Ireland national football team (1882–1950)

The Ireland national football team (1882–1950) refers to the representative football team for the island of Ireland from its first international match in 1882 until the 1950s. This team was selected by the Irish Football Association (IFA), which was founded in Belfast in 1880 and was responsible for governing football throughout Ireland.

The early years saw Ireland competing primarily in the British Home Championship against England, Scotland, and Wales. Notable players from this era included many who also played for clubs in England and Scotland.

Following the partition of Ireland in 1921, two rival football associations emerged: the IFA, based in Northern Ireland, and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), based in the Irish Free State (later Republic of Ireland). Both associations claimed jurisdiction over the entire island and selected players from across the island.

This led to the unique situation where some players represented both the IFA's Ireland team and the FAI's Ireland team at different times. This practice continued until after World War II. The IFA's team was generally known as Ireland, while the FAI's team was sometimes referred to as the Irish Free State, Eire, or Republic of Ireland.

FIFA eventually intervened to clarify the situation. In 1946, FIFA ruled that players who had represented one Ireland team could not switch to the other. In 1950, FIFA further stipulated that the IFA's team could only select players who were citizens of Northern Ireland. This effectively ended the IFA's claim to represent the entire island, and the team subsequently became known as Northern Ireland. The FAI's team continued as the Republic of Ireland.

Therefore, the "Ireland national football team (1882–1950)" is a historical entity, encompassing the period before the definitive split and recognition of separate Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland teams. Records from this period are often contested and require careful consideration of which team is being referenced.