Category News

2026 World Cup qualifiers: Northern Ireland v Slovakia; Northern Ireland v Germany

Venue: Windsor Park, Belfast Dates: Friday, 10 October & Monday, 13 October Kick-off: 19:45 BST

BBC Sport NI pundit Stuart Dallas won 62 Northern Ireland caps and played for Crusaders, Brentford and Leeds United.

It is the biggest game for Northern Ireland in years.

Slovakia have had a great start to their campaign with two wins, and that is what makes Friday’s qualifier so huge.

People will naturally look to the Germany game, and both matches are big in their own right, but given what is at stake on Friday you cannot look past those 90 minutes.

At the start of the campaign you would have expected Germany to run off into the distance, but Slovakia’s win over the Germans in the opening game changed the landscape.

Given how things have started, if Northern Ireland can win on Friday and give Germany a game on Monday then the race for top spot in the group is blown wide open.

It will be a tough test for Northern Ireland but it is a good opportunity to go and show that they are more than capable of competing at this level.

A full house at Windsor Park will have the stadium rocking and I fully expect Northern Ireland to give a good account of themselves.

The last time Slovakia came to Windsor Park almost five years ago they ended our dreams of reaching Euro 2020.

Fans will feel like we owe them something given the heartbreak of that defeat, but that narrative isn’t there with this group of players.

There has been such a youthfulness in Michael O’Neill’s squad that I don’t think memories of that game will be a factor.

Slovakia have grown as a nation over the last number of years and have competed in major tournaments. That’s where Northern Ireland want to get to, and there’s no reason they can’t get there.

Nobody would have expected Slovakia to beat Germany, but that shows the level they are at. It will be a tough game, but at home it is a fantastic opportunity to make a statement.

Michael is building something really special. We don’t want to put too much pressure on this squad but hopefully they can go and get a result.

This group is young but they are growing together, and you can see that in Michael’s approach to leadership.

Michael isn’t in any rush to name an outright captain and he’s shared it around a number of players such as Trai Hume, Conor Bradley, Shea Charles and Paddy McNair.

I agree with that approach and he’s asking questions of each individual, and getting responsibility from players who can all bring something a bit different. He is giving different players responsibilities and that can really help the group overall.

When I was at Leeds United, although we had a club captain we had a leadership group which worked really well because everyone brings their own ideas and experiences, which help in different ways.

Each player has different leadership skills. For some that is leading on the pitch, and for others it’s away from it or the experience they bring.

Michael had full-time captains in the past with Steven Davis and Jonny Evans, but this group is different and it’s a good thing for them.

I’ve been fortunate to have played at Windsor Park when it is full and the place is rocking.

The fans at Windsor Park will have a big role to play and they can be a driving force.

They urge you on that last bit and that will be vital for this young squad in the key moments as they don’t have a huge amount of experience in the biggest games.

They can help give you the belief that you can go and achieve a big result. Michael will be aware of that as well, and the fans also realise that he is building a special team.

It is a huge game, and they now have a chance to go and lay down a marker for the rest of the campaign.

There will be 12 people who will ultimately decide the fate of Welsh rugby this month.

While Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) director of rugby and elite performance Dave Reddin has been leading the process of change during the past few months, it will be the governing body’s board that will ultimately sanction any dramatic alterations to the game in Wales.

Reddin is part of a five-strong WRU executive team alongside chief executive Abi Tierney, community director Geraint John, chief people officer Lydia Stirling, chief commercial officer Leighton Davies and chief operating officer Gavin Marshall, who officially starts his role next month.

Only Tierney also sits on the 12-strong board and she is currently off work undergoing cancer treatment, so what part she will play in the process during the next few weeks remains to be seen.

The WRU board will be presented with a range of information by Reddin and his team at a meeting on Wednesday, 8 October.

A controversial proposal to reduce the number of professional men’s sides in Wales from four to two was the WRU’s preferred option of the four models presented in August.

There was opposition from players, supporters and clubs to this proposal during a consultation which has now finished.

The new-look board was established in 2023 after a damning report found aspects of the WRU’s culture were sexist, racist, misogynistic and homophobic.

