This page details Northern Ireland national under-21 football team records and statistics; the most capped players, the players with the most goals, and Northern Ireland under-21's match record by opponent.

Player records

Most appearances

Last updated after the match against on 6 October 2026.

RankPlayerYear(s)U-21 CapsU-21 GoalsFirst CapLast Cap1Liam Donnelly2012–201824513 November 2012 vs. 16 October 2018 vs. 2Sean Friars1998–200121221 April 1998 vs. 5 June 2001 vs. Caolan Boyd-Munce2017–202221025 March 2019 vs. 25 September 2022 vs. 4Kofi Balmer2019–202220022 March 2019 vs. 4 June 2022 vs. Ethan Galbraith2019–202220122 March 2019 vs. 7 June 2022 vs. Aaron Donnelly2021–20242002 June 2021 vs. 15 October 2024 vs. Darren Robinson2023–20262007 September 2023 vs. 6 October 2026 vs. 8Terry McFlynn2000–200319228 March 2000 vs. 10 October 2003 vs. Rory McArdle2006–20081916 February 2006 vs. 26 March 2008 vs. Thomas Stewart2006–20081946 February 2006 vs. 26 March 2008 vs. 11Chris Casement2007–20091826 February 2007 vs. 17 November 2009 vs. Cameron Dummigan2014–20181809 September 2014 vs. 16 October 2018 vs. Alfie McCalmont2019–202218325 March 2019 vs. 25 September 2022 vs. 14Jeff Whitley1998–200017121 April 1998 vs. 10 October 2000 vs. Ciarán Toner2000–200317128 March 2000 vs. 1 April 2003 vs. Josh Magennis2009–201217411 August 2009 vs. 13 November 2012 vs. David Parkhouse2017–20201738 June 2017 vs. 8 September 2020 vs. Carl Johnston2021–20241702 June 2021 vs. 15 October 2024 vs. Makenzie Kirk2021–20261726 September 2024 vs. 6 October 2026 vs. 20Jake Dunwoody2017–20201618 June 2017 vs. 13 October 2020 vs. Patrick Kelly2023–20251617 September 2023 vs. 14 October 2025 vs. Tommy Fogarty2023–202516012 September 2023 vs. 18 November 2025 vs. 23Richard Graham1998–20011509 October 1998 vs. 5 June 2001 vs. Aaron Callaghan2006–20081506 February 2006 vs. 26 March 2008 vs. David Buchanan2006–200815216 May 2006 vs. 26 March 2008 vs. Trevor Carson2006–200915014 November 2006 vs. 17 November 2009 vs. Craig Cathcart2006–200915014 November 2006 vs. 17 November 2009 vs. Dale Gorman2015–20181515 September 2015 vs. 16 October 2018 vs. Dale Taylor2021–20241532 June 2021 vs. 15 October 2024 vs.

Players with an equal number of caps are ranked in chronological order of reaching the milestone.

Top goalscorers

Last updated after the match against on 6 October 2026.

RankPlayerYear(s)U-21 GoalsU-21 CapsGoals per gameFirst GoalLast Goal1Liam Donnelly2012–20185248 June 2017 vs. 11 September 2018 vs. Shayne Lavery2016–202051410 November 2017 vs. 25 March 2019 vs. 3Adrian Coote1998–199941221 April 1998 vs. 17 August 1999 vs. David Healy1998–19994817 November 1998 vs. 17 August 1999 vs. Sam Morrow2005–2006448 February 2005 vs. 12 April 2006 vs. Thomas Stewart2006–200841916 May 2006 vs. 26 March 2008 vs. Josh Magennis2009–20124178 September 2009 vs. 7 September 2012 vs. Oliver Norwood2009–201241113 November 2009 vs. 2 March 2010 vs. Paul O'Neill2019–20214109 October 2020 vs. 12 November 2021 vs. 10Gary Hamilton2000–20013122 June 2000 vs. 10 October 2000 vs. Mo Harkin2000–20013928 March 2000 vs. 10 October 2000 vs. Grant McCann2000–200131110 October 2000 vs. 5 October 2001 vs. Lee McEvilly2002–2003396 September 2002 vs. 1 April 2003 vs. Chris Turner2006–20083121 June 2007 vs. 16 November 2007 vs. Andrew Little2008–20103618 November 2008 vs. 3 September 2010 vs. Billy Kee2009–201131010 August 2011 vs. 10 August 2011 vs. David Parkhouse2017–20203178 June 2017 vs. 4 September 2020 vs. Alfie McCalmont2019–202231814 November 2019 vs. 12 November 2021 vs. Dale Taylor2021–20243152 June 2021 vs. 25 September 2022 vs. Charlie Allen2021–202431426 March 2024 vs. 12 October 2024 vs.

Players with an equal number of goals are ranked in chronological order of reaching the milestone.

Hat-tricks The result is presented with Northern Ireland's score first. PlayerGoalsDateOpponentVenueResultType of GameRef Billy Kee 3 10 August 2011 The Oval, Belfast, Northern Ireland 4–0 2013 UEFA U-21 Group 4 Qualifier More than a hat-trick scored *

Red cards The result is presented with Northern Ireland's score first.

