Ireland national football team (1882–1950)
| to 1950 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Association | Irish Football Association |
| Most caps | Elisha Scott (31) |
| Top scorer |
Billy Gillespie (12) Joe Bambrick (12) |
| Home stadium | Various |
| Elo ranking | |
| Highest | 4 (1882–1885) |
| Lowest | 37 or 41 (1923 or 1946) |
| First international | |
 Ireland 0–13 England  (Belfast, 18 February 1882) |
|
| Biggest win | |
Ireland 7–0 Wales  (Belfast, 1 February 1930) |
|
| Biggest defeat | |
|
Ireland 0–13 England (Belfast, 18 February 1882) |
|
The Ireland national football team represented Ireland at 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 did win the Championship in 1914, and shared it with England and Scotland in 1903.
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. The IFA's modern Northern Ireland national football team is recognised as the successor to the original Ireland national team. During this era a separate international team, organised by the separate Football Association of Ireland (the F.A.I.), had briefly fielded a team called Ireland, and this team now represents the Republic of Ireland.
On 18 February 1882, two years after the founding of the Irish FA, Ireland made their international debut against England, losing 0–13 in a friendly played at Bloomfield Park in Belfast, becoming the fourth international side ever to take the field. This result remains the record win for England and the record defeat for an Ireland team. The Irish line-up that day included Samuel Johnston, who at the age of 15 years and 154 days became the youngest international debutant, which was a record until Aníbal Zapicán Falco played for Uruguay in 1908 at the age of 15 years and nine days. On 25 February 1882 Ireland played their second international against Wales at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham and an equaliser from Johnston became Ireland's first ever goal, although Ireland went on to lose 1–7, the goal also saw Johnston became the youngest ever international goalscorer.
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