With Northern Ireland now guaranteed a World Cup play-off in March, BBC Sport NI's Jonathan Bradley reflects on their qualifying campaign.

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill says the yellow card he was shown at the end of his side's 1-0 defeat by Slovakia was for telling the referee to "be stronger".

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill will be without key midfield duo Shea Charles and Ali McCann for this month's 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia and Luxembourg.

Slovakia's return to Belfast in 2026 World Cup qualifying on Friday represents the biggest game for Northern Ireland since the sides met in a European Championship play-off.

Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifier with Slovakia is their biggest game in years, says former international Stuart Dallas.

As Northern Ireland prepare to host Slovakia in World Cup qualifying, former NI boss Ian Baraclough speaks to BBC Sport NI about his tenure.

Striker Josh Magennis returns to the Northern Ireland squad for this month's 2026 World Cup qualifying fixtures against Slovakia and Germany.

Tough transfer window was followed by grim start to season that puts pressure on side in Sunday’s Sunderland trip The statistic doing the rounds this week was that Chris Wilder has been sacked and reappointed as the Sheffield United manager since Boubacar Kamara scored Aston Villa’s last league goal four months ago. Villa have been slow out of the blocks and this is unusual territory for Unai Emery, who has spent the best part of three years almost exclusively exceeding all expectations, elevating a team who were near the bottom of the Premier League into one capable of bloodying the noses of European superpowers in the Champions League. But a sticky start, four Premier League matches without a victory or goal – they are the only team in the professional pyramid to carry that ignominious mantle – and a midweek Carabao Cup exit, has been rather in keeping with a difficult few months. Villa headed into the summer knowing incomings would be limited owing to the financial picture and they sold Jacob Ramsey, a homegrown and well-regarded player, plus some on the fringes, to help balance the books. But uncertainty lingered around key players until the September transfer deadline, none more so than their goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, who had been keen to move. The additions of Harvey Elliott, who will join permanently next summer, Jadon Sancho and Victor Lindelöf belatedly provided a much-needed boost. Continue reading...

Northern Ireland travel to Cologne buoyed by a 3-1 win over Luxembourg to open their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. Their German hosts, however, suffered a shock defeat by Slovakia.

Club affected by Premier League and Uefa financial fair play ‘It’s crazy. We’re going to have to deal with what we’ve got’ Ezri Konsa has said that football’s spending regulations “killed” Aston Villa during a difficult summer transfer window. The club, who have started the season badly with one point from three games and no goals scored, were hemmed in by the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules and the equivalent in Uefa competition. Villa paid out one major fee – £30.5m to Nice for Evann Guessand – and made only four further first-team additions, Marco Bizot being followed in on deadline day by Victor Lindelöf, Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho. The club were open to selling Emiliano Martínez only for there to be no buyer and moved Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle for £39m despite Unai Emery preferring to keep him. As a homegrown player, Ramsey counted as pure profit on the books. Continue reading...

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, George Elek and Sanny Rudravajhala to sift through a bonkers deadline day, questionable spending, and the best Championship pick-ups you’ve never heard of. Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email. On today’s pod: The panel reviews a hectic end to the transfer window, with Marc Guéhi staying put, Yoane Wissa forcing a move to Newcastle, and Alexander Isak being cast out of Geordie folklore. Chelsea finally sign an attacking wide man (sort of) in Facundo Buonanotte, and Spurs loan in Randal Kolo Muani. Villa go all-in with Sancho, Elliott, and Lindelöf, while Manchester City swap goalkeepers and Manchester United spend £200m to generate about £30m back. Continue reading...

Club have obligation to buy Elliott for £35m Emery left with decision over goalkeeper Martínez A fraught 24 hours for Aston Villa ended with Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott joining on loan, but Unai Emery must decide whether to reinstate Emiliano Martínez as his No 1 after the goalkeeper did not depart before the deadline. Villa prioritised strengthening their attack but question marks surround Martínez, who wanted a fresh challenge this summer. Villa, who also signed the Sweden captain Victor Lindelöf, have added the 25-year-old Sancho on a season’s loan while Elliott has joined on loan in a deal with an obligation to buy for £35m. The versatility of all three players is attractive to Emery, who was determined to add at least one attacking player to his frontline. Sancho, who has spent the past 18 months on loan at Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea, rejected a move to Roma earlier in this transfer window. Continue reading...

Aston Villa sign former Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof and are close to loans for Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho.

Today’s rumours bid farewell Don’t be sad it’s over, be glad it happened: the storied transfer window of summer 2025, soon to become the stuff of myth and legend, its tales passed down the generations for evermore, is almost over. This leaves us with no option but to focus on the peripheral trudge of actual football – or would if it wasn’t the blasted international break – so before we reduce ourselves to the tedium of that indignity, let us enjoy one final day of obscenely rich and artless men passing money to other obscenely rich and artless men, the beautiful game incarnate. After a summer spent grizzling about the unfairness of not being allowed to spend way more money than they make, when all they really want to do is celebrate the incomparable glory of having billionaire owners, Aston Villa are springing into action. After the overwhelming success of Marcus Rashford’s two goals (one penalty) against Preston, along with another crucial strike in a 3-0 home win over Brighton, having ticked the fast and strong box, they’re now seeking to fill the slow and weak slot, in talks to sign another winger of whom Manchester United want shot. Should Jadon Sancho refuse the move, they plan to fill that spot in their squad with a large cushion. Continue reading...