February 21, (THEWILL) – The Football Association of Israel announced this week that the 2024 European Championship qualifying playoff match between Israel and Iceland will take place in Budapest, Hungary on March 21.
Since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas in October 2023, UEFA has banned international matches from taking place in Israel over safety concerns. As a result, the Israeli national team has been forced to play its recent games at neutral venues outside the country.
The winner of the Israel versus Iceland playoff will go on to face either Bosnia and Herzegovina or Ukraine five days later, on March 26, for one of the 3 remaining spots in the Euro 2024 tournament.
Despite having a strong football culture, Israel has yet to ever qualify for the UEFA European Football Championship since the tournament’s inception in 1960. Icelandic fans will be hoping their team can capitalise on the opportunity presented by Israel’s home disadvantage next month.
The decision to play the match in Budapest was likely influenced by the city’s long football history, as well as the presence of the state-of-the-art Puskás Aréna stadium, which hosted several matches during Euro 2020. Both teams will be hoping to put on a strong performance for their chance to progress.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