PlayerDateOpponentVenueResultType of GameRef Dave Waterman 21 April 1998 Mourneview Park, Lurgan, Northern Ireland 2–1 International Friendly Damien Johnson 2 June 1999 Caledonian Stadium, Inverness, Scotland 0–1 1999 Presidents Cup Paul McAreavey 6 October 2000 The Oval, Belfast, Northern Ireland 0–3 2002 UEFA U-21 Group 3 Qualifier Wayne Carlisle 10 October 2000 Kaplakriki, Hafnarfjörður, Iceland 2–5 2002 UEFA U-21 Group 3 Qualifier Hugh Dickson 5 October 2001 National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta 2–2 2002 UEFA U-21 Group 3 Qualifier Paddy McCourt 1 April 2003 The Oval, Belfast, Northern Ireland 2–6 2004 UEFA U-21 Group 6 Qualifier Kieran McKenna 14 November 2006 Hafenstadion, Torgau, Germany 1–2 International Friendly Johnny Flynn 11 August 2009 Estádio Municipal da Guarda, Guarda, Portugal 1–2 International Friendly James Knowles 10 August 2011 The Oval, Belfast, Northern Ireland 4–0 2013 UEFA U-21 Group 4 Qualifier Conor McLaughlin 2 September 2011 Stadion Karađorđe, Novi Sad, Serbia 0–1 2013 UEFA U-21 Group 4 Qualifier Shane Ferguson 10 May 2012 Milano Arena, Kumanovo, Macedonia 0–1 2013 UEFA U-21 Group 4 Qualifier Conor McLaughlin 7 September 2012 The Oval, Belfast, Northern Ireland 1–3 2013 UEFA U-21 Group 4 Qualifier Liam Donnelly 9 September 2013 Den Dreef, Leuven, Belgium 0–1 2015 UEFA U-21 Group 9 Qualifier Dale Gorman 5 September 2015 Mourneview Park, Lurgan, Northern Ireland 1–2 2017 UEFA U-21 Group 3 Qualifier Conor Hazard 14 October 2019 Stadionul Anghel Iordănescu, Voluntari, Romania 0–3 2021 UEFA U-21 Group 8 Qualifier Trai Hume 16 November 2021 Mourneview Park, Lurgan, Northern Ireland 0–2 2023 UEFA U-21 Group C Qualifier Aaron Donnelly 10 October 2023 Dalga Arena, Baku, Azerbaijan 1–0 2025 UEFA U-21 Group F Qualifier Charlie Allen 15 October 2024 Stade Émile Mayrisch, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg 0–0 2025 UEFA U-21 Group F Qualifier Darren Robinson 31 March 2026 Daugava National Stadium, Riga, Latvia 3–1 2027 UEFA U-21 Group F Qualifier

Individual and Team records

Goal records First goal: Gary Blackledge – 8 March 1978 vs Most goals scored in one game by a player: 3 – Billy Kee, 10 August 2011 vs

Firsts First under-21 international: 8 March 1978 vs First home under-21 international: 3 April 1990 vs First win: 3 April 1990 vs First overseas opponent: , 3 April 1990 First win over an overseas opponent: 3 April 1990 vs

Streaks Most consecutive victories: 6 6 February 2006 – 16 May 2016 6 September 2018 – 25 March 2019 Most consecutive matches without defeat: 11 9 September 2003 – 16 May 2006 Most consecutive draws: 3 29 May 2000 – 1 September 2000 Most consecutive matches without a draw: 25 6 February 2006 – 18 November 2008 Most consecutive matches without victory: 14 2 September 2011 – 14 November 2013 Most consecutive defeats: 14 2 September 2011 – 14 November 2013 Most consecutive matches scoring: 8 8 February 2005 – 16 May 2006 Most consecutive matches without scoring: 4 2 September 2011 – 10 May 2012 Most consecutive matches conceding a goal: 29 2 June 1999 – 9 September 2003 Most consecutive matches without conceding a goal: 3 6 February 2006 – 28 February 2006 11 October 2018 – 22 March 2019

Biggest wins Best Results by Northern Ireland under-21'sDateOpponentRoundResultDifference116 November 2007 2009 UEFA U-21 Group 9 Qualifier5–0+512 October 2024 2025 UEFA U-21 Group F Qualifier5–0310 May 2006 2007 UEFA U-21 Qualification preliminary round4–0+43 September 2010 2011 UEFA U-21 Group 5 Qualifier4–010 August 2011 2013 UEFA U-21 Group 4 Qualifier4–012 November 2021 2023 UEFA U-21 Group C Qualifier4–026 September 2026 2027 UEFA U-21 Group F Qualifier4–0810 October 2000 2002 UEFA U-21 Group 3 Qualifier5–2+312 April 2006 2007 UEFA U-21 Qualification preliminary round4–120 November 2007 2009 UEFA U-21 Group 9 Qualifier3–02 March 2010 2011 UEFA U-21 Group 5 Qualifier3–0

