European qualification blow hasn’t affected our mindset, claims Michael O’Neill

Initially, it was planned for the Home Nations to jointly stage the tournament in three years’ time, with Casement Park built in time to host games in Northern Ireland.

However, delays over funding and feasibility for the west Belfast project eventually resulted in Northern Ireland being dropped as a host country, with the tournament instead being played in England, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

It is believed that in order to build Casement Park it would require around £260m, but only £120m has been pledged by Stormont (£62.5m), the GAA (£15m) and the Irish government (£43m).

As a result, the UK Government confirmed last September that, due to the risk to the public purse over missing the tournament deadline being too high, Northern Ireland would no longer be considered a co-host.

That means O’Neill’s men will have to qualify as normal for the tournament and won’t even have the reassurance of the ‘safety net’ handed to the other four nations, which has guaranteed all four will feature in the tournament as long as two qualify automatically.

“If I'm 100 per cent honest, I didn't even read it because it's irrelevant to us now,” claimed O’Neill.

“Just because we're concentrating on World Cup 2026 before we even start thinking about Euro 2028. When the decision was made over Casement Park, it was done. I always knew we'd have to play through a qualification process. That hasn't changed. So the announcement, we kind of knew that the process was going to be as it is.

"The important thing is to address World Cup 2026 and give ourselves the best chance possible to try and qualify for that tournament. And then, when 2028 comes around, this team hopefully will be more prepared. There may be a little bit more fresh blood in the squad as well. But it's so far down the line that it's not really of much significance to me personally.”

Accordingly, O’Neill will take one last look at his squad next month before launching into the qualifying process for that tournament in September, with June friendlies to look forward to against Denmark in Copenhagen and Iceland in Belfast.

The manager has been able to bring back a wealth of experience after March’s window, which saw them draw with Switzerland and lose heavily in Sweden, with the likes of Daniel Ballard, Conor Bradley and Dion Charles recalled after injury lay-offs.

And while admitting that his squad still hasn’t reached the level he is hoping they will, O’Neill was left encouraged by what he saw two months ago in those friendlies and hopes they can kick on from there.

“We didn't concede. We were strong. We scored goals. We looked very good on the front foot, energetic. When we looked at the games in March, a good performance here against Switzerland but a challenging game out in Sweden, and we have to learn from that as well,” he reflected.

“I think that this squad is still probably a few years away from really where it needs to be in terms of where the players will be in their club situations and also where they will be in their international careers. But if we can challenge, which I believe we can, then we'll take that challenge on now.”

Between now and then, however, O’Neill has the enjoyment of watching three of his players take part in Play-Off Finals, with Ballard bidding for a place in the Premier League with Sunderland and Jamie Donley and Ethan Galbraith trying to lead Leyton Orient into the Championship.

Being part of those big games will undoubtedly help the squad and their experience in big games, while stepping up a division for all three players will help with the standard they are playing at, too.

Game time has been a challenge for Northern Ireland throughout the years, and it still is to this day, but O’Neill is encouraged by what he’s seeing across the board from his squad.

I think now, as much as any, and particularly for the younger players, I think some have been deprived that opportunity with injury. Conor's had a little bit of an injury punctured at season. Daniel Ballard had an injury punctured at season. Ali McCann,” he outlined.

“They're not coming in having played 45 games or that type of thing, but I do think that the squad is progressing in two ways. It can progress when it comes in and works together as a squad and they can progress when they go back to their clubs. Certainly having the players involved in the Play-Off Finals is a real positive.

“It’s a massive game for Sunderland and it would be brilliant for them if they can take that next step. And obviously the two boys at Orient have been great. I was delighted I saw Orient earlier in the season. I thought they were one of the best teams in League One and they've given themselves a real opportunity after a difficult start to the season to take that next step into the Championship.”