Ireland agrees to play Israel in Nations League despite previously calling for ban over Gaza war
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Just months after pushing for Israeli national football to be banished from UEFA, Ireland have agreed to play Israel this fall in Nations League matches.
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has just passed a motion calling for Israel to be excluded from UEFA in November.
The FAI joined the Norwegian and Turkish football federations in calling for Israel’s banishment, citing the country’s war in Gaza. The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, also made a similar call. The motions were ultimately rejected.
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Israeli fans wave flags as they cheer on their team in the warm-up before their 2026 World Cup qualifying European zone group I match against Norway on October 11, 2025, in Oslo, Norway. (Fredrik Varfjell/NTB/News)
The FAI has not issued a statement on its willingness to play Israel after calling for the team’s banishment in the fall.
“In 2025, members of the FAI General Assembly proposed a motion 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 non-compliance with UEFA statutes,” the FAI wrote.
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Coventry Ireland’s Conor in action against Israel’s Oscar Gloukh during a UEFA European Under-21 Championship playoff second leg match at the Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
“Members then voted to submit the motion to UEFA, which the association did in November 2025. While consultations have been held with UEFA officials, the association recognizes that UEFA regulations state that if an association refuses to play a match, that match will be forfeited and further disciplinary action may follow, including possible disqualification from the competition.”
The two countries met on Thursday in Group B3 of the Nations League.
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Republic of Ireland fans express their feelings as they protest against Israel before a 2026 FIFA World Cup Group F qualifying match between Ireland and Hungary at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin. (David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
UEFA was reportedly moving towards a vote to suspend Israel on the war in Gaza in September, but the motion was suspended. FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced that no action would be taken against the team on October 3 after a historic peace proposal from President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Irish football fans have protested Israel’s participation in several sports leagues since the Hamas attack on the Jewish state on October 7, 2023. Irish protesters carried signs reading “Ban Israel from participating in UEFA and FIFA” and “Israel is a terrorist state” at a protest in Dublin on October 4, 2025, just days before the second anniversary of the attack, and elsewhere in the country later in the year.
Irish football fans also carried signs reading “Show Israel the red card” at a match against Hungary in September.
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Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson’s reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to Title IX enforcement and in mainstream media outlets such as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The News and ESPN.com.