Ireland and Qatar have been stopped twice by protests against the upcoming Israeli | World Cup 2026 news

The Republic of Ireland are scheduled to face Israel twice in the UEFA Nations League, but they face a penalty.

The international soccer match between the Republic of Ireland and Qatar in Dublin was halted twice by home fans’ protests against their team’s upcoming match against Israel.

The Irish are due to face Israel twice in the UEFA Nations League, but have faced strong opposition to the arrangement and called for the game to be abandoned.

Tennis balls covered with images of the Palestinian flag were thrown onto the court after the 10th and 20th minutes of Thursday’s match at the Aviva Stadium in the Irish capital, causing play to be stopped.

Qatar played the match as part of their preparations for this summer’s FIFA World Cup, which Ireland missed out on.

On Wednesday, the Irish parliament – the Dail – saw new protests against Israeli sports, as the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) passed a resolution in November asking UEFA to immediately suspend Israel from international competition, but did not receive support from the governing body of European football.

In a press conference ahead of the Qatar match on Wednesday, Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson challenged his players to “win the battle” against Israel when asked about the League of Nations meeting.

The Icelander added his name to the call for Israel to be banned from international football, adding in a press statement: “It’s a ban I don’t like, and it’s not fair for the players to be in this position and for us to be in this position.”

“Football wise, I don’t like us to be the bad guys, we’re not the bad guys here,” he said.

The first leg between the teams will be played at a neutral venue between the teams on September 27, while the second leg will be played in Dublin on October 4.

The Nations League operates as a vertical competition that runs from groups through to the knockout stages and finals, and doubles as part of the qualification process for UEFA and FIFA competitions.

The FAI has said all Israel matches will go ahead, and speaking in the run-up to the Qatar game, Ireland captain Nathan Collins said: “If people want to stand, we’re not going to fight them, we’re not going to stop them.

A friendly against Qatar ended in a 1-0 victory for the Irish as Collins’ header ended the game.