The Israel men’s soccer team is set to play two crucial “home” games in Hungary as part of the Euro 2024 qualifying rounds. These games will be held at a stadium close to the home village of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Due to the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas, the national team has fallen behind schedule in their qualifying group. They are currently in a three-way race with Switzerland and Romania for the top two spots in Group I.
Since joining UEFA in 1994, Israel has yet to qualify for a Euros tournament. Now, the team is faced with a challenging schedule, having to play four games in the span of just ten days, from November 12 to November 21.
Security concerns have necessitated that the two “home” games be played in a neutral country. As a result, the Pancho Aréna stadium of the Puskás Akadémia club in Felcsút will host the matches. UEFA declined to provide details on how the location was selected.
Hungary has frequently served as a substitute venue for UEFA-organized games since 2020, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this marks the first time that games will be played in Orban’s home stadium in Felcsút.
On November 15, Israel will take on Switzerland in a rescheduled match that was initially set for October 12. Just three days later, on November 18, they will face off against Romania. In addition, the team will play against Kosovo on November 12 and Andorra on November 21.
Earlier this year, in June, Israel traveled to Hungary to compete against group rival Belarus in Budapest. This was due to UEFA prohibiting Belarus from hosting games as it is a military ally of Russia, which is currently engaged in a war with Ukraine.
Should Israel fail to secure a spot in the top two of their qualifying group, they will have another opportunity to make it to Euro 2024 through the qualifying playoffs scheduled for March. Three teams from the playoff brackets will advance to join the 24-team Euro 2024 lineup.
It is worth noting that last year, Israel topped a group in the Nations League second tier, thereby securing a second chance to qualify for the Euros. This group was originally supposed to include Russia, but UEFA has since banned the country from all European competitions following its actions in Ukraine.