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Snapshot 5:Fri, May 8, 2026 11:32:00 AM GMT last edited by Harish Chander

Ireland Urged to Boycott Israel UEFA Fixtures

Ireland Urged to Boycott Israel UEFA Fixtures

Ireland Urged to Boycott Israel UEFA Fixtures
Above: **Watermarked Getty Image. Kindly Replace** A Fans Against Israel Ireland banner at The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium in Derry March 13, 2026. Image credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile/Getty Images

The Spin


The FAI needs to stop hiding behind UEFA rules and do what's right — boycott the Israel fixtures. High-profile figures in Irish soccer, Sinn Féin politicians and artists have all signed on to demand action, and the FAI's own general assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of a boycott. Ireland led the way against apartheid South Africa, and there's no reason it can't lead again now.

The push to boycott Israel reeks of selective outrage — nobody's demanding Ireland refuse to play Qatar or Iran, despite those regimes' well-documented atrocities. Anti-Israel sentiment in Ireland has crossed into something far darker, with Irish parliamentarians openly using dehumanizing language about Israelis. Forfeiting those matches won't help Palestinians; it'll just hand Israel six free points while confirming a bias the whole world can already see.


Metaculus Prediction

There is a 25% chance the Republic of Ireland will abandon the policy of military neutrality before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.


The Controversies



Go Deeper

© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 7.4.1

© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 7.4.1