Northern Ireland relish Windsor Park return ahead of Hungary tie

Northern Ireland will welcome Hungary to Windsor Park in a Nations League Group B2 fixture on Monday, marking their first home game at the stadium since 17 November 2025. The squad arrive back in Belfast after a run of five successive away matches that concluded with victory over Georgia on Friday.

WHAT HAPPENED
Manager Michael O'Neill highlighted the unusual schedule: the team travel from Tbilisi and will play at Windsor Park around 73 hours after the final whistle in Georgia. The trip from Tbilisi required almost a 5,000-mile journey and the squad flew overnight to return to Belfast on Saturday morning. O'Neill noted Northern Ireland had actually travelled further than Hungary, who played in Budapest on Friday.

KEY CONTEXT
Northern Ireland's recent form at Windsor Park has been strong. Since losing to Slovenia in October 2023, only Germany have beaten them in Belfast. The current run includes seven wins in nine home games, a sharp contrast to an earlier spell at Windsor when the team beat only San Marino and Kosovo in nine matches.
O'Neill described the present squad as "a new team" and said they are in "a really good phase" at home, adding that players "love playing here at the stadium."

PLAYERS' VIEWS
Midfielder Patrick Kelly, who has won four of his five caps on the road, said he is "buzzing" to return to Windsor Park after making his debut there in November. Goalkeeper Pierce Charles, whose last game in Belfast was in June 2025, said he "can't wait to feel the place rocking" and that the squad thrive off a positive crowd.

TRAVEL AND PREPARATION
To reduce the impact of the long journey and three-hour time difference, the players were kept on UK time while in Georgia. O'Neill said the preparation between games was "pretty much the same," although the distance was a difficulty imposed by the fixture draw.