Ireland national football team (1882–1950)
The Ireland national football team represented the island of Ireland in association football from 1882 until 1950. It was organised by the Irish Football Association (IFA), and is the fourth oldest international team in the world. It mainly played in the British Home Championship against England, Scotland and Wales. Though often vying with Wales to avoid the wooden spoon, Ireland won the Championship in 1914, and shared it with England and Scotland in 1903.
| 1882–1950 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Association | Irish Football Association | |
| Most caps | Elisha Scott (31) | |
| Top scorer | Billy Gillespie (13) | |
| Home stadium |
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| FIFA code | EIR | |
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| First international | ||
| Ireland 0–13 England (Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882) | ||
| Last international | ||
| Wales 0–0 Ireland (Wrexham, Wales; 8 March 1950) | ||
| Biggest win | ||
| Ireland 7–0 Wales (Belfast, Ireland; 1 February 1930) | ||
| Biggest defeat | ||
| Ireland 0–13 England (Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882) | ||
After the partition of Ireland in the 1920s, although the IFA's administration of club football was restricted to Northern Ireland, the IFA national team continued to select players from the whole of Ireland until 1950, and did not adopt the name "Northern Ireland" until 1954 in FIFA competition, and the 1970s in the British Home Championship. In 1924, a separate international team, organised by the Football Association of Ireland, fielded a team called Ireland, which now represents the Republic of Ireland.