The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play Israel twice in the UEFA Nations League, but are facing calls for a boycott.
Published May 28, 2026
The international friendly football match between the Republic of Ireland and Qatar in Dublin was interrupted twice due to protests by home fans ahead of the next game against Israel.
Ireland are scheduled to play Israel twice in the UEFA Nations League, but have faced strong opposition to hosting the games, including calls for a boycott of the games.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
Tennis balls covered with a drawing of the Palestinian flag were thrown into the stadium 10 and 20 minutes into Thursday’s match at the Aviva Stadium in the Irish capital, causing the game to be suspended.
Qatar played the match as part of their preparations for this summer’s FIFA World Cup, but Ireland missed out.
There were fresh protests in the Irish Parliament (Dail) on Wednesday over Israel’s matches, and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) passed a motion in November calling for UEFA to immediately ban Israel from international competitions, but it received no support from Europe’s governing body.
In Wednesday’s pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Qatar, Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson was asked about the Nations League fixture and urged his players to “win this war” against Israel.
The Icelander has previously joined calls for Israel’s expulsion from international football, adding in a media briefing: “It’s an obstacle that I don’t like and it’s unfair that the players are in this position and we are in this position.”
“From a football perspective, I don’t like us to be the bad guys. We’re not the bad guys here,” he said.
The first match between the two teams will be played at a neutral venue for both teams on September 27th, with the rematch taking place in Dublin on October 4th.
The Nations League acts as a stand-alone competition, with group stages, knockouts, and finals, but it also acts as part of an opportunity to qualify for UEFA and FIFA tournaments.
The FAI has announced that both matches against Israel will go ahead, but Ireland captain Nathan Collins said in preparation for the game against Qatar: “If individuals want to make a stand, we are not going to stand up to them and we are not going to hold them back.”
In the friendly against Qatar, Ireland won 1-0 with a header from Collins.
