Ireland to play Israel in Nations League after calling for UEFA ban
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Just months after lobbying to ban the Israeli national football team from UEFA, Ireland have agreed to face Israel in Nations League matches this autumn.
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) approved a motion to ban Israel from UEFA in November. The FAI joined the football associations of Norway and Türkiye in calling for Israel’s exile, citing the country’s war in Gaza. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez made a similar request. The proposals were ultimately rejected.
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Israeli fans wave flags as their team warms up before a 2026 World Cup qualifying European zone group I football match between Norway and Israel on October 11, 2025 in Oslo, Norway. (Fredrik Varfjell / NTB / AFP) / Norway RELEASED)
The FAI has not issued a statement addressing the desire to play Israel after calling for the team’s expulsion in the autumn.
“In 2025, a motion was put forward by members of the FAI General Assembly to vote to make a formal request to the UEFA executive committee for the immediate suspension of the Israeli Football Association from UEFA competitions for breaches of the UEFA statutes,” the FAI said. he wrote.
ISRAELI BOBSLED CAPTAIN MADE A STATEMENT ABOUT THE TEAM WHO CAME UNDER THEFT AND VANDALISM TO MAKE HISTORY AT THE WINTER OLYMPICS
Republic of Ireland’s Conor Coventry takes on Israel’s Oscar Gloukh in the UEFA European U21 Championship play-off rematch between Israel and the Republic of Ireland at the Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Seb Daly/Sport file via Getty Images)
“Members subsequently voted in favor of submitting the motion to UEFA, which the association did in November 2025. Despite consultation with UEFA officials, the association acknowledges that UEFA regulations state that if an association refuses to play a match, that fixture will be forfeited and other disciplinary measures may be taken, including possible disqualification from the competition.”
The two countries were drawn in the Nations League Group B3 on Thursday.
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Dublin, Ireland – 6 September 2025; Republic of Ireland fans express their emotions as they protest against Israel ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group F qualifying match between the Republic of Ireland and Hungary at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. (David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
UEFA is reportedly moving towards a new agreement. Vote to suspend Israel The motion was suspended in September due to the war in Gaza. FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced on October 3 that no action would be taken against the team, following a historic peace offer from President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Irish football fans have protested Israel’s participation in various sports leagues since Hamas’ attack on the Jewish state on October 7, 2023. Irish protesters held banners reading “Ban Israel from UEFA and FIFA” and “Israel is a terrorist state” at a protest in Dublin on 4 October 2025, just days shy of the second anniversary of the attack, and elsewhere in the country later in the year.
Irish football fans were also seen carrying banners reading “Show Israel the Red Card” during a match against Hungary in September.
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