Soccer Football – UEFA Nations League Draw – Brussels Expo, Brussels, Belgium – Feb. 12, 2026, General view during the draw. Photo: REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

Anti-Israel activists occupying Ireland’s Department of Sport in Dublin were removed by police on Wednesday after demanding that the country cancel two upcoming UEFA Nations League soccer matches against Israel.

Supporters of the #StopTheGame campaign entered the lobby of the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport on Leeson Lane, repeatedly chanting “stop the game” and “don’t play,” according to videos posted online.

The demonstrators asked to speak with officials before Gardaí removed them less than two hours later. No arrests were made. Other activists gathered outside the building carrying a banner reading “Show Israel the red card.”

The campaign, organized by Irish Sport for Palestine and backed by prominent soccer players, coaches, and cultural figures, said the occupation was part of a protest effort that “will intensify” unless both matches are canceled. It accused Ireland of “sportwashing genocide.”

“The Government has placed pressure on the FAI, who are also culpable, to fulfil these fixtures,” the group said, referring to the Football Association of Ireland. “We are failing in our moral, humanitarian and legal obligations as a country in playing these games.”

Ireland is scheduled to face Israel on Sept. 27 at Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen, Hungary. Israel has played UEFA home matches abroad since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack and the ensuing war in Gaza.

Ireland’s Oct. 4 home fixture has also been moved out of the country. The FAI announced last month that the match would be played behind closed doors in Bačka Topola, Serbia, citing “operational challenges” that could prevent it from safely staging the game in Dublin.

The relocation did not satisfy campaigners.

“We don’t want the Irish team to play Israel anywhere,” Dublin City Councilor Cieran Perry said after the protest.

The dispute is the latest in a series of increasingly hostile confrontations between Irish sporting institutions and Israel.

In February 2024, Ireland’s women’s basketball team refused to shake hands or exchange gifts with Israeli players before a EuroBasket qualifier in Riga after Israeli player Dor Saar accused the Irish team of antisemitism. Basketball Ireland denounced her remarks as “inflammatory and wholly inaccurate.” Israel won the game 87-57.

In November 2025, delegates to the FAI voted 74-7, with two abstentions, to ask UEFA to suspend the Israel Football Association from European competitions, citing alleged violations of the governing body’s statutes. UEFA did not suspend Israel, leaving Ireland obligated to fulfill the Nations League fixtures or risk forfeiting them and facing further disciplinary action, including possible disqualification.

A spokesperson for the Department of Sport stressed that the government and Sport Ireland have “no role in the organization of such fixtures,” saying national governing bodies such as the FAI operate independently.

The department said Gardaí were called “in accordance with normal protocols.” Police said they facilitate peaceful protest while protecting public access and business operations, using enforcement only as a last resort.

The FAI has warned that refusing to play could cause significant and lasting damage to Irish soccer. Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson has opposed a boycott but said he would respect the decision of any player who refused to participate.