Northern Ireland look to build on historic Georgia win against Hungary at Windsor Park
Northern Ireland Hungary: return to Windsor Park tonight looking to build on their dramatic Nations League victory in Georgia when they face group top seeds Hungary in Belfast.
Michael O’Neill’s side could hardly have made a more dramatic start to their League B campaign, with Shea Charles scoring in the 99th minute to secure a historic 1-0 victory in Tbilisi on Friday night.
The result was Northern Ireland’s first ever away victory in the UEFA Nations League and their first win at League B level.
Tonight’s sold-out encounter at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park will be Northern Ireland’s first home international of 2026, with kick-off at 7.45pm.
Northern Ireland return home on a high
Friday night’s victory in Tbilisi provided a memorable opening to what is a demanding Nations League schedule for Northern Ireland.
Goalkeeper Pierce Charles produced a crucial penalty save from Paris Saint-Germain star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia before his brother Shea delivered the decisive moment deep into stoppage time.
Captain Trai Hume’s delivery into the penalty area found Charles, who powered the ball beyond Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili to secure all three points.
O’Neill praised the character shown by his young side in Georgia, describing their performance as magnificent as they created chances while also withstanding significant pressure from the hosts.
Northern Ireland now have the opportunity to follow that result with another major scalp in front of a sold-out Windsor Park.
Ballard ruled out
O’Neill will be forced into at least one change following Friday’s victory.
Defender Daniel Ballard has left the Northern Ireland camp and returned to Sunderland after sustaining an injury during the closing stages against Georgia.
Ballard appeared to suffer a hamstring problem shortly before Northern Ireland’s winning goal.
His absence creates a decision for O’Neill in defence, with Paddy McNair, Ruairi McConville and Brodie Spencer among the options available to the Northern Ireland manager.
Conor Bradley was already unavailable for the current international window through injury.
O’Neill expecting stern Hungary test
Despite Northern Ireland entering the game with three points and Hungary with none, O’Neill has warned that tonight’s visitors represent a significant challenge.
Hungary were beaten 1-0 at home by Ukraine in their opening League B Group 2 fixture on Friday.
O’Neill nevertheless regards Marco Rossi’s side as the strongest team in the group and expects a response from the Hungarians following their opening defeat.
Hungary captain Dominik Szoboszlai will be among the biggest threats facing Northern Ireland.
The Liverpool midfielder has established himself as his country’s key creative player, while club teammate Milos Kerkez provides another significant attacking threat from the left.
Northern Ireland successfully limited the influence of Kvaratskhelia in Georgia and will face another major defensive task in attempting to restrict Szoboszlai’s influence at Windsor Park.
Hungary looking to respond
Hungary manager Marco Rossi has also predicted a difficult encounter in Belfast.
Rossi described Northern Ireland as a physically strong opponent and suggested the game may not produce many goals, with both sides placing significant emphasis on their defensive organisation.
He indicated that changes will be made to the team which lost against Ukraine, although he is not expected to significantly alter his starting XI.
Hungary have had injury problems of their own during this international window.
Barnabás Varga, Roland Sallai and Callum Styles were all ruled out after the original squad was selected, forcing Rossi to call up replacements.
Windsor Park awaits
Tonight’s fixture is sold out as Northern Ireland play in Belfast for the first time this year.
A victory would leave O’Neill’s side with six points from their opening two League B matches and provide an excellent start to a demanding run of four Nations League fixtures in just 11 days.
Following tonight’s encounter, Northern Ireland travel to Slovakia to face Ukraine on Friday before returning to Windsor Park to host Georgia on Monday 5 October.
For now, however, the focus is firmly on Hungary and whether Northern Ireland can turn the momentum generated by their remarkable night in Tbilisi into another memorable result in Belfast.
Michael O’Neill’s full thoughts ahead of the Hungary encounter are available on the Irish FA website.
Northern Ireland v Hungary
UEFA Nations League – League B Group 2
National Football Stadium at Windsor Park, Belfast
Monday 28 September 2026
Kick-off: 7.45pm
The match will be shown live on BBC One Northern Ireland, BBC Three and BBC iPlayer, with radio commentary available on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Sounds.
Related story: Northern Ireland make history in Georgia as Shea Charles strikes in 99th minute