Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill won’t “get too bogged down in” permutations that could impact his side’s 2028 European Championship draw seeding – and believes it’s “great for the nation as a whole” that his young team are competing for Nations League promotion.

Teams will be seeded for the draw – which is being held at Belfast's International Convention Centre on December 6 – based on Nations League ranking, meaning finishing higher up their group could benefit O’Neill’s men when it comes to sealing qualification.

Northern Ireland are currently projected to take a place in either Pot Two or Three, which will impact the level of their opponents.

Sealing a spot in Pot Two could mean Northern Ireland avoid coming up against another of Europe’s powerhouses – they’ll face one of UEFA’s top-ranked sides from Pot One.

placeholder image — Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

The likes of Croatia, Germany and Denmark could yet end up in Pot Two, while Switzerland and Turkiye are guaranteed to be in that bracket.

Northern Ireland were seeded in Pot Five for the 2024 draw and finished fifth, winning three of 10 matches, and had to face both Germany and the Netherlands in their 2020 qualification group after being placed in Pot Three.

O’Neill’s men famously upset the odds for the 2016 tournament, topping their qualifying group as a Pot Five team.

Topping their Nations League group could also offer Northern Ireland another route to the major tournament with winners who fail to finish in the top two of their Euro 2028 qualifying group eligible for a play-off place.

While O’Neill recognises the importance of Northern Ireland optimising their chances of qualification, he’s solely focused on the immediate task at hand – hosting Ukraine on Saturday night.

"Look, it is important,” said O’Neill. “We've had draws in the past that haven't been particularly kind to us.

"I've been drawn with Germany in three qualification groups...when automatic qualification means you have to win the group, being drawn with Germany is not a great scenario for any nation to be in, it becomes difficult.

"I felt in the World Cup we were a little bit unfortunate with the injuries we had and in some of the games as well how they went against us but I think the team has grown from there as well.

"You want to be in as high a pot as possible, but there's always teams in there who are in Pot Three or Pot Four that can give you difficulties.

"We've been that team in the past, we were a Pot Five team in 2016 and we won the group...we've been a Pot Four team and lost to a Pot Five team.

"I don't get too bogged down in it really...every nation outside of the top nations have cycles and sometimes you'll get a team that you think is at the bottom of a cycle but actually they're starting to do well.

"We just have to take what comes when the draw is made for 2028 in December.

"To be in the position we're in with the opportunity to go to Nations League A, I think it's great for this young group of players and for the nation as a whole that we're competing at this level."