Sport in Northern Ireland plays an important role in the lives of manyNorthern Irish people. A range of sports are organised for representation ofNorthern Ireland as its own identity, includingassociation football,netball,snooker,billiards,dodgeball,darts,cricket and at theCommonwealth Games.[1] It is also common for teams to be organised on anall-Ireland basis, includingrugby union,Gaelic games,basketball,rugby league andhockey.
The three most popular spectator sports in Northern Ireland are association football with 10%, Gaelic football with 8% and rugby union with 6%.[2] According to the 2024/25 Continuous HouseholdSurvey for sports and athletic participation,walking andhiking is by far the most popular physical activity. Walking for recreation remains the primary way over 65% of the population stays active.Gym and fitness sits at 16-18%.[3][4]
The sport with the majority populous sports teams is football. There are over 1,000 active football teams across Northern Ireland, ranging from professional clubs to local amateur and youth sides.[5] There are an abundant amount of leagues varying at different levels.
As Northern Ireland is aconstituent nation of theUnited Kingdom, it sends aNorthern Ireland Team to theCommonwealth Games.[6] At theOlympic Games, a person fromNorthern Ireland can choose to represent eitherIreland orGreat Britain.[7]
Football is one of the most popular sports in Northern Ireland. TheIrish Football Association (IFA) is the organising body forfootball (soccer) in Northern Ireland, and was historically the governing body for the whole of theisland. The IFA sits on theInternational Football Association Board, which is responsible for the laws of the game.
The top three divisions are theNIFL Premiership,NIFL Championship andNIFL Premier Intermediate League. This then splits off into the three intermediate/ amateur football divisions, theNorthern Amateur League,Ballymena & Provincial Football League and theMid-Ulster Football League.[8]
TheDown Area Winter Football League is an amateur league established in 1974 that runs throughout winter.[9]
The Northern Ireland Women's Football Association (NIWFA) is the IFA'swomen's football arm. It runs a Women's Cup, Women's League and theNorthern Ireland women's national football team.
George Best is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time, and by-far the best player from Northern Ireland.[10][11][12] He won theBallon d'Or in 1968 and theEuropean Cup withManchester United.[13][14]
Many football fans in Northern Ireland prefer to support teams from England such asManchester United andLiverpool and teams fromScotland such asCeltic andRangers.
The domestic league is theIFA Premiership. Some of the major teams includeLinfield F.C.,Glentoran F.C.,Cliftonville F.C.,Ballymena United F.C. andCrusaders F.C. Linfield is one of the most successful teams in the world domestically.[15]Derry City FC is based in Northern Ireland but plays in theRepublic of Ireland's league.
TheMilk Cup is a successful international youth tournament held annually in Northern Ireland, in which clubs and national teams from anywhere in the world may compete. Northern Ireland also played host to the 2005UEFA Under-19 European Championships.
TheSetanta Sports Cup was set up by its sponsors, television channelSetanta Ireland. It was an all-island tournament, featuring twelve teams, six from the League of Ireland and six from the Irish League. The competetion folded in 2014. A successor competition was established in 2019 known as theUnite the UnionChampions Cup, but folded after theCovid-19 Pandemic.[16] As on 2026, there is no active men's all-island cup competition. There is a Women's All-Island Cup competition founded in 2023 known as theAvenir Sports Women's All-Island Cup.[17]
TheNorthern Ireland national football team have hadWorld Cup success. The1958 World Cup was their best-ever run, when they reached the quarter-finals of the tournament inSweden.[18] This made Northern Ireland the least populous country to reach a World Cup quarter-final, a record held until 2018.[19][20]
In the1982 World Cup, Northern Ireland reached the second round when they famously put out hostsSpain after a 1-0 victory inValencia with a goal fromGerry Armstrong.[21][22]
In October 1985, for the1986 World Cup qualification, during the latter stages of qualification, they traveled to faceRomania inBucharest. Despite a relentless Romanian attack, Northern Ireland secured a historic 1–0 victory thanks to a 29th-minute goal fromJimmy Quinn and superb goalkeeping fromPat Jennings. This was a must-win match for Northern Ireland. The decider, the following month, was atWembley, when they playedEngland held them to a draw to ensure qualification.[23][24]
The1986 World Cup marked a historic achievement in Northern Ireland history, when managerBilly Bingham led Northern Ireland to two consecutive World Cup's for the first time. Bingham also played in the 1958 World Cup.[25][26]
Northern Ireland supporters are known for their passionate and electric atmosphere.[27][28][29] They often accrue a large travelling fanbase, and are referred to as the teams "12th man" at their home groundWindsor Park.[30] They are known as the "Green & White Army".
