Kenny Cunningham Advocates for Ireland vs Israel Match in Dublin

Kenny Cunningham believes the Republic of Ireland should play Israel – and that the game taken away from Dublin should never have left the Aviva Stadium.

The former Ireland captain, speaking at the launch of Premier Sports’ 2026/27 coverage, argued that the Nations League fixtures ought to go ahead as planned at neutral venues: behind closed doors in Bačka Topola, Serbia on October 4th, and at a neutral ground in Debrecen, Hungary on September 27th. But he made it clear he feels the Football Association of Ireland missed an opportunity by moving the “home” tie out of Dublin.

“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.

The FAI switched the October 4th fixture to Bačka Topola, a town in northern Serbia, citing “operational challenges that could impact on the delivery of the [Israel] game on home soil” after tennis ball protests at the Aviva during the friendly against Qatar in May. Those protests highlighted Irish supporters’ anger over Israel’s actions in Gaza and the wider Palestinian issue.

Cunningham understands the strength of feeling. He just doesn’t believe cancelling or relocating the match is the right response.

“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.”

He went further, arguing that Israel’s presence at the Aviva could 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,” he continued. “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.”

Israel has not hosted international football since October 7th, 2023, when Hamas attacks killed 1,200 Israelis. Most of Israel’s subsequent games have been staged in Hungary. Israel’s offensive in Gaza has since killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, with more than 1,300 Palestinians reported killed in Gaza since a ceasefire came into force last October.

Against that backdrop, Cunningham believes Irish supporters could still show empathy inside their own national stadium.

“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.”

Parrott, Ferguson and a system question for Hallgrímsson

Away from the politics and logistics, Cunningham’s focus turns to the pitch and to what comes next for Ireland under Heimir Hallgrímsson as the Nations League and the Euro 2028 run-in loom into view.

For him, the tactical issue is clear: Ireland must find a way to unleash Troy Parrott and Evan Ferguson together.

Hallgrímsson has leaned on a 3-4-2-1 shape, with a narrow front three. Cunningham is unconvinced.

“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 dilemma is simple but significant. If Ferguson regains full fitness, how does Ireland fit both of their standout forwards into the side without blunting one of them?

“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?”

Those are the questions Hallgrímsson must answer when he names his Nations League squad on September 17th, ahead of the opener away to Kosovo on September 24th. The politics around Israel will swirl on the outside; inside the dressing room, Ireland’s manager has his own, very different battle lines to draw.