Could NI's promising 2024 lead to even more in '25?

The contrast could hardly be more stark.

When the calendar flipped from 2023 to '24, optimism among the Green and White Army was thin on the ground.

Yes, Northern Ireland men's final fixture of the year had brought a much needed victory over Denmark but, on the whole, memorable moments had been few and far between.

While a seemingly favourable qualifying group and the return of Michael O'Neill to the Windsor Park dugout had sparked hopes of making it to Euro 2024, other than that victory over a rotated Denmark side, their only points of the campaign had come against lowly San Marino.

Yet fast forward just 12 months and the mood has changed utterly with 2025 teed up to be a big year for an emerging side. Sadly the same cannot be said for the women's squad who, after defeat to Norway in their Euro 2025 play-off, will have to watch events unfold in Switzerland this summer from afar.

With the new year upon us, BBC Sport NI looks ahead at what's in store for the national sides.

During 2024, Steven Davis and Jonny Evans, the Northern Ireland men's team's most and fourth most capped players in history respectively, hung up their boots, although the latter continues to play on for his club Manchester United.

In addition Stuart Dallas, another key player and one of the few in the squad with significant Premier League experience, was forced to retire through injury aged only 32.

In their stead, a new leadership group has emerged, one that will be expected to grow considerably over the next 12 months.

Liverpool's Conor Bradley enjoyed a banner year in 2024, from his breakout performance against Chelsea in January through to his viral tackle on Kylian Mbappe in November.

In between those stand-out moments for his club, the 21-year-old scored a first goal for his country in the win over Scotland - followed by three more across the calendar year - and donned the captain's armband in two of the six games following Evans' retirement.

The role of skipper would be rotated through a successful Nations League campaign with Trai Hume and Shea Charles also getting their turn as Northern Ireland topped a group that also contained Bulgaria, Belarus and Luxembourg.

That young trio look key to Northern Ireland's success in 2025 and beyond but there will be interest over which, if any, are made captain on a more regular basis this year.

The year of 2024 was one of change for Northern Ireland's women too.

While Lauren Wade's extra-time stunner against Croatia in Euro 2025 qualifying provided an undoubted highlight, it saw them advance to face a Norway side who were a cut above in the final round play-off when winning 7-0 on aggregate over two legs.

Before the play-offs even began, however, manager Tanya Oxtoby had already ushered in the end of an era.

Long-standing skipper Marissa Callaghan had stepped back as captain in May, eventually to be succeeded in the role by Simone Magill.

Still a key figure for Cliftonville during their unbeaten treble season, there was shock when the midfielder who had led the side to Euro 2022 was not in the squad for the games against Croatia, while there was no place either for full-back Demi Vance.

While Oxtoby said "the door is always open", 2025 figures to be a year of continued evolution for a side shorn of some of their veteran presence.

Isaac Price's hat-trick in a 5-0 win against Bulgaria at Windsor Park in October was the undoubted highlight for Michael O'Neill's men in 2024 and it would be a huge boost to the side this year if the 21-year-old Standard Liege midfielder can consistently add goals to his game in the continued absence of a prolific striker.

At the other end of the pitch, having initially filled in for the injured Bailey Peacock-Farrell in October, Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Pierce Charles kept clean sheets in each of his first three caps to stake a claim for the jersey moving forward.

Still just 19 years old, the younger Charles brother in O'Neill's squad is still without regular club football at Hillsborough but will hope to consolidate his position as his country's number one over the next 12 months.

While Michael O'Neill aims to help emerging talents add to their experience in 2025, at the other end of the spectrum Tanya Oxtoby will hope to have 36-year-old Rachel Furness available this year.

The side's record goalscorer, who has scored 38 goals in 95 caps, has been a regular for Newcastle United since moving to the Championship side in the summer but did not play for her country during 2024 thanks to a variety of injuries.

With that unfortunate play-off draw always leaving Oxtoby's side with an uphill battle to make the Euros this summer, their fixtures for the coming year will not be the most glamorous.

Events in Switzerland figure to be the dominant story of the year in the women's game, but there will be another Nations League campaign before that tournament gets underway.

Thanks to their two-legged victory over Montenegro in February, Northern Ireland will again be in League B with fixtures against Poland, Romania and Bosnia and Herzegovina to come across the first half of the year.

Those six fixtures will be done and dusted by the time the serious business begins for the men's team.

Having been drawn in a four-team qualifying group for next year's World Cup, the men's side will have to wait until September for their first competitive fixture of 2025.

O'Neill has already spoken about how he thinks his young side will benefit from the extra time before the serious business of the qualifiers but the draw has again raised expectations.

While Italy or Germany - the winner of their Nations League quarter-final in March will be in Northern Ireland's group - will be the favourite to take the automatic spot for the tournament spread across the USA, Canada and Mexico next summer, a fight with Slovakia and Luxembourg for a play-off place will be a good measure of their progress.

With a possible backdoor into the play-offs still available given their status as Nations League group winners last year, O'Neill's young side enter 2025 hoping to build towards a first World Cup place in four decades.