Ireland players vote to face Israel in Hungary after five-hour talks

The Republic of Ireland will face Israel in Hungary on Sunday night after the squad voted to play the tie.

A significant majority of players backed going ahead, following a five-hour delay to training on Saturday 26 September while the group talked through whether to fulfil the fixture, The Guardian reported. The game is part of the Nations League, UEFA's international league competition, and is listed as Israel v Republic of Ireland on 27 September.

One player will not be involved. FAI chief executive David Courell said a player had expressed discomfort with the fixture and indicated an intent to withdraw from the squad. That player is understood to be goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu. The withdrawal was also confirmed in BBC reporting.

Ireland will mark the match in their own way. The players will wear black armbands in recognition of all the lives lost in the conflict. They will not take part in the pre-match handshake and exchange of pennants.

Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said nobody is comfortable playing these games. He also said he regretted describing his team earlier in the week as playing against genocide, calling it the wrong word to use.

Israel head coach Ran Ben-Shimon said he will shake hands with Hallgrimsson and take part in all the normal pre-match formalities. His side lost to Austria on Thursday and arrive with a separate disciplinary issue.

The Israel FA will appeal both yellow cards shown to Saied Abu Farchi in that defeat. The second yellow came after he celebrated an equaliser by pulling up the corner flag, an action interpreted as mimicking firing a rifle.

The fixture has been under pressure for months. An Irish athletes group urged the national team to boycott the Israel games, and leading Irish footballers joined celebrities in a campaign calling for a boycott, Reuters reported. Ireland's football association said its request to avoid future pairings with Israel was rejected.

For fans finding this story now, the context is simple. Ireland and Israel are scheduled to meet twice in this Nations League group. The league phase of the 2026/27 competition runs from 24 September to 17 November, according to UEFA, and UEFA states it is expected to link to qualification for Euro 2028 in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

Sunday's game will go ahead in Hungary. Ireland's players have made their decision, and the focus now turns to 90 minutes on the pitch.