Tanya Oxtoby makes one change to Northern Ireland squad ahead of UEFA Women’s Nations League double-header

Oxtoby’s side were last in action in December when they missed out on a spot at Euro 2025 following their 7-0 aggregate play-off defeat to Norway, but they’ll hope to carry positives shown across recent months into a fresh Nations League campaign.

Northern Ireland preserved their League B status last year by beating Montenegro in a promotion/relegation play-off and have been drawn in a group alongside Poland, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Romania.

They’ll get underway on February 21 with a trip to Gdansk before hosting Bosnia & Herzegovina at Inver Park in Larne on February 25 with Nottingham Forest attacker Caragh Hamilton recalled to the squad after recovering from injury.

Hamilton’s Forest team-mate Casey Howe misses out as the attacker continues her own injury recovery while a number of Oxtoby’s players have secured transfers since Northern Ireland were last in action.

Danielle Maxwell and Louise McDaniel have both moved to Burnley from Cliftonville, Megan Bell has joined Hamilton and Howe at Forest after leaving Rangers and former Glentoran striker Kerry Beattie is enjoying a loan spell at Aberdeen.

The four winners of League B groups in stage one of the Nations League will be promoted to League A for stage two, which is the European Qualifiers phase for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil.

Poland will likely provide the toughest opposition as they currently sit 28th in the FIFA World Rankings – compared to Northern Ireland’s 44th – while Romania are 48th and Bosnia & Herzegovina 63rd.

Full Northern Ireland squad:

Goalkeepers – Jackie Burns (Bristol City Women), Maddy Harvey-Clifford (Crusaders Strikers), Rachael Norney (Liverpool Feds).

Defenders - Rebecca Holloway, Rebecca McKenna and Ellie Mason (all Birmingham City Women), Laura Rafferty (Rangers Women), Rachel Dugdale (Blackburn Rovers Women), Kelsie Burrows (Cliftonville Ladies), Natalie Johnson (Nottingham Forest Women).

Midfielders - Joely Andrews (Hearts Women), Chloe McCarron (Glentoran Women), Louise McDaniel (Burnley Women), Brenna McPartlan (Burnley Women), Megan Bell (Nottingham Forest Women), Connie Scofield (Sheffield United Women, on loan from London City Lionesses).

Forwards - Kerry Beattie (Aberdeen Women, on loan from Hearts Women), Lauren Wade (Hearts Women), Emily Wilson (Glentoran Women), Simone Magill (Birmingham City Women), Keri Halliday (Linfield Women), Danielle Maxwell (Burnley Women), Caragh Hamilton (Nottingham Forest Women).