Northern Ireland have won theBritish Home Championship title 8 times, including 5 shared titles, and winning the final tournament in 1984.[31]
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Northern Ireland qualified for theUEFA Euro 2016 inFrance, marking the team's debut in theEuropean Championship They famously defeatedUkraine 2–0 in the group stage and reached theround of 16.[32][33]
The women's Northern Ireland team qualified for the UEFA Women's Euro 2022, marking the women's team's first-ever major tournament.[34]
Most of the players come from the English or Scottish leagues although occasional appearances of Irish League players have been known.
Rugby union is a very popular team sport played in Ireland. The sport is organised on an all-Ireland basis with one team, governing body and league for both theRepublic of Ireland andNorthern Ireland.
TheIrish Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in Ireland. The IRFU is divided into four branches which represent the four provinces of Ireland:Ulster,Munster,Leinster andConnacht.
Irish provinces compete in theUnited Rugby Championship, againstWelsh regions,Italian cities,Scottish super-districts, andSouth African regions. Through performance in the URC, the four Irish provinces qualify to compete in theEuropean Rugby Champions Cup and theEPCR Challenge Cup.
Competitions have taken place since the late 19th century with the modern day Inter-provincial Championship betweenMunster,Leinster,Ulster andConnacht first contested in 1920.
Another focus for the domestic game in Ireland is theAll-Ireland League, which started in 1990. For the 2022–23 season, there will be 5 divisions.
The Ireland national team are considered by theIRB to be in thefirst tier.
Ireland contest theMillennium Trophy with England as part of theSix Nations Championship.
Every four years theBritish and Irish Lions go on tour with players from Ireland as well as England,Scotland andWales.
Gaelic games includeGaelic football,hurling, andGaelic handball.
Gaelic games in the North are controlled by theUlster Provincial Board, which covers all nine counties ofUlster.
Every footballer or hurler plays for a local club, with the best players being selected for county panels. Each county has its own county championship, with the winners going on to play in theUlster Senior Club Football Championship orUlster Senior Club Hurling Championship.Crossmaglen Rangers are currently the most successful football club in the North.
The county teams play in pre-season competitions, such as theNational Football League, which serves as preparation for theUlster Senior Football Championship andAll-Ireland Senior Football Championship. The hurling equivalents are theNational Hurling League,Ulster Senior Hurling Championship andAll-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. In recent years, the most successful football teams from the North have beenTyrone GAA andArmagh GAA. Hurling teams from have found it difficult to make an impact against the top counties from the South, withAntrim GAA the most successful.
County players may be selected for the Ulster provincial side to play in theRailway Cup. The team has won the Interprovincial Football Championship 32 times, but has never won the Interprovincial Hurling Championship. At international level, footballers can play for the IrelandInternational Rules football team against the bestAustralian Rules football players from Australia. Hurlers playing in the lower divisions of the All-Ireland Championship are eligible to play against the bestshinty players from Scotland incomposite rules shinty-hurling.
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Cricket in Northern Ireland was a minority sport until the early 21st century, but has since increased in popularity.[35] TheNorthern Ireland national cricket team is a representative team for the nation. They competed at the1998 Commonwealth Games, were they started the tournament against eventual winnersSouth Africa.[36] The Northern Ireland cricket team recorded a historic victory overBangladesh, winning by 114 runs.[37][38]
The organisation known as theNorthern Cricket Union oversees cricket inBelfast, as well as countiesAntrim,Down, and parts ofArmagh. TheNorth West Cricket Union covers countiesLondonderry,Tyrone, andFermanagh.[39]Stormont (Civil Service Cricket Club) is used as a primary international venue for Irish cricket home games.[40][41]
TheIrish Cricket Team, which represents both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland,[42] qualified for theCricket World Cup in2007 and2011. Cricket has been played in Northern Ireland since the early 19th century and games againstScotland (a match which hasfirst-class status) have been played annually since 1909.[citation needed] As of 2024, Dublin-bornbatsmanEd Joyce was a part of Ireland'sICC Trophy team and a member of theMiddlesex side in England'sCounty Championship; he captained the county in 2004. Interest in Irish cricket was also generated by the national team's unexpected victory overWest Indies in 1969; they did it again in June 2004.
