World Cup spot with NI would be ‘special’ – Bradley

It would be “the thing of dreams,” according to Conor Bradley, for Northern Ireland to win a World Cup.

The 21-year-old has played for Michael O’Neill’s side on two occasions in the Nations League, and he could win a Premier League championship trophy with Liverpool this weekend.

He will be expected to play a significant role in the team’s efforts to become the fourth Northern Ireland team to reach the World Cup when qualifying for the 2026 tournament begins in September despite missing the most recent friendly games against Switzerland and Sweden last month.

Bradley, who has been named Northern Ireland Football Writers’ Association’s International Personality of the Year, said, “That’s everyone’s dream.”

We are aware of how challenging it would be, and we are aware of how special it would be.

The thing of dreams, “it would be unbelievable.” I’m pretty sure we can, and if we keep working hard, we can get there one day.

Since their most recent attempt to qualify for a World Cup, Northern Ireland have lost the likes of Steven Davis, Stuart Dallas, and Jonny Evans to retirement.

O’Neill has relied on younger players like Bradley, Shea Charles, Isaac Price, and Trai Hume in their place.

We have potential, but Bradley remarked, “We must fulfill that,”

We’ve lost a lot of experience, of course, because we’re still very young.