McArdle leans on 'family' as Northern Ireland prepare for Portugal play-off
October 7, 2026 09:50
Michael McArdle has named his squad for Northern Ireland's World Cup play-off against Portugal, the biggest tie of his managerial career since taking the job in March. The Scot has won two of his four matches in charge and has more than 25 years of experience working in football.
FAMILY AND ROOTS
McArdle, born and raised in Moodiesburn east of Glasgow, still lives there. He met his wife Tammy on a paper round at age 12; they have been married for 28 years and have three children — Connor, Mya and Cole. He is also about to become a grandad for the first time. On the role family plays in his approach, McArdle said: "Family's crucial to me. We're all a family when we represent the country."
He expanded the idea beyond his own household, describing the squad and staff as part of a broader football "ecosystem": "We're all the one family when we're together and that's a message that will always be strong while I'm at the helm."
DREAMS V REALITY
McArdle has spoken about balancing ambition with the scale of the challenge ahead. "I think the dream piece is crucial, so we've dreamed about how we get there and what it'll feel like when we do it," he said. "The other piece of it is the reality. We know it's a highly challenging task first of all to get through Portugal." He also said he is "loving" his time in charge and that his staff work on planning for specific in-game moments.
CONTEXT AND THE ROAD AHEAD
If Northern Ireland were to progress past Portugal over two legs, they would then face Croatia or, according to the source, more likely Iceland. Because of their ranking they would probably also have to contest an additional inter-continental play-off in February. The piece notes a change in qualification format has made repeating some past achievements more difficult.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Northern Ireland will contest the play-off with Portugal over two legs; McArdle has named his squad for that tie.