Three words will dominate the talk around international football across the island of Ireland in 2026 - the World Cup.

Qualification for North America next summer and Brazil in 2027 will be the ultimate goal for Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland's men's and women's teams respectively over the course of the next 12 months, even if there is a sense the global showpieces could come just too soon for some.

For others, 2026 could yet prove a defining year in their international careers.

Can O'Neill's young side bridge 40-year gap?

Pitched against Germany, Slovakia and Luxembourg in qualifying, Michael O'Neill's Northern Ireland side were always unlikely to take Group A's sole automatic place in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

The expected straight shootout with Slovakia for the runners-up spot did not materialise thanks to Germany's surprise defeat in Bratislava, but by the time Northern Ireland travelled to Kosice in their penultimate match they were virtually assured of their play-off place anyway thanks to their Nations League C triumph in 2024.

Their last-gasp defeat, therefore, mattered only for seeding, although that loomed larger when Northern Ireland were later paired with Italy in an away semi-final.

Regardless of their ultimate lack of impact on the qualification picture, the six games were far from futile for O'Neill as the young panel he has utilised during his second spell looks increasingly at home on the international stage.

Sunderland duo Trai Hume and Daniel Ballard both showed the value of regular Premier League football through the campaign and, whether it be through January of summer moves, O'Neill will hope 2026 brings more top-flight exposure for yet more of his squad.

Thanks to the form of Swansea's Ethan Galbraith, O'Neill now seems settled on 10 of his preferred XI, should all be fit to face Italy in Bergamo.

The one question mark remains over the number nine, a problem position for the side since Kyle Lafferty's goals fired them to Euro 2016.

Tottenham's Jamie Donley took on the role against Luxembourg last time out, scoring the winner from the penalty spot, but continues to struggle for minutes on loan at Stoke.

Whether the 20-year-old can hold on to the jersey for the play-off and beyond despite a lack of club football will be another key storyline through the year.

Ultimately, a first World Cup in four decades remains the overarching goal but O'Neill has previously said he believes this group has a major tournament in them, whether now or in the future.

Win or lose in Italy, with a step up to the second-tier of the Nations League to come in November, continued improvement from the young squad at both club and international level would still represent an encouraging year.

Can Hallgrimsson complete dramatic turnaround?

It is unlikely two teams could have taken more differing routes only to end up in the same place as Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland did to reach the 2026 World Cup play-offs.

If Northern Ireland's path to the decisive fixture was ultimately anticlimactic, the Republic of Ireland's journey contained plenty of twists and turns.

Seemingly down and out after one point from their first three games - a run that included defeat by Armenia - it seemed like 2026's biggest story would be the search for manager Heimir Hallgrimsson's successor.

Instead, five goals in four days from Troy Parrott saw off Portugal in Dublin and Hungary in Budapest for the most unlikely of turnarounds.

With the completion of Parrott's hat-trick against Hungary coming in injury time of a 3-2 win, in the moment it was easy to forget that the most remarkable story still had a chapter or two left to write.

A draw that produced an away semi-final against the Czech Republic could certainly have been tougher, especially knowing that a prospective final would be in Dublin against either Denmark or North Macedonia.

Hallgrimsson's future remains a subplot of the year ahead with the former Iceland manager's contract up at the end of the side's World Cup involvement.

Whether that comes in March or the summer, surely the powers that be will now be doing all they can to keep hold of him.

What of Parrott's future? The 23-year-old, who has netted 21 goals during this campaign, has already stated he is happy at AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie but surely his exploits in 2025 will have some in England thinking of a move for the former Tottenham Hotspur striker in 2026.

There has been speculation that Evan Ferguson's loan spell at Roma could be cut short in January leaving his club future up in the air once again.

After the Brighton man missed November's decisive games, for Hallgrimsson, opting whether to deploy him with Parrott in Prague will likely be one of the first big decisions of 2026.

New manager and new challenges for NI

While 2025 was a mixed bag for Northern Ireland women, the appointment of a new manager and a World Cup qualifying campaign brings the chance of a clean slate in 2026.

The IFA will hope to appoint a successor to Tanya Oxtoby, who left to take over at Newcastle United Women in November, before World Cup qualifying begins in March.

Finding a manager that can build on the work Oxtoby did and see NI through this period of transition will be the key aim.

Northern Ireland have been drawn in Group B2 and will face Switzerland, Turkey and Malta.

Qualifying for the World Cup, which will be held in Brazil in 2027, follows the same format as the Nations League.

Only the four group winners in League A will automatically qualify for the finals, with the remaining teams having to go through the play-offs for the remaining eight places.

For NI to earn a play-off they must avoid finishing bottom of their group and that will be the minimum requirement.

They must navigate a tricky group and then potentially two play-off ties against League A sides, without their captain and key player Simone Magill, who announced her pregnancy in November.

It will be hard to replace Magill but finding a consistent goal scorer or a few players that can shoulder that burden will be high on the new manager's agenda next year.

There is a feeling that this qualifying campaign will come too soon for NI and Oxtoby's successor, given the short time frame they will have to work with the players when eventually appointed.

Helping a youthful squad make the next step and contend to reach a second major tournament will still be the overarching objective in 2026, even if it is not fulfilled until further down the line.

Republic of Ireland aim for World Cup return

Like the men's side, the Republic of Ireland women's team enjoyed a euphoric late winner in their final game competitive game of 2025 that transformed the outlook of the year.

Steady progress had been made under Carla Ward, but Abbie Larkin's injury-time goal secured a 5-4 aggregate win in in their Nations League promotion/relegation play-off against Belgium.

That brought an immediate return to League A for World Cup qualifying, which guarantees Ward's side a play-off, irrespective of where they finish.

Reaching a second successive World Cup is now the clear aim in 2026 and they are in a much stronger position than NI to do so.

Being in the top-tier bracket for qualifying was always going to bring a tough draw but they avoided European champions England and World Cup holders Spain and will instead face France, the Netherlands and Poland.

Finishing top of the group and qualifying automatically seems a push for Ward's side, but they will target a second or third place finish as that will, in theory, bring a nicer play-off opponent as they will be up against a League C side in the first round.

Keeping Denise O'Sullivan and captain Katie McCabe fit for the six games will be crucial as will the continued development of the next crop coming through with Larkin hoping to build on her late cameo against Belgium with more minutes in green. (BBC)

Update news