Northern Ireland captain Trai Hume insists “we’re only going to get better” after going through the disappointment of Thursday’s 2-0 World Cup play-off semi-final defeat to Italy.

Michael O’Neill’s men were looking to end the country’s 40-year World Cup wait and competed well in Bergamo, but second half goals from Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali and Moise Kean helped set up a qualifying decider for four-time champions Italy.

Hume, who was named skipper for the evening, was one of only two players in Northern Ireland’s starting line-up plying their trade in the Premier League – Justin Devenny the other – after Conor Bradley and Dan Ballard were ruled out through injury.

Despite a spirited performance, Northern Ireland will now face a friendly on Tuesday evening against either Bosnia & Herzegovina or Wales.

placeholder image — Trai Hume greets supporters after being defeated in the play-off FIFA World Cup 2026 European qualification semi-final football match between Italy and Northern Ireland. (Photo by Stefano RELLANDINI / AFP via Getty Images)

"Disappointed,” said Hume on BBC Sport NI. “They started the game well for the first 10 minutes, started the second half well the first 10 minutes.

"We were good overall on the night, I thought we managed them well, but they had their moments and unfortunately took them.

"We wanted to keep it the same as we were doing (in the second half), keep frustrating them, and we created chances but were just missing that final pass.

"The goal they scored changes the dynamic of the game. We’re disappointed, we can’t really speak with emotion right now.”

Eight of Northern Ireland’s starting line-up were aged 22 or under – 22-year-old Terry Devlin made his first competitive international start in place of the injured Bradley while 20-year-old duo Pierce Charles and Ruairi McConville impressed at the New Balance Arena.

O’Neill declared pre-match his young squad were ahead of schedule and Hume insists there’s plenty more to come as they now set their sights on qualifying for the 2028 European Championships, which is being co-hosted by the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

"It’s disappointment but it’s a good experience to go through if you think of it long-term” he added. “We’ve a young team and we’re only going to get better, that’s what I believe.

"You can have inconsistency with a young team but we’ll only get better.”