Northern Ireland to Face Guinea in Spain on 4 June — Bbc Sport Ni

sport ni reports that Northern Ireland will play Guinea in Spain on Thursday, 4 June, with the friendly set for the Estadio Ciudad de La Linea in the Province of Cadiz. Michael O'Neill's side will then face France in Lille on 8 June.

Guinea at La Linea

The June meeting gives Northern Ireland a chance to measure themselves against African opposition again after a long gap. Their last game against a team from Africa was a 1-1 draw with Morocco at Windsor Park in 2010, and this will be only their fifth such fixture.

Guinea arrive with their own frustrations from qualifying. Their hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico ended with a fourth-place finish in their group, and they also missed the most recent African Cup of Nations in December.

O'Neill's June schedule

Northern Ireland's trip to Spain sits between a World Cup play-off defeat and a tougher run of summer fixtures. They missed out on the 2026 tournament after a 2-0 loss to Italy in Bergamo, then move on to Lille to face France four days after the Guinea game.

Guinea are ranked 80th in the world and bring one clear attacking threat in Serhou Guirassy, who has scored 11 goals in 28 caps. Paolo Duarte will take charge of a side that can use the friendly to reset before the next round of international football.

September for Northern Ireland

The match also bridges Northern Ireland into September, when their Nations League campaign begins with games in Georgia and at home to Hungary. Before that, the Guirassy test in Cadiz offers O'Neill a rare chance to judge his group against a side from another confederation and move on from the disappointment in Bergamo.