Ireland will play both of its Nations League matches against Israel, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) said. FAI president David Courell said the squad held a vote and a significant majority backed playing the fixtures as scheduled.
The first match is set for Sunday, September 27, in Debrecen, Hungary; the second will take place on October 4 in Bačka Topola, Serbia. Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson said one unnamed player had chosen to withdraw from the squad for the matches. He acknowledged that many people were uncomfortable with the fixtures but said the team was trying to handle the situation as well as it could.
Calls for a boycott had intensified in Ireland in protest against the war in Gaza. Israel’s football federation welcomed the decision to play, saying football had prevailed, and criticised efforts it described as attempts to intimidate participants and turn the pitch into a political arena.
Ireland’s players will wear black armbands on Sunday in memory of all lives lost in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There will be no handshakes or exchange of pennants before kickoff. The FAI has also given up its allocation of tickets for supporters.
Public broadcaster RTÉ is contractually required to show the match but will air it without commentary. The decision follows its announcement that Ireland would boycott the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest over Israel’s participation. Ireland formally recognised a Palestinian state in 2024 alongside Spain and Norway and has repeatedly condemned the war in Gaza.