Republic of Ireland vows to fulfil Nations League fixtures against Israel

The Republic of Ireland is set to face Israel in the Nations League this autumn, despite the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) having previously called for Israel to be banned from Uefa competitions.

The fixtures are anticipated to be highly charged, given Ireland's strong historical support for the Palestinian cause.

Last year, the FAI approved a motion advocating for Israel's suspension from Uefa over the military assault on Gaza, a request that was subsequently rejected by the European football governing body.

Following Thursday's Nations League draw, which placed the two nations in Group B3, the FAI promptly confirmed that the matches would proceed as scheduled.

In a statement, the FAI detailed their prior actions: "In 2025, a motion was proposed by members of the FAI General Assembly to vote on issuing a formal request to the UEFA executive committee for the immediate suspension of the Israel Football Association from UEFA competitions for a breach of UEFA statutes.

“Members then voted in favour to submit the motion to UEFA, which the association did in November 2025."

open image in gallery

The association also acknowledged UEFA regulations, which stipulate that refusing to play a match results in forfeiture and potential disciplinary measures, including disqualification.

Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson reiterated his stance on Thursday, standing by comments made last year questioning why Israel had not been banned from football.

The Icelandic coach had previously stated in October that he could not comprehend why Russia was suspended by FIFA and UEFA following its invasion of Ukraine, while Israel continued to participate despite the military assault on Gaza.

Addressing his remarks at the Nations League draw in Brussels, Hallgrimsson said: "I stand by that. But it’s not my decision if you play or not against them or what decision is taken on a higher level.

“I am the head coach. I need to focus on the football thing. I hope when we play them, the supporters will support Ireland and support us to do good when we play against them."

He added that the decision to play would ultimately rest with individual players.

"There’s going to be probably a lot written about other things than football but I need to be focused on, for me and the players, the football side," Hallgrimsson commented.

"It’s every player’s decision to play for the national team or not." When asked about UEFA's decision not to suspend Israel, he concluded: "It’s better for me not to be expressing opinions on this, because it’s not (a decision) taken at my level. Everything else is taken on a higher level so I’m just going to focus on the football side."

Ireland's other opponents in their Nations League group are Austria and Kosovo.