| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (2003-04-04)4 April 2003 (age 22) | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin,Republic of Ireland | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Bray Wanderers | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2017 | Belvedere | ||
| 2017–2022 | St Patrick's Athletic | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2023 | St Patrick's Athletic | 64 | (3) |
| 2024–2025 | Waterford | 41 | (2) |
| 2025 | →Wexford (loan) | 13 | (1) |
| 2026– | Bray Wanderers | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018 | Republic of Ireland U15 | 4 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Republic of Ireland U16 | 7 | (2) |
| 2019–2020 | Republic of Ireland U17 | 5 | (3) |
| 2021 | Republic of Ireland U19 | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14:42, 13 February 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:11, 13 August 2023 (UTC) | |||
Ben McCormack (born 4 April 2003) is an Irish professionalfootballer who plays as amidfielder forLeague of Ireland First Division clubBray Wanderers. His previous clubs areSt Patrick's Athletic,Waterford andWexford.
A native ofHarmonstown,Dublin, McCormack started out with top Dublin academyBelvedere, where he earned the opportunity to play for the DDSL representative side at the prestigiousKennedy Cup in 2017, in which he played a starring role in the final as his side won the competition.[1] He moved to the academy ofLeague of Ireland clubSt Patrick's Athletic in November 2017.[2] His first season with the club saw him winning the league and cup double with the under 15 side.[3] In October 2019, he was part of the under 17 team that won the 2019 league title, beatingBohemians 4–0 in the final atDalymount Park with McCormack scoring twice atDalymount Park.[4] On 22 December 2020, he played in theLeague of Ireland U19 Division Final, in a 2–1 win overBohemiansafter extra time at theUCD Bowl to secure aUEFA Youth League spot for the club.[5] McCormack made hisUEFA Youth League debut on 29 September 2021, scoring his side's goal in a 2–1 loss toSerbian sideCrvena Zvezda.[6] He was part of the side that won theLeague of Ireland U19 Division in 2022.[7]
He made his senior debut forSt Patrick's Athletic on 1 November 2019 in aLeinster Senior Cup Semi-Final tie away toSheriff YC, with McCormack in the starting 11 of a game in which a Pats team made up of academy players won 3–1 after extra time.[8] On 21 December 2019, McCormack signed his first professional contract with the club, signing a 2-year contract until the end of 2021.[9][10]
On 26 September 2020, McCormack made hisLeague of Ireland Premier Division debut when he replacedDarragh Markey from the bench in the 75th minute of a 2–0 win overShelbourne.[11] With the season shortened due toCOVID-19, his only other appearance of the season came on 28 October 2020, coming off the bench for a late cameo in a 3–2 loss away toFinn Harps.[12]
The2021 season proved to be his breakthrough season in senior football, starting his first senior game for the club on 20 April 2021 in a 1–0 win overWaterford atRichmond Park.[13] On 6 July 2021, McCormack signed a long-term contract extension with the club, alongside teammateDarragh Burns.[14] His first goal in senior football came on 22 July 2021, when he headed home anIan Bermingham cross to put his side 3 goals up in an eventual 6–0 win overBray Wanderers in the first round of theFAI Cup.[15] With McCormack proving to be a key player off the bench for his club, making 26 appearances in all competitions over the season, he damaged his ankle ligaments playing for theRepublic of Ireland U19's in October 2021,[16] which ultimately resulted in him missing the2021 FAI Cup Final which his side won on penalties againstBohemians at theAviva Stadium on 28 November 2021.[17]
McCormack's progress stalled at the beginning of the2022 season under new managerTim Clancy, having to wait until 1 April 2022 for his first appearance for the first team, while returning to play games with the club's under 19 side.[18] On 18 April 2022, McCormack replacedJason McClelland from the bench in the 72nd minute away toUCD with his side trailing by a goal, he scored the equaliser 3 minutes later before assisting the winning goal with a cross from a corner in the 89th minute of a 2–1 victory.[19] On 6 November 2022, he scored the final goal in a 4–0 win overShelbourne in the last game of the season.[20]
Having made just 4 appearances in the club's first 11 games of the season underTim Clancy, McCormack regained his place in the team under newly appointed managerJon Daly and on 15 May 2023, he scored his first goal of the season, scoring an 84th-minute equaliser 11 minutes after entering the pitch in a 3–2 loss toShamrock Rovers atTallaght Stadium.[21] On 2 June 2023, he picked up 3 assists in the same game, all coming from corner kick deliveries, in a 3–1 win away toUCD at theUCD Bowl.[22] His form underDaly saw him among the nominees for theLeague of Ireland Player of the Month award for June 2023, although he eventually lost out toPatrick Hoban.[23] On 12 July 2023, McCormack made his first appearance in European competition in a 2–1 loss againstF91 Dudelange in thefirst qualifying round of theUEFA Europa Conference League at theStade Jos Nosbaum.[24] On 12 November 2023, McCormack was part of the squad for the2023 FAI Cup Final, as his side produced a 3–1 win overBohemians in front of a record breakingFAI Cup Final crowd of 43,881 at theAviva Stadium.[25] He struggled for consistent game time, featuring in 22 of the club's 36 league games, with just 8 of those coming in the starting team and only 1 start in the second half of the season. This lack of minutes saw him linked with a move toDundalk.[26]
On 29 December 2023, it was announced that McCormack had signed for newly promotedWaterford for an undisclosed fee.[27] He scored 4 goals in 33 appearances in all competitions in his first season with the club, before signing a new 1 year contract with the club on 13 November 2024.[28]
Having fallen out of favour at Waterford, on 17 July 2025 McCormack was loaned out toLeague of Ireland First Division clubWexford until the end of the season, in search of regular first team football.[29]
On 13 February 2026, McCormack joinedLeague of Ireland First Division sideBray Wanderers.[30]
McCormack has represented theRepublic of Ireland atU15,U16,U17 andU19 level.[3] He made his debut for theRepublic of Ireland U15 team on 6 March 2018, in a 2–0 win overCyprus U15 in a friendly atOriel Park.[31] He scored on his debut for theRepublic of Ireland U16 team on 11 September 2018, opening the scoring in a 4–2 win away toBulgaria U16 inSofia.[32] He was part of the U16 squad that took part in the 2018 Victory Shield in November 2018.[33] He was voted the Under-16 International Player of the Year for 2019 at theFAI International Football Awards.[34] McCormack scored on his debut for theRepublic of Ireland U17s in a 2–0 win overRussia U17 at theEstadi Olímpic Camilo Cano inSpain.[35] His debut for theU19s came in a 2–2 draw withSweden U19.[36]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| St Patrick's Athletic | 2019 | LOI Premier Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0[a] | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2021 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 26 | 1 | ||||
| 2022 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0[c] | 0 | 0[d] | 0 | 17 | 2 | ||
| 2023 | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 0[b] | 0 | 26 | 1 | ||
| Total | 64 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 72 | 4 | ||
| Waterford | 2024 | LOI Premier Division | 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 2[e] | 2 | 33 | 4 | |
| 2025 | 12 | 0 | — | — | 1[e] | 0 | 13 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 41 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 3 | 2 | 46 | 4 | |||
| Wexford (loan) | 2025 | LOI First Division | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 1 | ||
| Bray Wanderers | 2026 | LOI First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0[b] | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career total | 118 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 132 | 9 | ||