Five national programs whose honors profile and historical footprint sit closest to Northern Ireland. Scored across World Cup pedigree, continental dominance (tier-adjusted), intercontinental wins, tournament span, and decade coverage. The labels describe the shared trait that drove the match.
Most recent first. Every senior international tournament appearance on file: World Cups, continental cups, intercontinental tournaments, and selected others. The Name column shows what the team was called at the time of that appearance (Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, etc. on rows played under a predecessor identity).
