SBOTOP: Northern Ireland’s Automatic World Cup Hopes Crushed as Late Slovakia Strike Seals 1-0 Defeat but Play-Off Spot Remains Intact
The journey toward a World Cup is rarely linear, and for Northern Ireland, the path to the 2026 tournament has taken yet another dramatic twist. A narrow 1–0 loss to Slovakia—decided by a late, painful goal—has officially ended hopes of...











