Euro 2028: Ian Baraclough says NI must host games if UK and Republic's joint bid is successful

Baraclough's Northern Ireland squad trained in Belfast on Tuesday

Northern Ireland manager Ian Baraclough has insisted that the country must not miss out on hosting matches at Euro 2028 should the UK and the Republic of Ireland's joint bid to stage the tournament be successful.

The football associations of the Republic of Ireland, England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland submitted an official joint bid on Wednesday.

"We don't want to be the only nation that doesn't host a game during that tournament," Baraclough said.

There are currently no stadia in Northern Ireland that meet the competition's minimum capacity requirement of 30,000 for hosting matches and, with Windsor Park's capacity being 18,500, it would appear all hopes hinge on the redevelopment of Casement Park.

Planning permission for the 34,500-capacity stadium in west Belfast was granted in July, with a desired completion date of summer 2024, but the project will be the subject of a judicial review in March following a challenge by a local residents' group.

Irish FA chief executive Patrick Nelson last month stated his desire to see Northern Ireland play a full part in hosting the tournament.

As his squad assembled ahead of friendlies away to Luxembourg on Friday and at home to Hungary on Tuesday, Northern Ireland boss Baraclough called on "the relevant people" to ensure that happens.

"Northern Ireland have to be a part of that so we will be encouraging the relevant people to make sure that we are in the shake-up when it comes to hosting games here," he said.

"We have got the infrastructure and we have also got the chance to build on that infrastructure, and I think we have to take that chance.

"Yes, we can have countries here as part of their warm-up games or their training camps, but we don't want to be doing that, we want to be hosting games. We want to play a major part in that."

Bradley and Peacock-Farrell join McNair on injured list

Liverpool full-back Conor Bradley has won five Northern Ireland caps

Friday night's friendly away to Luxembourg will be Northern Ireland's first match since they ended their World Cup 2022 qualifying bid on a high with a scoreless draw against European champions Italy at Windsor Park in November.

Sunderland full-back Trai Hume, Fleetwood Town midfielder Paddy Lane and Middlesbrough midfielder Caolan Boyd-Munce are in the senior squad for the first time after featuring regularly for the Under 21s.

Speaking on Tuesday, Baraclough confirmed that Paddy McNair is likely to miss the matches through injury and revealed that Liverpool youngster Conor Bradley is a major doubt having not joined up with the squad after picking up a knee injury playing for Liverpool Under 23s on Sunday.

He also said first-choice goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell, on-loan at Sheffield Wednesday from Burnley, will not be travelling to Luxembourg but will join up with the squad for the game against Hungary.

"Paddy will probably miss out on Friday. We are not going to put anyone at risk, we have never done that in the past so we are not going to start now," he explained.

"Conor Bradley looks as though he will miss out. Fortunately the scan has come back and he has not done anything too serious so hopefully he will not be out for too long.

"We will wait and see from the Liverpool medical staff exactly what the prognosis is but if he is not quite right then he will not join up with us."