Sunderland U21s won 7-1 in Europe with Dennis Cirkin, Dan Neil and Luke O’Nien in the side
Dan Ballard is bidding to secure a place at next summer’s World Cup with Northern Ireland
Sunderland defender Dan Ballard has outlined his World Cup dream for 2026, claiming that he and Northern Ireland are “closer than we think” to sealing a spot in North America next summer.
The towering centre-back is currently in the midst of a rich purple patch at club level, and headed into the international break off the back of a 2-2 draw against Arsenal during which he scored one goal and assisted another.
But as Ballard - and Sunderland teammate Trai Hume - now prepare for a vital World Cup qualification double-header against Slovakia and Luxembourg, the 26-year-old has been eager to emphasise that a place at next year’s tournament is still very much within their grasp.
What has Sunderland defender Dan Ballard said about Northern Ireland’s World Cup qualification dream?
On Friday night, Northern Ireland travel to face Slovakia, who are currently second in their group and lead Michael O’Neill’s men by three points. They will then come up against Luxembourg on home soil on Monday.
And speaking ahead of those two fixtures, Ballard told online outlet GiveMeSport: “It's been a complete overhaul of the squad, really. A lot of those boys have retired now, and they had fantastic careers. So it's down to us now to pick up where they left off. We have had a few tough years. But now we're in a spot to go and challenge and hopefully qualify for a tournament.
“We had a few years where we were transitioning, and there's a lot of new players. We stuck together for a few years and the results have started to turn. And a lot of the lads individually are growing and doing well in their club careers.
“So we're growing as a team and we're getting a lot more familiar with each other, and you can probably see that with the performances and the results. We're getting more comfortable together. We're learning together and feel like we've got a real strong base now.”
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Focusing on Slovakia, he added: “We only played them last month, so they're quite fresh in our minds still, but we think it's going to be a completely different game. We're missing a few key players, and we're away from home, so I don't think it will be as straightforward as the game last time. So we're excited to play, but we think it's going to be a real tough game.
“There was such support in 2016 at the Euro finals and it's a real exciting one around the corner, going to America, Mexico and Canada, that will be a fantastic tournament. So there's a massive prize at the end of it. And we're extremely driven to get to America. I've been there once or twice before playing pre-season there, so it will be one of those experiences you'll never forget.
“Some of the lads talk about the 2016 finals and, recently, I was watching Jonny Evans talking about it, talking about his career on Sky and he was saying that one of his biggest highlights was being in the finals at the Euros. So, yeah, we can only dream of that. We're closer than we think now.”
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