The sport is organised on an all-island basis and is overseen by theCricket Ireland, founded in its present incarnation in 1923. Ireland has entered some domestic English tournaments since the early 1980s, but becoming an Associate Member of theInternational Cricket Council in 1993 paved the way for participation in international competition, and the2005 ICC Trophy was hosted by Ireland. The Irish finished second in the tournament, beaten by Scotland. Ireland co-hosted theCricket World Cup in 1999.Dublin also hosted one game of the1999 World Cup. The2007 World Cup, which was held in the West Indies, was a successful tournament for the Irish Cricket team. Having qualified for the first time for the tournament, Ireland entered the arena with much to gain.[citation needed] Ireland tied the match with Test Cricket playing teamZimbabwe and shocked Pakistan by defeating them on St. Patrick's Day. Ireland qualified for the super 8 and recorded some good results, including a win againstBangladesh. Ireland were granted ODI status and now they appear in the ODI ranking table. In June 2007, Ireland played ODI matches againstIndia andSouth Africa.[43]
Ireland went on to win the2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier, securing their place in the2011 Cricket World Cup and ODI status for the next four years. At the World Cup, they made history by beating a heavily favouredEngland in pool play with the largest successful run chase in World Cup history, led by the fastest century in World Cup history fromKevin O'Brien.[44]
On 22 June 2017, Ireland was awarded Test status following a five-year fight, becoming the eleventh team to have Test status.[45] Ireland's first Test match was at home to Pakistan in May 2018, losing by 5 wickets after being forced to follow on.[46] After a tour to Afghanistan,Ireland faced England in a four-day Test match at Lord's in July 2019, bowling England out for 85 before losing by 143 runs.[47] Ireland's second innings, in which they were bowled out for 38 in 15.4 overs, was the lowest completed innings in the history of Lord's.[48]
In November 2019, the Irish cricket team qualified for the2020 T20 World Cup, to be held in Australia.[49]
Northern Ireland is known as being a centre formotorcycle road racing, staging International and Irish National races.[citation needed]
Two international races, theNorth West 200 and theUlster Grand Prix, were previously held in Northern Ireland.[50] However, due to financing and sponsorship issues affecting the Ulster Grand Prix, the future of the meeting continues to remain open to question, with the last running of the event occurring in 2019.[51][52][53] Consequently, as of 2024, only the North West 200 features on the International Road Racing calendar.[54]
Irish National meetings comprise theCookstown 100 and theArmoy Road Races.[55][56][57] Formerly the calendar also included theTandragee 100,[58] theEnniskillen Road Races and theMid-Antrim 150.[59]
Road racerJoey Dunlop was voted as Northern Ireland's greatest ever sportsperson in aBelfast Telegraph poll, ahead of footballerGeorge Best. During his career, Dunlop took five consecutiveFormula I World Championships, 26Isle of Man TTs, 13 wins at the North West 200 and 24 victories at the Ulster GP, and attracted support from both the Protestant and Catholic communities.[60] In addition, his brotherRobert and nephewsMichael andWilliam have also been successful road racers, with all three taking multiple wins at the North West 200 and Ulster GP and Robert and Michael also taking several TT victories.[61]
Other notable road racers from the province includePhillip McCallen, who took 11 TT wins, including four in one week in 1996, five wins out of six races at the 1992 North West 200, five wins on one day at the 1996 Ulster GP, as well as theMacau Grand Prix,[62] andRyan Farquhar, another multiple winner at the TT, North West 200 and Ulster GP, who took a total of 384 wins during his career.[63]
On the track,Jonathan Rea broke records in theWorld Superbike Championship in 2018, when he became the first rider to win four consecutive Superbike world titles. He also holds the records for most wins and most podiums in the championship.[64] One of Rea's main rivals in Superbikes has been fellow UlstermanEugene Laverty.[65] InGrand Prix racing, Belfast nativeRalph Bryans was 50cc World Champion in1965, becoming the only Irish rider to win a Grand Prix world title: he also took ten Grand Prix wins across his career.[66]
On four wheels, Northern Ireland's most notableFormula One drivers areJohn Watson, who took five Grand Prix wins in the 1970s and 1980s and finished third in the1982 Formula One season, andEddie Irvine, who took four wins forFerrari on the way to second place in the1999 Formula One season. Intouring car racing,Colin Turkington is a four timeBritish Touring Car Champion, having won titles in2009,2014,2018 and2019, and has also been a race winner in theWorld Touring Car Championship.[67][68][69] Inrallying, the province's most notable names arePaddy Hopkirk, who won several events in international rallying in the 1960s in hisMini Cooper S, including theMonte Carlo Rally, theAlpine Rally and theAcropolis Rally,[70] andKris Meeke, who has taken multiple rally wins in theWorld Rally Championship.[71]
Golf is a very popular sport in Northern Ireland. Golfers from Northern Ireland enjoyed great success especially in the 2010s. Between 2010 and 2015Graeme McDowell,Darren Clarke andRory McIlroy won 25% of the titles inMajor Championships.
