Slovakia v Northern Ireland Prediction: The 1 Trend That Makes This…

Northern Ireland head to Slovakia looking for a result which could give them the upper hand in the fight for a top-two finish in Group A.

Michael O’Neill’s side are currently three points behind second-placed Slovakia but if they can avoid defeat in

Kosice, then they should be in a great position to secure a play-off spot – assuming Germany win the group – in next week's final round.

Because, while O'Neill's men play host to already-eliminated minnows Luxembourg on Monday, Slovakia must go to Leipzig to take on Germany.

Who will finish top 2 in Group A? 2026 WCQ

Germany & Slovakia

Germany & Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland & Slovakia

Northern Ireland, who have not reached a World Cup since 1986, are still likely to earn a play-off berth even if they finish third due to their Nations League exploits, but their manager wants to keep things in their own hands.

He said, "I think a safety net is the best way to describe it. But make no mistake about it – we want to finish in the top two positions of the group."

Home advantage could prove key though, and Slovakia to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 @15/8 is our prediction.

7/4

● LIVE ODDS Slovakia – Win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 WAS 13/8 Price Boosts

Slovakia v Northern Ireland Betting Odds – World Cup Qualifiers

Result	Odds	Chance
Slovakia	20/23	53.5%
Northern Ireland	10/3	23.1%
Draw	21/10	32.3%

Slovakia go into this World Cup qualifier as 20/23 home favourites. Northern Ireland will have it all to do to return home with three points, according to our oddsmakers, who have them as 10/3 underdogs in the match betting market. The draw is available to bettors at odds of 21/10.

*Odds are correct at the time of writing, but subject to change.

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Will Either team go 2+ goals ahead in Slovakia v Northern Ireland? 2026 WCQ

Slovakia will

Northern Ireland will

Neither team

Both teams

Slovakia v Northern Ireland Head-to-Head

There hasn't been much to separate the two nations down the years, with Slovakia winning three of the previous six meetings and Northern Ireland two.

One of Northern Ireland’s wins was a 2-0 victory in Belfast last month when an early Patrik Hrosovsky own goal and a late Trai Hume effort sealed the points.

All of the six previous meetings have been fairly close, with the biggest winning margin being 2-0. A goal-filled evening seems unlikely, therefore, and you can get odds of 5/1 for a 1-1 draw.

11/2

● LIVE ODDS Draw 1-1 Correct Score

Slovakia Form

Slovakia had lost three and drawn the other of their four games in 2025 heading into the World Cup qualifiers but they made a dream start by claiming a shock 2-0 win over Germany - a result that has given them an unexpected chance of topping Group A heading into the final week.

It was a case of 'after the Lord Mayor's show' for Francesco Calzona's men after downing the four-time world champions though, as they needed a stoppage-time winner to scrape past Luxembourg before losing in Belfast.

BTTS in Slovakia v Northern Ireland WCQ

Yes, BTTS

No, one or both teams don't score

A 2-0 home victory over Luxembourg ensured Slovakia kept ahead of Northern Ireland in the standings, but they will know the hard work is just about to begin as they chase a first World Cup appearance in 16 years.

Northern Ireland Form

Northern Ireland have had a mixed year to date, starting off by holding a Switzerland side currently ranked 17th in the world to a creditable 1-1 draw in Belfast but then suffering back-to-back friendly defeats to Denmark and Sweden.

Since then, they have beaten Finland, Luxembourg and Slovakia while, not unexpectedly, losing their two World Cup qualifiers against Germany home and away.

They weren’t disgraced in either match though, defeated 3-1 in Cologne having been level with around 20 minutes to go, before going down to a solitary Nick Woltemade goal at home.

Northern Ireland are 11/2 to beat Slovakia with under 2.5 goals in total.

6/1

● LIVE ODDS Northern Ireland/Under 2.5 Match Result And Total Goals O/U 2.5