Two-thirds of the board changed, with the new set-up featuring twice the number of independent directors as well as three former players, while the number of elected members was reduced from eight to four.

The WRU believes the move has brought in more professional expertise, while also realising gender diversity ambitions with five women joining the board.

Reddin says the board will have the conviction to make bold change if required.

“The responsibility of a board in an organisation like this to take the brave decisions when they need to,” said Reddin.

“Led by Richard [Collier-Keywood], our board are committed to the need to change Welsh rugby for the better and, if required, making tough decisions which our board are not afraid to do.

“I would not say they are under pressure, they recognise the significance of it. They asked us to go into a consultation process so they could be as well informed as possible.”

The board’s decision could lead to the threat of job losses, legal action and a player strike.

Collier-Keywood is the board’s leader after being named the first WRU independent chair in July 2023, when he replaced former Wales captain Ieuan Evans.

Collier-Keywood is a former UK managing partner and global vice-chair of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), and has been a senior adviser to the department for digital, culture, media and sport.

Tierney became the first female WRU chief executive when she officially joined the organisation in January 2024.

She has Welsh connections, as her father hails from Barry, and says she is a lifelong supporter of Welsh rugby.

Tierney was previously the director general for customer services at the Home Office.

Before joining the civil service, Tierney was a business development director at Serco, where she also held a number of operational roles, including regional director and chief executive of Suffolk Community Services.

The former Harlequins chairman replaced Amanda Blanc as chair of the Professional Rugby Board (PRB) in 2022, granting him a place on the board.

Wall began his media career at Southern, Anglia and then Granada Television before becoming deputy chief executive of Meridian Broadcasting in the early 1990s.

Mathias joined the WRU board as an independent non-executive director in October 2023.

She was born and brought up in Pembrokeshire on a family farm and is a qualified accountant with nearly 30 years of banking, credit and risk management experience.

Mathias joined financial company The Openwork Partnership in December 2024 as chief financial officer (CFO) and board director.

Prior to this, she was group CFO at Rathbones Group, the £1.75bn UK wealth management firm listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Williams became an independent non-executive director in January 2024, having previously been a Cardiff board member.

Originally from Heath in Cardiff, he attended Llanishen High School before qualifying as a chartered engineer.

He has also studied in the Advanced Management Programme at The Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania.

He was chief executive of Halma plc, the global safety, health and environmental technology group, for 18 years until 2023.

Under his leadership, Halma increased its market capitalisation from £600m to more than £8.5bn.

Thorne was the first appointment of the new-look board as an independent non-executive member in June 2023 and is now the WRU senior independent director.

Thorne’s father Tony was a groundsman at the former National Stadium in Cardiff during the 1970s and 1980s.

Thorne. who was born in Penarth, has had a corporate global career in retail, starting as a trainee in David Morgans in Cardiff before leading executive board commercial roles at Mothercare, George at Asda and B&Q.

She is chair of the National Dance Company Wales and Barcud Housing Association.

The former player turned pundit is the most recognisable figure on the board having played 94 times for Wales. He won three Six Nations titles and reaching a World Cup semi-final during his international career.

Twice a British and Irish Lions tourist, he was named player of the series against South Africa in 2009 and was a series winner four years later in Australia.

Roberts’ club career has taken him around the world, from Cardiff to Paris with Racing 92, England with Bath and Harlequins, South Africa with Stormers and Australia with the Waratahs, as well as Cambridge University and Dragons.

A rugby pioneer, Bennett was the first woman to pull on the red number 10 jersey in Wales’ first women’s Test match, against England, in 1987.

She went on to win 26 caps, including playing in the first Women’s World Cup in 1991 and featuring at the tournament again four years later.

Bennett was Wales coach between 1998 and 2000 before leading Saracens for a decade. She was also part of England’s coaching team for the 2006 World Cup.

She led the development of UK Sport’s equality standard in 2004, which has been implemented by more than 400 organisations across the UK.

