations League since 2020.
Topping a League C group also containing Luxembourg, Belarus and Bulgaria last time around was enough to ensure a backdoor route into the World Cup play-offs this year where Northern Ireland were beaten 2-0 by Italy in Bergamo.
Averytin News Soccer update.