Can new Northern Ireland stars step up on world stage?

Northern Ireland have lost only four of their past 15 games

Fifa World Cup qualifier: Luxembourg v Northern Ireland

Venue: Stade de Luxembourg, Luxembourg Date: Thursday, 4 September Kick-off: 19:45 BST

Coverage: Watch live on BBC Two NI, BBC Three, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

Such is the nature of the international football calendar that when Northern Ireland begin their efforts to make it to the 2026 World Cup against Luxembourg on Thursday it will be their first qualifying game in almost two years.

A 2-0 win over Denmark at Windsor Park in October 2023 was the last time Michael O'Neill's side faced such a fixture with their success over the Euro 2024-bound side proving to be something of an outlier in recent times.

In the side's preceding 17 qualifiers, they enjoyed just four victories, a pair of wins over both San Marino and Lithuania.

If that run of results across two qualifying campaigns appeared to herald the end of a golden era for the side during which they qualified for Euro 2016 and reached play-offs for the World Cup of 2018 and Euro 2020, then the changing face of the squad across the next 23 months hammered home the point.

Since that last qualifying fixture, Steven Davis, Stuart Dallas, Craig Cathcart and the Evans brothers, Jonny and Corry, have all retired from football.

In their place, an exciting young core centred around Conor Bradley, Isaac Price, Shea Charles and Trai Hume has emerged to lead the side into a campaign that will see them take on Germany and Slovakia as well as Luxembourg.

"That game against Denmark was probably the start of it," said manager Michael O'Neill.

"It was quite a young team that played that night and it was a really positive result for us after a challenging campaign for 2024 which brought a closure on a lot of players' careers at international level.

"Over the last two years, we've had to develop and grow a team. We've maybe put young players in at times when maybe it was a little bit early, but we felt that was the right thing to do.

"Over the two years, I think that's proven to be the right thing to do and we have a group of players now that are still very young, still got a lot to achieve."

'Any football situation benefits from stability'

Steven Davis and Jonny Evans are among those who have retired since the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign

When O'Neill returned to the post in December 2022, the idea that he would have to "grow a team" was likely not foremost in his thoughts.

But Dallas and Davis were both forced into earlier than anticipated retirement through injury while other senior players were plagued by unavailability too.

Having been dealt the unwanted hand, the former Newcastle United midfielder has played it well.

When exposing talented youngsters "a little bit early" to the rigours of international football there have been some harsh lessons, most notably a 5-1 defeat by Spain six weeks before La Roja won Euro 2024, and a loss to Sweden by the same scoreline in March on a night when Alexander Isak ran riot.

In the main, though, the past two years have produced a vast improvement in results, many chiseled out through what could be termed typically O'Neill style performances.

In a period of such transition, there is a sense that the returned manager has been the one constant.

Having taken charge of the side on 96 occasions across his two spells, O'Neill is preparing for his fifth qualifying campaign as boss after an eight-year international career as a player.

"I think any football situation, whether it's club or international, benefits from stability. I think that's an important thing" he said.

"Obviously, the IFA, when I left, I'd been in position for eight years. Then to come back and commit myself for five years again is creating that stability.

"For a number of these players, they've had that consistency coming into international football. I think that's what gives us success."

'Don't take it for granted because it doesn't come around'

Northern Ireland will expect Conor Bradley to play a key role in the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign

Drawn in a four-team group, Northern Ireland have had to wait to get their campaign under way, but it begins now with two intriguing, if vastly different, tests.

Away to Luxembourg on Thursday brings them to the lowest-ranked side in the group but back to a ground where they threw away a two-goal lead to draw in November's Nations League meeting.

Just three days later they will face four-time World Cup winners Germany in Cologne, a fixture that will be used as a yardstick to measure how far they have come since those tough outings against Spain and Sweden.

Such are the margins with only six games to play, four points this week would have fans frantically searching for flights and accommodations options, while fewer than three will feel like the dream is over before it begins.

And while, given the age profile of the squad, there could be a sense that this qualifying campaign comes one cycle too early, O'Neill rejects the idea.

"For most of the players in this group, this will be their first chance to qualify for a World Cup," said O'Neill.

"The message will be, look, don't take it for granted because you've got to go another four years to wait for this opportunity to come around again," said O'Neill.

"Our aim is to make sure we're as competitive as possible.

"We obviously know that Germany are massive favourites to win the group, but we have to believe whatever route there is to get to a World Cup in 2026, we try and do whatever we can through whatever route to make sure that we give ourselves the best chance."