Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
Germany
Match Time & Date:
7 September 2025
19:45
Prediction: 3-0
Northern Ireland
Germany will be aiming to recover from a shocking 2-0 loss to Slovakia when they welcome Northern Ireland to RheinEnergieStadion on Sunday evening. As Die Nationalelf failed to impress in their Group A opener, boss Julian Nagelsmann is expected to make changes to the starting XI, with both Karim Adeyemi and Nadiem Amiri pushing for recalls. Newcastle United summer signing Nick Woltemade is widely expected to lead the line for the hosts.
The Green and White Army, on the other hand, proved their worth in a 3-1 win over Luxembourg, but they will have a much bigger fish to fry against Germany. Given the importance of Sunday’s clash for the home side, we predict that the visitors will return home with their hands empty. In their last meeting in a competitive match, Germany rolled over Northern Ireland 6-1 and we predict that history is going to repeat itself. Jamie Reid is rated doubtful for the visiting team after picking up a knock against Luxembourg.
Highlighted Player (Leroy Sane):
Leroy Sane began his senior career at Schalke 04. The pacey winger, who is capable of playing as attacking midfielder as well, made his debut for die Knappen on 20 April, 2014 against Stuttgart. Sane came as a substitute in the second half of the match, replacing Max Mayer 13 minutes before the final whistle.
He scored 11 goals in 47 league appearances for Schalke and on 2 August, 2016 he signed a deal with big-spending Premier League side Manchester City. The former Schalke footballer joined the Citizens on a five-year deal for a fee of £37 million. Sane was born in Essen on 11 January, 1996, but his father is Senegalese.
Souleymane Sane used to play for the Senegalese national football team in the past, while his mother Regina Weber was a rhythmic gymnast. Speaking of his international career, Leroy Sane has 6 caps for Germany U21 and he made his debut for the senior team on 13 November, 2015 in a 2-0 loss to France.
Highlighted Team (Northern Ireland):
Competing first under the Irish flag and then as an independent entity, Northern Ireland are one of world’s oldest national teams, but they haven’t enjoyed too much success in history. Led by Danny Blanchflower, the Irish impressed at their first ever World Cup finals appearance, reaching the quarter-finals in 1958, but they have since only played at the 1982 and 1986 tournaments, reaching round 2 and crashing out in the group stage respectively.
Northern Ireland had failed to qualify for 13 successive European Championship finals before finally booking their ticket to the Euro 2016 in France, and the fans hope this success will only be a sign of things to come. Without a doubt, George Best is the most famous footballer to have ever put on the green shirt, scoring 9 goals in 37 appearances, but he couldn’t help the national team close the gap behind Europe’s top sides.
Some of the other high-profile footballers include Pat Jennings, Aaron Hughes, David Healy, Keith Gillespie, Steven Davies and Gareth McAuley.
Latvia 
Serbia 
Armenia 
Portugal
England 
Andorra
Austria 
Cyprus 
Ireland 
Hungary 
San Marino 
Bosnia Herzegovina 
