World Cup 2026 qualifying continues on Friday night as Northern Ireland host Slovakia in a key Group A encounter at Windsor Park. Both sides have made strong starts to their campaigns, with Slovakia sitting top on six points and the hosts close behind in second.
Northern Ireland hoping to hold firm at home
Michael O’Neill’s men began their campaign with a solid 3-1 win over Luxembourg before falling to Germany by the same scoreline last month. Despite that loss, the performance in Frankfurt showed real progress, and O’Neill’s young team have now won their last four home qualifiers without conceding. With Germany and Slovakia both visiting Belfast this month, Northern Ireland know that avoiding defeat here is crucial to staying in the race for qualification. Isaac Price, who scored against Germany, will again be key to the Green and White Army’s attacking hopes.
Slovakia targeting top spot
Francesco Calzona’s Slovakia have started strongly, following their historic 2-0 victory over Germany with a narrow win against Luxembourg. That result extended their unbeaten run in qualifying to four matches, during which they have conceded only once. With Stanislav Lobotka controlling midfield and Milan Skriniar marshalling the defence, Slovakia are proving difficult to break down. Up front, David Strelec and Lukas Haraslin will look to test Northern Ireland’s backline.
With both teams defensively solid but capable of moments of quality, this could be a tight and tactical affair in Belfast.
Prediction: Northern Ireland 1–1 Slovakia
Tip: Draw (X) ✅