For more international exposure, athletes fromNorthern Ireland have joined forces with Ireland and represent the Island of Ireland together as its ownnational team. The governing body of all basketball activities in the country isBasketball Northern Ireland.[72]
TheBelfast Giants have competed in theElite Ice Hockey League since the 2000–01 season and are the sole Northern Irish team in the league. The team's roster has featured Northern Irish born players such asMark Morrison andGraeme Walton.[73]
Geraldine Heaney, an Olympic gold medalist and one of the first women inducted into theIIHF Hall of Fame, competed internationally forCanada but was born in Northern Ireland.[74]
Owen Nolan is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player born in Northern Ireland. He was drafted 1st overall in the1990 NHL Draft by theQuebec Nordiques.[75]
Boxing is a popular sport in Northern Ireland. Prominent Northern Irish boxers includeCarl Frampton,Ryan Burnett,Wayne McCullough andPaddy Barnes, among others .
In 2025, Northern Ireland secured its first-everDarts World Cup championship title in June 2025 at the2025 PDC World Cup of Darts. The duo ofJosh Rock andDaryl Gurney defeatedWales (Gerwyn Price andJonny Clayton) 10–9 in a dramatic final inFrankfurt.[76][77]
Volleyball in Northern Ireland is a growing indoor and beach sport governed by Northern Ireland Volleyball.[78] It's league system dates back to the 1970's. The NIVA is a member of theInternational Volleyball Federation and theEuropean Volleyball Confederation.[79] It is also a member of the CEV Small Countries Association and a home nation member of theBritish Volleyball Federation.[80][81]
TheNorthern Ireland Women's National Volleyball Team debuted in 1983 at the West European Spring Cup.[82] They recorded a historical result in 1989 when they secured silver at theBritish Isles Volleyball Championship.
TheNorthern Ireland Men's National Volleyball Team was formed in 1976. Their greatest achievement was winning the Gold Medal at the British Isles Championship in 1989, hosted in Belfast. They have also secured silver medals in 1991, and 2002, and bronze in 2000 and 2004 in the regional Small Countries competitions. In 2024, the men's team reached the final of the CEV European Small Nations division.[83]
The domestic league is known as the Northern Ireland Volleyball League for men and women. Teams includeCraigavon Aztecs,Queen's University Belfast,Ulster University, Aztecs Eagles andBallymoney Blaze.[84] Ulster University and Ballymoney Blaze have represented Northern Ireland in European competition.[85] There are also junior leagues and a schools league.[86]
A vibrant beach scene exists with regular tournaments held atPortrush East Strand and other coastal locations.[87]
In 2025, Ballymoney Blaze earned the right to represent Northern Ireland at the European Beach Club Championship.[88]
The national dodgeball team is known as theNorthern Ireland Knights. The Northern Ireland Knights are a top-tier nation in the EuropeanDodgeball Federation and theWorld Dodgeball Federation.[89] The Northern Ireland Dodgeball Association manages the national teams. As on 2026, the Northern Ireland Men's team are ranked #1 in Europe (EDF) and #6 in the World (WDBF).[90][91] In mixed cloth, they are ranked #1 in Europe. The women's team are ranked #4 in Europe.
