Kenny Cunningham on Ireland vs Israel in Nations League
Kenny Cunningham believes the Republic of Ireland should face Israel in the Nations League – and that the game taken away from Dublin should never have left the Aviva Stadium.
The former Ireland captain accepts the fixtures will now go ahead at neutral venues, in Debrecen, Hungary on September 27th and behind closed doors in Bačka Topola, Serbia on October 4th. But he makes no secret of his frustration that the “home” tie has been moved.
“I think the games should go ahead, and I think the home game should have gone ahead in Dublin, that’s my opinion,” Cunningham said at the launch of Premier Sports’ 2026/27 coverage.
Dublin decision still stings
The FAI’s call to relocate the October 4th match followed the tennis ball protest at the Aviva during May’s friendly against Qatar. Then, supporters halted play to voice anger over Ireland facing Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Citing “operational challenges that could impact on the delivery of the [Israel] game on home soil”, the association switched the fixture to Bačka Topola, a small town in northern Serbia.
Cunningham understands the depth of feeling in Ireland around Israel, its foreign policy and the Palestinian cause. He does not dispute that anger. He simply doubts the effectiveness of shutting the door.
“I think there is a perception about how Irish people feel about Israel and Israeli foreign policies, and the Palestinian issue,” he said. “That is pretty much out there already. We all know where people stand, so I don’t feel cancelling this game takes the argument any further.”
For him, the symbolism of playing in Dublin mattered. The sight of Israel walking out at the Aviva, the anthem being observed, would have carried its own message.
“I think it would be a good thing to see the Israeli team come on to the pitch in the Aviva. I think it would be a good thing to see the Israeli national anthem respected inside the Aviva, because that for me would send a signal, maybe from the Irish people to the Israeli people who have suffered as well in this conflict.
“On a human level, we are actually together here. There are politicians making decisions around this, but genuinely between the Israeli people and the Irish people there is a bit of understanding there on a human level about what has been happening.
“We will respect your national anthem for those reasons. We’ll respect what you have been through on October 7th, the people you lost in harrowing circumstances, which precipitated the recent stage of the conflict.”
Football in the shadow of war
Israel has not hosted an international since October 7th, 2023, when Hamas attacks killed 1,200 Israelis. Since then, its “home” fixtures have largely been staged in Hungary.
Israel’s military response has devastated Gaza. More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health officials, with over 1,300 Palestinians reported killed there since a ceasefire came into force last October.
Cunningham does not pretend to have a solution to a conflict that stretches back decades. He does, however, question the value of sporting isolation.
“I think the Irish public can show respect to the Israeli people, some of whom may actually agree to a certain extent with the opinions of Irish people,” he said. “Maybe some of the Israeli players are disgusted with their government and the conflict.
“It is messy, but I think the game should have gone ahead in Dublin. It’s a very complex thing. I read as much as everybody else, I read my paper and I try and educate myself as best I can. It’s not just about the last two years, it’s about the last 50 years.
“I’m not sure what the answer is to the conflict, but I don’t think us denying the Israelis a game in Dublin, or even cancelling the game, moves things any way forward in a positive way.”
For Cunningham, football’s role here is not to solve the politics, but to offer at least one rare arena where respect can be shown on both sides of a bitter divide.
Parrott, Ferguson and a system under scrutiny
Once the politics subside, Ireland still have a Nations League campaign to navigate and a Euro 2028 build-up to shape. On the pitch, Cunningham’s focus sharpens on Heimir Hallgrímsson’s tactical choices and, in particular, how he uses his two most gifted forwards.
He wants to see Troy Parrott and Evan Ferguson together. Properly together.
“I’m not a big fan of the narrow three up front, I think we can play with two central strikers, but then we never saw it in the summer so that was an opportunity missed,” he said.
The current 3-4-2-1 shape tends to push one of them away from the central channel, or leave one on the bench. To Cunningham, that feels like a waste.
“If Evan gets himself fit are we going to play him and Troy, our two best strikers of the generation, in a partnership or is one of them shifted left of a front three and how’s that going to work?”
It is a blunt question, and one Hallgrímsson cannot dodge for much longer. The Icelandic coach will name his Nations League squad on September 17th, ahead of the opener away to Kosovo on September 24th.
The venues for Israel may be fixed. The shape of Ireland’s attack is not.
