Each side belts out their anthem, accompanied by their fans in the crowd; shoulders are back, heads are held high, eyes sometimes fill with salty tears at the sound of the patriotic appeal.
The other two countries that make up the United Kingdom have their own national anthems for sporting events not held under the flag of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Wales has “Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau” (“Land of my Fathers”) and Scotland has “The Flower of Scotland”. But in this case, England and Northern Ireland will share God Save the Queen.
Different anthems for different sports
The Good Friday Agreement (or Belfast Agreement) helped end decades of conflict between nationalists who wanted a united Ireland and loyalists who wanted to remain part of the UK.
These differing political views largely coincided with religious beliefs, with Protestants favoring Unionism and Catholic nationalism.
Northern Ireland has multiple national anthems used across different sports, as well as different configurations of its teams – a relic of how each sport has bridged this divide.
Each of these songs occupies a slightly different position in Northern Ireland’s political landscape.
In rugby, where the team plays as united Ireland, the Republic of Ireland’s national anthem ‘Amhrán na bhFiann’ (‘The Soldier’s Song’) is played at home matches, alongside the specially commissioned, more inclusive ‘Ireland’s Call’ played at will play both home and away games.
“Unfortunately, as a Catholic player, I don’t have the experience to stand up and sing the anthem as loud as possible.
“But it doesn’t take away from the pride and passion and what it means to put on the green shirt. It takes someone to think outside the box, doesn’t it? And brave enough to push it forward.”
“What would happen to international sport in Ireland?”
Historically each major sport has found a slightly different place in the Northern Ireland landscape.
“The emergence of the modern sporting world happened in the 19th century… And when that happened, Ireland wasn’t divided,” says Rouse.
When Northern Ireland was officially formed on 3 May 1921 after the Irish War of Independence, athletics, rugby and football teams represented the whole island.
“The question immediately arose as to what would happen to international sport in Ireland,” says Rouse. “And that varies from sport to sport.”
The Football Association of Ireland (IFA) was and is based in Belfast – the historic heartland of football where it first came to Ireland.
Unlike rugby, whose governing body was based in Dublin and whose structures allowed more regional autonomy, football split with the formation of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) in Dublin in 1921.
The IFA and FAI initially both fielded international teams called Ireland and selected players from both north and south of the border until the demands of World Cup qualifying competitions in the 1950s forced the teams to split entirely.
But the success of the Northern Ireland squad at the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, featuring players from both communities, showed how football could sometimes transcend political divisions.
“We tend to focus on the rift, it wasn’t just a rift, it was a game that bonded them together,” says Rouse.
These efforts to unify football have intensified after the peace process.
In 2006, the Amalgamation of Northern Ireland Supporters’ Clubs received the Brussels International Supporters’ Award for supporting charities and their efforts to combat sectarianism.
Euro 2022
The Women’s Football Association of Northern Ireland (NIWFA) is a much newer organization, formed in 1976 and since then women’s football has grown exponentially in the country.
Its increasing popularity is in line with trends in women’s football across Europe. Euro 2022 has already set attendance records – around 450,000 tickets were sold ahead of the tournament – while more than 91,000 fans flocked to the Camp Nou twice earlier this year to see Barcelona Femení.
An official song – “Girl Got Game” by Jessica Hammond – was also released to support the team and highlight women’s football.
From there, the Northern Ireland women’s team hopes to emulate the ‘spirit of 2016’ that pervaded the country when the men’s team qualified for Euro 2016.
It is the first time that the women’s team of Northern Ireland have qualified for a major tournament, despite a number of long-term injuries suffered by their key players.
Regardless of the outcome of Friday’s game, Northern Ireland are set to miss the knockout rounds after losing to Norway and Austria in their opening two games, but the trip leaves the players optimistic about the future.