Why UEFA rejected Ireland’s request to avoid Israel in draws – and could that change?
The Sweeper - A World Football PodcastShow Notes
Ireland last year joined Türkiye and Norway in calling for the suspension of Israel’s UEFA membership for what the United Nations has termed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
The Nations League draw in February 2026 then pitted the two countries against each other, leading to the emergence of a ‘Stop the Game’ movement in Ireland and a request from the FAI for UEFA to keep them apart in future draws.
So why exactly did UEFA deny that request? Could that change if they were consistent in applying the criteria they have used for similar cases in the past? And what dramatic scenes unfolded in the run-up to their first meeting in Debrecen on Sunday?
Plus, we take a trip to watch FIFA’s newest member Kosovo for the first time as they play Austria in Vienna in the other game in Ireland and Israel’s group.
Join us on Patreon to listen to our weekly subscriber-only episodes and our full back catalogue of bonus content, including the podcast from 3 September about the return of football to Palestine after a three-year absence.
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
00:58 – The context for the animosity
03:38 – A dramatic day in Debrecen
06:37 – Ireland’s denied UEFA request
07:00 – Europe’s seven banned fixtures
08:22 – The Serbia-Albania criteria
11:30 – UEFA’s newest member Kosovo - live Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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