Steven Davis will lead Northern Ireland out in their first Euro 2016 qualification match on Sunday 7th September.
Next week’s break from the domestic schedule sees Saints’ international stars link up with their countries for the first time in the new season, and Davis will captain his native Northern Ireland in one game during this time.
The Northern Irish take on the Hungarian national team at Ferenc Puskás Stadium in Budapest, for the start of their qualification process for Euro 2016.
Alongside Hungary in Group F, Davis’s men will also take on Greece, Romania, Finland and the Faroe Islands over the next 14 months to determine which teams will make it to the finals held in France.
Former Saints man Ben Reeves is also include in the Northern Ireland squad, while Davis’s Premier League opponents Chris Brunt, Gareth McAuley and Alex Bruce also named in manager Michael O’Neill’s selection.
Despite some memorable wins, Northern Ireland have never sent a team to the finals of the European Championships, coming closest in the 1984 qualifying series when they beat holders West Germany home and away. They have, however appeared in three FIFA World Cups, the first in 1958 resulting in a quarter-final appearance and the second, in 1982, featuring a famous 1-0 win against hosts Spain.
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