Ian Baraclough has high hopes for 2021

The qualification campaign for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 begins in March and Baraclough hopes Northern Ireland will have secured their place at the tournament in the Arabian Peninsula by the end of 2021.

“I know it’s going to be tough, however we played well in quite a few of our UEFA Nations League games towards the end of 2020 and we can take great heart from that,” the Northern Ireland boss told the Irish FA website.

“Our aim is to qualify and everybody involved in the set-up is focused on that. We haven’t been to a World Cup since 1986 and we would love to rectify that.”

Baraclough’s men campaign with an away match against Italy on Thursday 25 March and finish it with a home fixture against the Italians. Their second game will be against fourth seeds Bulgaria at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park on Wednesday 31 March.

Game three will see Northern Ireland come up against fifth seeds Lithuania away on Thursday 2 September (venue tbc), while they will meet second seeds Switzerland in Belfast on Wednesday 8 September.

Italy’s involvement in the UEFA Nations League finals next October means they will not have any qualifiers that month.

However, Northern Ireland will be in action twice, firstly away to the Swiss on Saturday 9 October (venue tbc) and then away to Bulgaria on Tuesday 12 October (venue tbc).

Their penultimate match in Group C is set to be staged on Friday 12 November when they will take on Lithuania in Belfast, while the final game of the campaign is against the Italians at home on Monday 15 November.

The winners of each of the 10 European qualifying groups will automatically secure a place at the World Cup in Qatar, which is due to be staged in November/December 2022.

The 10 group runners-up, meanwhile, will enter a play-off process in March next year which will lead to three further European teams reaching the finals.

The Northern Ireland boss is hoping to integrate more younger players into the squad during the campaign as well as leading the team out at a packed National Football Stadium in Belfast.

“I would like to build up game time for the younger players. I firmly believe the coming years could be special ones for Northern Ireland if these players are allowed to come through and flourish,” he said.

“I don’t want to be the Northern Ireland manager who only got to see his team play in front of just over 1000 fans in Belfast. I want the chance to lead the team out in front of a full house.

Baraclough though realises it may be several months before that particular dream is realised due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

“We are, of course, still feeling the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and I would urge everyone to work together to beat it,” he added.

“Sporting organisations have previously stepped up to support the battle against the virus and I am confident they will continue to do so.”