Israel returns to neutral Hungary for 'home' game in Euro 2024 qualifying playoffs against Iceland
Israel’s men’s soccer team is returning to Hungary for its “home” game in the qualifying playoffs for this year’s men’s European Championship
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Israel's men's soccer team is returning to Hungary for its “home” game in the qualifying playoffs for this year's men's European Championship, UEFA said Wednesday.
The March 21 game against Iceland must be played in a neutral country for security reasons during Israel's war with Hamas.
UEFA said the match will be played in Budapest at the Szusza Ferenc stadium, which seats 13,500 people. Israel also played there last June and beat Belarus 2-1 in their Euro 2024 qualifying group. Belarus had chosen the stadium as the host venue that time, because its teams cannot host UEFA-organized games while the country is allied to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's close ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then helped bring two more of Israel’s Euro 2024 qualifying matches to Hungary in November. Orbán has long promoted Hungary as the safest country in Europe for Jews and has banned Palestinian solidarity protests, arguing they present a threat to public safety.
The winner between Israel and Iceland will advance to a playoff final five days later on March 26, away against Bosnia-Herzegovina or Ukraine. If Ukraine advances, that game will be played in Wroclaw, Poland, as Ukraine cannot host international games for security reasons during the Russian invasion.
___
AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this report
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer