FAI to Refund Season Ticket Holders for Israel Game

The FAI will refund season ticket holders after confirming that Ireland’s upcoming home Nations League fixture against Israel will be played behind closed doors in Serbia.

Supporters who bought season tickets are being offered either an account credit or a straight cash refund for the value of the Israel game, calculated at roughly one fifth of the overall season ticket price. Loyalty points will still be awarded to all season ticket holders, despite the fact they will not be able to attend.

It is a financial concession in the middle of a political storm.

Nations League Campaign

Ireland’s 2026-27 Nations League campaign opens away to Kosovo in Pristina on 24 September, but that football detail has been pushed to the margins. The spotlight has instead locked on the back-to-back fixtures against Israel on 27 September and 1 October, both moved out of Dublin and relocated to Hungary and Serbia.

Criticism and Controversy

The decision to proceed with the games has drawn sustained criticism from the ‘Stop the Game’ campaign, which has called for a boycott in protest at the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The FAI has held its line.

Last month, a motion to fulfil the UEFA fixtures passed with a 68% majority, the association stressing “the profound impact that non-fulfilment of UEFA fixtures would have on Irish football as a whole and its future development.”

The games will go ahead. The stands will not be full. The argument around them is only getting louder.