A former Wales international second-row who won 75 caps, Donovan began her career with Cardiff Quins before spending the majority of her career at Saracens and appearing at two World Cups.

Donovan served on the WRU’s national council before being elected by clubs to the board in December 2023.

Whilst in position at the WRU, she has engaged with external stakeholders around many areas, including access to rugby for women and girls, governance and improvement of facilities.

An experienced director in the food industry – including one of the largest salad producers in Europe – Donovan has worked as a lobbyist for the horticultural industry.

Manders was elected as a national council member in July 2020 and was re-elected in September 2021.

A former sergeant with South Wales Police, he was capped by Wales at youth level and toured South Africa in 1980.

He played for Cardiff, Newport and Pontypridd but is a stalwart of Old Illtydians.

After retiring, Manders continued to work as an assessor, lectured in law at the University of South Wales and was an artistic director at Tickledom Theatrical Productions and a director of learning at Credwch Ltd.

Chris Jones is the longest-serving member of the board, having been originally appointed in 2018 as a district council member.

Jones has served as secretary of Newcastle Emlyn RFC since the club’s formation in 1977, as well as being a past player, captain and coach.

He also coached the Welsh Schools intermediate international side and chaired the intermediate group and schools council.

Wilks has spent 50 years in rugby, as a player, referee, coach and administrator with Risca.

Wilks served as a Dragons director between 2021 and 2023 when the Gwent side were under WRU control and is also the current chair of the competitions management committee.

Now retired, his business background was as a manager in both the mining and steel industries, spanning both manufacturing and commercial sectors.

Thomas Tuchel says “the race is on” to be England’s number one, but is Jordan Pickford’s place really under any serious threat – and just how good is he?

The 31-year-old Everton goalkeeper will break his own Three Lions record, currently jointly shared with the legendary Gordon Banks, of seven consecutive clean sheets if he wins his 79th cap against Wales and does not concede in Thursday’s friendly.

While most of those recent shut-outs have come in one-sided qualifiers, we already know Pickford’s worth in big games and shootouts at major tournaments too.

As well as saving penalties for England, Pickford’s most famous attribute is probably how animated he is on the pitch.

But what are the technical strengths and weaknesses behind his emotions – and how much do they matter?

“I remember having a talk with Marge [Martyn Margetson, England’s former goalkeeping coach] about Pickford and asking him if, technically, he is that much better than everyone else?” Green told BBC Sport.

“Possibly not, and he has his own flaws and his own idiosyncrasies, like every goalkeeper has.

Pickford is rightly renowned for his fast reflexes when making stops but, like every modern-day keeper, he is no longer only judged by how good he is with his hands.

“He has definitely improved his all-round play with his feet,” Robinson explained. “Where Jordan has always been strong is with his long distribution and his ability to start a counter-attack – there are not many better than him at that in the Premier League.

“He can kick it accurately for absolutely miles in a similar way I used to do, and as a goalkeeper you enjoy that. The game has changed now, but he is still able to play out with shorter passes from the back too.

“You would do very well to find the perfect keeper anyhow but, when I analyse his overall game, I feel like Jordan understands his own qualities and he has grown and developed into the keeper we see now.

With no obvious weakness when it comes to keeping the ball out of the net, Pickford’s temperament has often been seen as his biggest issue.

Rooney once felt he was “too agitated”, especially in comparison to his long-time keeper at Manchester United, Edwin van der Sar, who was always cool and composed.

But Walcott feels Pickford has changed as he has grown older and reduced the histrionics that used to be his trademark.

“Jordan has calmed down a lot – I just think he has got a bit more mature,” Walcott told BBC Sport.

“Earlier in his career there were times I played with him where it felt like if he was bored in the game he thought he had to do something, just to feel like he was involved.

“Now, though, I think he actually doesn’t mind taking a step back because he understands that it starts with the goalkeeper and if he is calm, it helps the back four to be calm and the rest of the team too.

“He is not really involved in any scuffles anymore and that is down to maturity.”

You would still never describe Pickford as being impassive, however, and Green feels that emotion is still a big part of his make-up.