In 2016, Northern Ireland competed in the inaugural Dodgeball World Cup inManchester.[92]
At the 2018Dodgeball World Cup held inNew York, Northern Ireland achieved a Bronze Medal atMadison Square Garden, finishing 3rd in the world after defeating several larger nations.[93][94]
At the 2023 Dodgeball European Championships held inOsijek, Croatia, Northern Ireland dethroned long-time championsAustria to win the tournament.[95]
At the 2025 European Championships inLimerick, the Northern Ireland Knights achieved a historic "Double Gold," winning both the Men’s Cloth and Mixed Cloth European titles. The Northern Ireland Knights beat theEngland Lions 17-13 in the Mixed Cloth final.[96][97]
Dodgeball in Northern Ireland is integrated into the British Dodgeball framework, which operates a dedicated Northern Irish league pyramid.[98] The Northern Irish Super League is the top division of Dodgeball in the country and is split into sperate men's and women's leagues.[99] Matches are primarily held atQueen's University Belfast.[100]
The top three teams in the league represent Northern Ireland at the British Championships.
Ballyhackamore have been the dominant team in the men's and women's leagues. In 2025, the Ballyhackamore Barbarians, and the Ballyhackamore Amazons won their respective leagues to make it a double.[101]
Other successful domestic teams include the Queen's Aces and KapowBelfast, who play their games at the Belvoir Activity Centre.[102]
In 2003, independentwrestlers formed Ulster Championship Wrestling (UCW). This was Northern Ireland's firstwrestling promotion. Due to a number of problems, UCW folded in 2007. Also in 2007, Pro Wrestling Ulster (PWU) formed. They bought out UCW and began their own wrestling promotion. Pro Wrestling Ulster hosts IPPV's and events in Northern Ireland showcasing local, national and formerWWE talent. PWU folded in 2019.[103]
A new promotion and wrestling school Titanic Wrestling started up in April 2019. It is owned by local wrestler JDP.[citation needed] FormerWWE NXT UK starTucker takes training sessions in Titanic's school The Yard.[104]
The most notable wrestler from Northern Ireland isFit Finlay, a formerWWE United States Champion,WCW Hardcore Champion andWCW World Television Champion fromCarrickfergus.[105] The Finlay family is the most recognizable wrestling family from the whole island.[106] Finlay's father,Dave Finlay Sr., a holder of anMBE and former wrestler, established a wrestling club inGreenisland in 1968, and remained a coach at the establishment until 2023.[107][108][109] It remains an active wrestling club. Fit Finlay's two son's are also professional wrestlers,David andBrogan Finlay.[110][111]
TheNorthern Ireland national netball team is known as the Northern Ireland Warriors.[112] The governing body, Northern Ireland Netball was established in the early 1950s. It is a member ofEurope Netball andWorld Netball.[113]
The Northern Ireland Warriors as of February 2026, are ranked 12th in the world in the World Netball Rankings. They have consistently maintained a top-12 position over the last decade.[114]
They have qualified and thus appeared in 12Netball World Cups. Their best-ever finish was 7th place in 1983. they have consistently secured top-10 finishes since 2019.
They debuted in theCommonwealth Games in 2014. Since then, the NI Warriors have qualified for four successive Games, includingGlasgow 2026.[115] They qualified for the 2026 tournament when they achieved being ranked #1 in the World Netball World Ranking's in September 2025.[116][117]
The NI Warriors are two-time winners of theSingapore Nations Cup, in 2009 and 2015.[118][119] They have also achieved silver in theNetball Europe Open, in 2012 and 2017.[120]
In 2024, the NI Warriors won theEurope Netball Open Challenge, being theUAE in the final.[121]
Northern Ireland's top domestic division is known as the Netball Northern Ireland Premier League.[122] Local teams includesBelfast Ladies,Donaghadee, Larkfield andCrumlin. There are also NNI school leagues and junior leagues.[123]
Universities in Northern Ireland participate in sport through bothStudent Sport Ireland (SSI) andBritish Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS).[124][125][126]
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