Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill will on Tuesday name his squad for a newly condensed international window featuring four matches, starting away to Georgia on 25 September, followed by home and away fixtures against Hungary and Ukraine, and concluding with a return match against Georgia on 5 October. The packed schedule, a result of changes to the international calendar, poses a particular challenge for a smaller nation like Northern Ireland, and O'Neill's planning has been further complicated by significant injuries to key players.

Right-back Conor Bradley has not played for club or country since knee surgery in January and is not expected back until closer to March 2027, leaving a gap in his advanced wing-back role that O'Neill has struggled to fill. Midfielder Ali McCann, ruled out for months with a hamstring injury sustained playing for Preston, has also left a hole alongside Fulham's Shea Charles in central midfield. O'Neill has several options to cover these absences, including Stoke's Justin Devenny, Oxford United's Brodie Spencer and Ethan Galbraith, while Jamie Donley continues to impress as a makeshift centre-forward.