Belgium to face Israel behind closed doors in Hungary

Belgium's home match against Israel in the Nations League will take place behind closed doors in Debrecen, Hungary on 6 September.

BBC
BBC
Belgium and Israel last met in a Euro 2016 qualifier at the King Baudouin Stadium

Belgium’s home match against Israel in the Nations League will take place behind closed doors in Debrecen, Hungary on 6 September.

The Belgian Football Federation (RBFA) had been searching for a new venue after the city of Brussels said it was “impossible” to host the fixture because of security fears.

Other Belgian cities also refused to host the match.

The Israel-Gaza conflict has sparked global demonstrations, including in Belgium.

“Given that in Belgium, no local authority considered it possible to organise the home match of the Red Devils against Israel, the RBFA had to look for a solution abroad,” the federation said.

Most of the home fixtures for the Belgian national team are played at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.

In October, a gunman killed two Swedish people before a Euro 2024 qualifier between Belgium and Sweden at the stadium.

The fixture was later abandoned at half-time for security reasons.

Belgian prosecutors initially said there did not appear to be any link between the attack and the Israel-Gaza war, but later said they could not exclude that possibility.

France and Italy are in the same Nations League Group A2 as Belgium and Israel.

Fifa is currently considering a proposal from the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) to suspend Israel from competing on the international stage.

The PFA submitted its case in May but Fifa will not make a final decision until after the Paris Olympics, which run between 26 July and 11 August.

Football’s world governing body said the legal discussions surrounding the case will be shared with its council on 31 August.

“Following requests for extension from both parties to submit their respective positions, duly granted by Fifa, more time is needed to conclude this process with due care and completeness,” Fifa said on X.

Israel will play Mali, Paraguay and Japan in the group phase of the 2024 Olympics.

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