Heaviest defeats Worst Results by Northern Ireland under-21'sDateOpponentRoundResultDifference14 June 2022 2023 UEFA U-21 Group C Qualifier0–6-6228 March 2022International Friendly0–5-531 April 2003 2004 UEFA U-21 Group 6 Qualifier2–6-48 September 2009 2011 UEFA U-21 Group 5 Qualifier2–65 June 2001 2002 UEFA U-21 Group 3 Qualifier0–46 February 2007International Friendly0–424 May 2007International Friendly0–418 November 2025 2027 UEFA U-21 Group F Qualifier0–43 June 2026International Friendly0–41010 June 2003 2004 UEFA U-21 Group 6 Qualifier1–4-320 August 2008 Valeriy Lobanovskyi Memorial Tournament1–414 August 2013International Friendly1–49 September 2014 2015 UEFA U-21 Group 9 Qualifier1–43 September 2021 2023 UEFA U-21 Group C Qualifier1–46 October 2000 2002 UEFA U-21 Group 3 Qualifier0–316 August 2006 2007 UEFA U-21 Group 10 Qualifier0–37 September 2007 2009 UEFA U-21 Group 9 Qualifier0–35 September 2008 2009 UEFA U-21 Group 9 Qualifier0–37 September 2010 2011 UEFA U-21 Group 5 Qualifier0–36 September 2011 2013 UEFA U-21 Group 4 Qualifier0–310 September 2012 2013 UEFA U-21 Group 4 Qualifier0–331 May 2013 2015 UEFA U-21 Group 9 Qualifier0–314 November 2013 2015 UEFA U-21 Group 9 Qualifier0–311 October 2016 2017 UEFA U-21 Group 3 Qualifier0–314 October 2019 2021 UEFA U-21 Group 8 Qualifier0–317 November 2020 2021 UEFA U-21 Group 8 Qualifier0–312 October 2021 2023 UEFA U-21 Group C Qualifier0–321 November 2023 2023 UEFA U-21 Group F Qualifier0–3

Performance

Performance by competition

Last updated after the match against on 6 October 2026.

CompetitionWin %Draw %Loss % UEFA European Under-21 Championship 120 32 20 68 127 194 -67 26.67% 16.67% 56.67% International Friendlies 44 17 9 18 48 69 -21 38.64% 20.45% 40.91% Minor Tournaments 8 1 4 3 7 11 -4 12.50% 50.00% 37.50%Total172503389182274-9229.07%19.19%51.74%

Performance by manager

Last updated after the match against on 6 October 2026.

ManagerFirst GameLast GameWin %Draw %Loss % 8 March 1978 vs. 8 March 1978 vs. 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0.00% 100.00% 0.00% 3 April 1990 vs. 3 April 1990 vs. 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 100.00% 0.00% 0.00% 22 March 1994 vs. 22 March 1994 vs. 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.00% 100.00% 0.00% 21 April 1998 vs. 21 April 1998 vs. 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 100.00% 0.00% 0.00% 20 May 1998 vs. 8 October 1999 vs. 13 3 5 5 11 13 –2 23.08% 38.46% 38.46% 28 March 2000 vs. 26 March 2008 vs. 48 18 8 22 64 79 –15 37.50% 16.67% 45.83% 19 August 2008 vs. 15 November 2011 vs. 21 4 3 14 23 39 –16 19.05% 14.29% 66.67% 10 May 2012 vs. 15 October 2013 vs. 10 0 0 10 5 24 –19 0.00% 0.00% 100.00% 14 November 2013 vs. 11 October 2016 vs. 14 1 2 11 8 27 –19 7.14% 14.29% 78.57% 8 June 2017 vs. 19 November 2019 vs. 19 9 6 4 22 19 +3 47.37% 31.58% 21.05% **4 September 2020 vs. 5 June 2021 vs. 7 3 0 4 9 11 –2 42.86% 0.00% 57.14% 3 September 2021 vs. 25 September 2022 vs. 11 2 2 7 10 27 –17 18.18% 18.18% 63.64% 7 September 2023 vs. 25 8 5 12 25 32 –7 32.00% 20.00% 48.00%Total172503389182274-9229.07%19.19%51.74%

* first two games as caretaker manager ** all 7 games as caretaker manager

Performance by venue

Last updated after the match against on 6 October 2026.

VenuePlayedWonDrawnLostWin %Draw %Loss % Home 78 25 16 37 103 124 -21 32.05% 20.51% 47.44% Away 86 22 15 49 73 144 -71 25.58% 17.44% 56.98% Neutral 8 3 2 3 6 6 0 37.50% 25.00% 37.50%Total172503389182274-9229.07%19.19%51.74%

Performance by decade

Last updated after the match against on 6 October 2026.

DecadeWin %Draw %Loss %1970s 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0.00% 100.00% 0.00%1990s 16 5 6 5 15 15 0 31.25% 37.50% 31.25%2000s 59 19 10 30 75 104 -29 32.20% 16.95% 50.85%2010s 53 13 9 31 47 84 -37 24.53% 16.98% 58.49%2020s 43 13 7 23 44 70 -26 30.23% 16.28% 53.49%Total172503389182274-9229.07%19.19%51.74%

All-time records

Head to head records

Last updated after the match against on 6 October 2026.