Northern Ireland’s hopes of securing a top-two finish in Group A of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers suffered a late blow as Slovakia scored an injury-time winner to claim a 1-0 victory in Kosice. However, thanks to results elsewhere, Michael O’Neill’s squad still secured a guaranteed spot in the 2026 World Cup play-offs, keeping their World Cup dreams alive.

Late Drama in Kosice

Northern Ireland appeared on course for a vital point after Slovakia had two second-half goals disallowed. A free-kick from Lukas Haraslin and a strike by David Strelec were both ruled out—one for obstruction on goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell and the other for handball after a VAR review.

Despite these setbacks, the visitors were undone in the first minute of added time when substitute Tomas Bobcek capitalized on a misjudged set-piece by Peacock-Farrell, tapping into an empty net to spark celebrations for the hosts. Slovakia’s late victory kept them level on points with Germany, setting up a decisive group clash between the two on Monday.

Northern Ireland’s Squad Challenges

Injuries and suspensions forced O’Neill to significantly reshuffle his team. With key players Shea Charles, Ali McCann, and Ethan Galbraith unavailable, Ruairi McConville, George Saville, and Brad Lyons stepped in. Conor Bradley returned from suspension but was deployed in an unfamiliar advanced role, which limited his impact compared to the previous encounter with Slovakia in Belfast.

Daniel Ballard and George Saville each received a second yellow card late in the match, ruling them out of Northern Ireland’s final group game against Luxembourg on Monday (19:45 GMT).

Analysis: Depth Tested

Northern Ireland’s young squad was severely tested in Kosice. O’Neill’s tactical adjustments in the final 20 minutes, including reverting Bradley to his usual right-sided position, helped stabilize the team but could not prevent the late heartbreak. Despite the defeat, the squad can take solace in the Nations League performance in 2024, which guarantees a play-off spot regardless of their final position in Group A.

O’Neill will have key players, including first-choice goalkeeper Pierce Charles and midfield duo Shea Charles and Price, available for the play-offs, highlighting the importance of fielding a near full-strength squad in the decisive fixtures.

Match Stats & Player Ratings

• Player of the Match: Daniel Ballard (NI) – 7.03
• Key Slovakia Player: Tomas Bobcek – 6.90
• Northern Ireland’s defensive unit struggled with set-pieces and late game management, highlighting areas for improvement ahead of the play-offs.

Northern Ireland remain just two wins away from securing a place at the 2026 World Cup in North America, a remarkable achievement for such a young squad, despite missing out on automatic qualification in the group stage.