When was the last time Northern Ireland qualified for the World Cup?

Jeorge Bird

When was the last time Northern Ireland qualified for the World Cup?  image

Northern Ireland will not be involved at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after they failed to qualify for the competition.

They finished third in Group C on nine points as Switzerland topped the group to qualify and Italy came second.

The last time that Northern Ireland qualified for the finals was for the 1986 tournament, when they were eliminated in the group stages.

In total, Northern Ireland have participated in three World Cups, with their best run coming in 1958, when they reached the quarterfinals before losing 4-0 to France.

Northern Ireland weren't involved in the first three editions of the World Cup as they were not a FIFA member. 

Here's a look at Northern Ireland's history in the World Cup.

MORE: FIFA World Cup schedule 2022: Complete match dates, times, team fixtures for Qatar tournament

Northern Ireland World Cup history

YearStage reached
1930Not a FIFA member
1934Not a FIFA member
1938Not a FIFA member
1950Did not qualify
1954Did not qualify
1958Quarterfinals
1962Did not qualify
1966Did not qualify
1970Did not qualify
1974Did not qualify
1978Did not qualify
1982Second group stage
1986Group stage
1990Did not qualify
1994Did not qualify
1998Did not qualify
2002Did not qualify
2006Did not qualify
2010Did not qualify
2014Did not qualify
2018Did not qualify
2022Did not qualify

Jeorge Bird