Northern Ireland's Records vs the Major Champions

Northern Ireland haven't managed to win one of the world's major trophies (yet), but they have faced the holders on many occasions.

With a similar premise to the Unofficial Football World Cup (UFWC), any victory over a reigning champion would mean that Northern Ireland could claim to have taken that crown. While there has yet to be a victory over any reigning World Champions - two draws with (West) Germany is the best that can be claimed - wins over the Germans in 1982 and 1983 could have seen Northern Ireland crowned Vicarious European Champions (though it wasn't enough to seal a place at the actual 1984 UEFA European Championships).

To carry this premise through, Northern Ireland could also claim to be the best team in North America (courtesy of defeating CONCACAF champions Mexico in 1966) and two-time Oceania champions via wins over Australia and New Zealand in 1980 and 2017.  That however may be stretching credulity a bit far!

WORLD CUP
1930 URUGUAY (1st title)

• did not meet

1934 ITALY (1st title)

• did not meet

1938 ITALY (2nd title)

• did not meet

1950 URUGUAY (2nd title)

• did not meet

1954 WEST GERMANY (1st title)

• 15/06/1958 D 2-2 Malmo, SWE (World Cup Finals)

1958 BRAZIL (1st title)

• did not meet

1962 BRAZIL (2nd title)

• did not meet

1966 ENGLAND (1st title)

• 22/10/1966 L 0-2 Belfast (European Championships Qualifier / British Championship)
• 22/11/1967 L 0-2 Wembley  (European Championships Qualifier / British Championship)
• 03/05/1969 L 1-3 Belfast (British Championship)
• 21/04/1970 L 1-3 Wembley (British Championship)

1970 BRAZIL (3rd title)

• did not meet

1974 WEST GERMANY (2nd title)

• 27/04/1977 L 0-5 Cologne (Friendly)

1978 ARGENTINA (1st title)

• did not meet

1982 ITALY (3rd title)

• did not meet

1986 ARGENTINA (2nd title)

• did not meet

1990 WEST GERMANY (3rd title)

• (as Germany) 02/06/1992 D 1-1 Bremen (Friendly)

1994 BRAZIL (4th title)

• did not meet

France brought the World Cup
ahead of their 1999 friendly visit

1998 FRANCE (1st title)

• 18/08/1999 L 0-1 Belfast (Friendly)

2002 BRAZIL (5th title)

• did not meet

2006 ITALY (4th title)

• 06/06/2009 L 0-3 Pisa (Friendly)

2010 SPAIN (1st title)

• did not meet

2014 GERMANY (4th title)

• 21/06/2016 L 0-1 Paris, FRA (European Chapionships Final)
• 11/10/2016 L 0-2 Hannover (World Cup Qualifier)
• 05/10/2017 L 1-3 Belfast (World Cup Qualifier)

2018 FRANCE (2nd title)

• did not meet

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS

1960 USSR (1st title)

• did not meet

1964 SPAIN (1st title)

• met in qualifying
• 30/05/1963 D 1-1 Bilbao
• 30/10/1963 L 1-2 Belfast

1968 ITALY (1st title)

• did not meet

1972 WEST GERMANY (1st title)

• did not meet

1976 CZECHOSLOVAKIA (1st title)

• did not meet

1980 WEST GERMANY (2nd title)

• 17/11/1982 W 1-0 Belfast (European Championships Qualifier)
• 16/11/1983 W 1-0 Hamburg (European Championships Qualifier)

1984 FRANCE (1st title)

• 26/02/1986 D 0-0 Paris (Friendly)
• 27/04/1988 D 0-0 Belfast (Friendly)

1988 NETHERLANDS (1st title)

• did not meet

1992 DENMARK (1st title)

• played in qualifiers
• 17/10/1990 D 1-1 Belfast
• 13/11/1991 L 1-2 Odense
• 18/11/1992 L 0-1, Belfast (World Cup Qualifiers)
• 13/10/1993 L 0-1 Copenhagen (World Cup Qualifier)

1996 GERMANY (3rd title)

• 09/11/1996 D 1-1 Nuremburg (World Cup Qualifier)
• 20/08/1997 L 1-3 Belfast (World Cup Qualifier)
• 27/03/1999 L 0-3 Belfast (European Championships Qualifier)
• 08/09/1999 L 0-4 Dortmund (European Championships Qualifier)

2000 FRANCE (2nd title)

• did not meet

2004 GREECE (1st title)

• played in qualifiers

2008 SPAIN (2nd title)

• met in qualifiers
• 06/09/2006 W 3-2 Belfast
• 21/11/2007 L 0-1 Gran Canaria

2012 SPAIN (3rd title)

• did not meet

2016 PORTUGAL (1st title)

• did not meet

2020 ITALY (2nd title) (played in 2021 due to Covid-19)

• 15/11/2021 D 0-0 Belfast (World Cup Qualifier)

SOUTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONS

1957 ARGENTINA (11th title)

• 11/06/1958 L 1-3 Halmstad, SWE (World Cup Finals)

2011 URUGUAY (15th title)

• 30/05/2014 L 0-1 Montevideo (Friendly)

NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONS

1965 MEXICO

• 22/06/1966 W 4-1 Belfast (Friendly)

1993 MEXICO

• 11/06/1994 L 0-3 Miama, USA (Friendly) 

ASIAN CHAMPIONS

Northern Ireland have never played the reigning Asian champions. The closest was perhaps a September 1968 meeting with Israel who had relinquished the title they had won in 1964 just four months before.

AFRICAN CHAMPIONS

Northern Ireland have never played the reigning African champions.

OCEANIA CHAMPIONS

1980 AUSTRALIA (1st title)

• 12/06/1980 W 2-1 Sydney (Friendly)
• 15/06/1980 D 1-1 Melbourne (Friendly)
• 18/06/1980 W 2-1 Adelaide (Friendly)

2016 NEW ZEALAND (5th title)

• 02/06/2017 W 1-0 Belfast (Friendly)