Northern Ireland has secured a playoff spot for the 2026 World Cup despite a 1-0 defeat to Slovakia in their recent qualifying match. The decisive goal came in stoppage time, scored by Slovakia's debutant, Tomas Bobcek. Despite the loss, Croatia's 3-1 victory over the Faroe Islands ensured Northern Ireland's place in the playoffs, as they are one of the highest-ranked Nations League group winners in European qualifying.

The match against Slovakia was a hard-fought contest, with Northern Ireland missing four players from their starting lineup last month against Germany. Throughout the game, Slovakia held a slight advantage, and they will now head to Leipzig with a chance to top Group A if they beat Germany.

Northern Ireland had an early opportunity to take the lead when Daniel Ballard's header went just wide. Slovakia responded with a chance of their own, as David Strelec hit the post after beating the offside trap. In the second half, a goal by Lukas Haraslin was disallowed for offside. Ultimately, Bobcek's late goal secured the win for Slovakia.

Northern Ireland will be without midfielders Shea Charles and Ali McCann, as well as defender Brodie Spencer, due to injuries. Ethan Galbraith is also suspended. Manager Michael O'Neill acknowledged the difficulty of playing away but expressed confidence in his team's ability to compete. He emphasized the importance of the game and the team's determination to get a positive result.

Looking back at Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifying campaign, they started with a 3-1 victory over Luxembourg. Jamie Reid, Shea Charles, and Justin Devenny scored the goals for Northern Ireland. They then secured a 2-0 win against Slovakia in Belfast, with an own goal from Patrik Hrosovsky and a goal from Trai Hume. However, they suffered defeats against Germany, losing 2-0 and 3-1.

In other Group A matches, Germany and Slovakia are currently leading with 12 points each, followed by Northern Ireland with 6 points, and Luxembourg with 0 points. Germany has already qualified for the World Cup. Slovakia will need to win against Germany to avoid the play-offs.

The European Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup see the 12 group winners qualify directly for the tournament. The runners-up will participate in the play-offs, along with the four best-ranked group winners of the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League that did not finish their European Qualifiers group stage in first or second place.