“Jordan literally makes his own noise at times but he has reached a point with every aspect of his game where he has proved it has worked for him – so who are we to question it now?” Green added.

For many years, people linked Pickford’s on-pitch personality to his performances – in his first few seasons at Everton it felt like we saw as many errors from him as there were eruptions.

That has changed too – he has made much fewer mistakes leading to goals when playing for his club in recent seasons, and that increased focus has long been apparent for his country.

“That stat about how only one mistake has led to a goal really shows the level of consistency he has achieved for England, because in terms of international games played, that equates to one error over more than two Premier League seasons,” Green said.

“In the bigger picture, I think some of it is down to the increased importance of Nations League games now, as opposed to friendlies, because it means Jordan is hardly ever playing behind a team where there have been nine changes.

“The England manager is picking a strong side for every game, so that consistency is there in front of Jordan as well. That helps, but credit to him because he has reached the same levels with Everton too.

Robinson, who played 41 times for England between 2003 and 2007 and came close to equalling Banks’ record when he kept six consecutive clean sheets in 2006, feels Pickford’s ability to deal with criticism is another reason why he has remained England’s first choice for so long.

“Jordan has worked extremely hard on his game, but I also think he has worked extremely hard on himself, and the mentality of being England’s number one as well,” Robinson added.

“When you play for England, you come under huge scrutiny whenever a goal goes in and you have to deal with the noise – but Jordan has done more than that, he has silenced it. The criticism that he had in the past is just not there anymore.

Pickford, who joined Everton from Sunderland in June 2017 for £30m, then a British record fee for a keeper, made his 300th Premier League appearance for them in Sunday’s win over Crystal Palace. He started talks over a new contract last month, to extend a deal that ends in 2027.

The last time his contract was close to running out, in 2023, he was linked with moves to Manchester United and Tottenham before committing to the Toffees.

“It has surprised me that he has been at Everton for so long,” Walcott added.

“There have been times where I have thought Jordan is going to go now, for Champions League football somewhere, but it shows his character that he has stayed.

Tuchel told his England players in June that there is “a fight for every position” and there was “no exception” for goalkeepers.

For Pickford, Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson, 28, and Manchester City’s James Trafford, 22, both also named in the squad to face Wales and Latvia, must be seen as his main rivals.

Nick Pope, 33, and his Newcastle team-mate Aaron Ramsdale, 27, are also in the frame – but Pope has not been selected into any of Tuchel’s four squads so far. Ramsdale made it into one but, like Trafford at Manchester City, he is not currently first-choice at his club.

“He is underappreciated,” added Rooney. “His performances for Everton but more so for England in the big tournaments have been incredible. When people talk about keepers worldwide, he doesn’t get mentioned that often but he is definitely up there.

“He is a great character and great to have in the dressing room. I know Jordan well and he is great fun to be around. He is certainly someone you want in the dressing room and is not afraid to speak his mind as well, which is always good.”

There are only two more international camps before the World Cup, in November and March, so opportunities are limited for Henderson, who currently has three caps, and Trafford, who has none, to add to their senior England experience.

“The pecking order is well and truly set,” according to Green, who played 12 times for England from 2005 to 2012. “It is Pickford, and then the others.

“You know Pickford has been there and done it, in the biggest moments and under the most pressure you can be as a keeper.

Robinson agrees that replacing Pickford should be a “non-topic” and feels instead we should focus on what he brings to the England team.

“This is the first time in a long time that there isn’t a debate about who should be England’s number one, which is credit to him because he has been superb,” Robinson said.

“We had that with David Seaman and there was a short time when I was there as well, and I know from experience that when you put the question to bed, you know you are winning, because it is a constant discussion that everyone likes to have.

“With Jordan you look at the 78 caps he has won and his experience at major tournaments, how deep he has gone in them, and there is no question that when an England team-sheet comes out then his name is at the top of it, as Seaman’s name always was many years ago.

“That’s the level Jordan is at now, and we maybe take for granted what he brings to that position. There is a plethora of other goalkeeping talent, absolutely, but every single one is at different stages, ether with their confidence and experience or where they are at in their club football.