LGBTQ+ athletes are among those calling on the Irish men’s football team to boycott their upcoming matches against Israel. Over 160 sportspeople have signed an open letter composed as part of the Stop The Game campaign, which was shared on Monday, September 21.

Ireland are scheduled to face Israel on September 27 and October 4 as part of their UEFA Nations League campaign. The games are due to be played at neutral venues in Hungary and Serbia, respectively.

Since the matchup was announced, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has faced mounting pressure to boycott the fixtures against Israel. As part of the campaigning efforts, Irish Sport for Palestine has published an open letter to the senior men’s national team, urging them to take a stand.

“As athletes, we’re taught that all players are equal and everyone is bound by the same rules on a level playing field. But these universal values are incompatible with the reality of sport where oppressive and discriminatory structures are reproduced. And nowhere is this more obvious than in Palestine, where fairness and equality are denied by the Israeli occupation and then enabled by sporting bodies,” the letter starts.

“We have been unequivocal in our call to cancel the two upcoming UEFA nations league games because we believe playing Israel legitimises a genocidal regime and gives cover for statute violations, apartheid, and war crimes. We refuse to let sport be used in this way.”

Irish Sport for Palestine states that “no player should be put in this position”, adding that the FAI, UEFA and the government have “failed” the athletes.

“They should have refused to play based on clear legal, moral, and political grounds – their own precedents, ongoing statute breaches regarding Israeli teams playing on occupied Palestinian lands, a brutal system of apartheid, and now, acts of genocide.

“Instead, they have doubled down on playing, ignored the wishes of members, acted cowardly and dishonestly by moving the games, and have disrespected the majority of players, fans and communities across Ireland,” the letter continues.

Irish Sport for Palestine and the over 160 signatories then appealed to the athletes to “act collectively with conscience” and “refuse to participate in the two games against Israel”.

“With this moment you have an opportunity to do the right thing. Putting on the Irish jersey and representing your country means something. But the Ireland we want represented is the one that remembers its roots in anti-colonial and anti-imperial resistance, which Irish sport played a large part of,” they express.

The letter concludes by saying “not playing the game would be the most sporting thing” to do, and adds, “Through your leadership and courage it would show the power of sport to unite, remind us of the shared values that connect us all, and have an impact far beyond the game.”

Over 160 high-level athletes have signed an open letter to the Irish senior men’s national football team urging them to act collectively with conscience & refuse to participate in their upcoming games against Israel.

Add your signature to the letter the link is in our bio. pic.twitter.com/6eHKzXKrVq

— Irish Sport for Palestine (@Sport4Palestine) September 21, 2026

Irish Sport for Palestine has shared the names of some high-profile athletes who have signed the letter, including notable LGBTQ+ figures. Former Irish women’s football player Louise Quinn is among the list. The now-retired defender achieved over 105 international caps throughout her career and was awarded the FAI’s senior women’s Player of the Year trophy in 2013 and 2019.

The list further includes athletes across rugby, athletics, para sports, boxing, basketball, surfing, cycling, camogie, gaelic football, hurling and ultimate frisbee. Olympian Ciara Mageean features, as does former rugby international Tony Ward, who previously boycotted an Irish tour of apartheid South Africa.

Despite the calls to Stop The Game, Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson said that each member of his 26-man squad is willing to face Israel. However, he did acknowledge that some are “really uncomfortable playing the games”.

Israel’s participation in international sporting competitions has faced widespread condemnation since the nation launched its genocidal assault on Gaza in October 2023, which has killed almost 75,000 Palestinians to date.