160+ Irish sportspeople urge Ireland to boycott Nations League fixtures with Israel
September 21, 2026 19:40
More than 160 Irish sportspeople have signed an open letter from the Irish Sport for Palestine Group urging the Republic of Ireland senior men’s team to boycott its upcoming Nations League fixtures against Israel.
The letter calls on the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), Uefa and the Irish government to act and says there is still time to "show the power of sport to unite." It adds: "This is a significant moment... Not playing the game would be the most sporting thing you could do."
Notable signatories include Olympian Ciara Mageean, former Republic of Ireland footballer Louise Quinn, ex-Ireland rugby fly-half Tony Ward, boxers Tyrone McKenna and Eric Donovan, GAA figures Padraig O'Hora, Joe Brolly, Colm O'Rourke, Michael Darragh Macauley, Philly McMahon, Valerie Mulcahy and Rena Buckley, para-athlete Alan Dineen and ultimate frisbee player Stephen Jones. Dineen and Jones previously boycotted fixtures against Israel earlier this year.
KEY CONTEXT
The FAI's General Assembly in July voted to go ahead with the fixtures, with 75 votes in favour, 32 against and three abstentions from 114 delegates. The FAI has warned that a boycott would cause "significant and lasting harm" to Irish football and said it could lead to a potential loss of 10.3m euros (£9m).
The association has also said Uefa rejected a request to keep the Republic of Ireland and Israel separate. Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said he had spoken to players individually about the prospect of facing Israel and that "none of us feel comfortable playing in these games." The upcoming Nations League matches will be Ireland's first competitive fixtures since their World Cup play-off semi-final defeat to the Czech Republic in March; since then Ireland have played four friendlies, beating Grenada and Qatar and drawing with North Macedonia and Canada.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The two Nations League games are scheduled for 27 September in Hungary and the return fixture on 4 October in Serbia.