Ireland ponder next steps after being paired with Israel

After drawing with Israel in a European qualifier, Basketball Ireland states that it is “evaluating next steps.”

In November’s 2027 EuroBasket qualifying matchup, Ireland will face Israel in addition to Luxembourg and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Basketball Ireland claims to have spoken with Fiba Europe, the governing body of European basketball, and that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is “extremely alarming” and is awaiting “clarifications on a number of matters.”

Additionally, it states that it will work with players, staff, the Irish government, and other interested parties.

Basketball Ireland says it will be fined 80, 000 euros if it doesn’t perform the fixture on November 18 and will be subject to an additional 100, 000 euro fine if it doesn’t take part in the return game.

It specifies that Ireland will also be exempt from the 2029 EuroBasket qualifiers and be exempt from qualifying.

If Ireland made the decision to end its qualifying before the start, a fine of 30 000 euros would be levied. However, Fiba Europe may impose additional sanctions and impose the right to forbid teams from upcoming competitions.

In November 2025 and March 2026, the two windows will be used for qualifying.

Since the ongoing conflict in Gaza started in October 2023, Ireland has been drawn to Israel.

In a 2025 EuroBasket qualifier in February 2024, Ireland refused to shake hands with Israel and sat by the side of the court playing the national anthems.

Israel’s Dor Saar called the Ireland team “quite antisemitic” when Irish players expressed concern before that qualifier.

Israel’s coach, Sharon Drucker, reported the remarks to Fiba Europe, the organization’s governing body, and said Ireland “did not respect” what the game symbolizes.

In a second EuroBasket qualifier between the sides in Riga in November, Ireland were warned by Fiba about their protest, and players in Riga stood up for the anthems on the court and shook hands with Israel’s players.