Northern Ireland’s men’s and women’s teams have both reached the quarter-finals at the Homeless World Cup 2024.
The men’s team finished second in their qualifying group to book their place in the last eight of the main trophy competition.
And the women’s team have also reached the quarter-finals of their main trophy competition after a strong showing in group matches.
Team NI’s two teams are among more than 50 four-a-side teams currently taking part in the week-long event, which is being staged at Seoul’s Hanyang University in South Korea.
The men’s team grabbed second place in Group C after defeating Norway (5-2) and Hong Kong (10-2) in their final set of qualifying group games to finish with 19 points from eight games.
They also had group stage wins against Austria (3-2), Denmark (3-1), Hungary (5-3) and Greece (13-1) at the tournament. They were defeated by Group C table toppers Indonesia (3-1), while they drew 4-4 with Argentina, although the Argentinians won a penalty shootout to earn an extra point.
Their next step in securing the main Homeless World Cup men’s trophy is a quarter-final tie against Lithuania tomorrow (27 September) at 04:40 BST.
The Lithuanians will be tough opponents. They topped Group D after winning seven of their eight matches.
The women’s team will also be in quarter-final action tomorrow as they aim for glory in the main Homeless World Cup women’s trophy.
They lost only once in their initial group games, however in a group to determine their last eight opponents they suffered a couple of heavy defeats.
In stage one of the competition they defeated Egypt (5-3), Republic of Ireland (2-1), Austria (6-0), France (4-3), Denmark (10-0) and Norway (8-1). Their only defeat came against high-scoring Mexico (10-3).
In a four-team group to determine their opponents in the last eight (Section 1 Group A) they began with a 5-5 draw against France – and won a penalty shootout to secure an extra point.
However, they then found Kenya too hot to handle as they lost 6-0. Their final game in the section was against eventual table toppers Romania and once again they lost 6-0.
They now face Poland in the quarter-finals tomorrow. That game is being staged at Hanyang University at 05:20 BST.
The Poles finished second in Section 1 Group B behind the Mexicans with two wins from three, while in their initial group they finished second behind the Romanians and just ahead of the Kenyans. They won six of their seven games.
Street Soccer NI, a charity working with the homeless and disadvantaged groups across Northern Ireland, has put the Northern Ireland teams together. The teams are being supported this year by Simon Community NI, Choice Housing, Irish FA Foundation and others.
Image: Action from the Team NI men’s team’s game against Denmark.
