July 22 – Belgium will stage their Nations League fixture, September 6, against Israel in Hungary behind closed doors, the Belgian FA (RBFA) confirmed.
The Belgians were to host Israel in Brussels but because of security concerns over the conflict in the Middle East and potential protests, authorities in the Belgian capital and other local cities declined to stage the match.
Forced to shift the venue of the match abroad, the Belgian FA confirmed that Debrecen in Hungary will stage the Nations League encounter.
In a statement, the RBFA said that the decision was taken in consultation with UEFA and that the fixture will be organised behind closed doors.
“A home match should be played at home, in your own country,” said RBFA CEO Piet Vandendriessche. “We are therefore disappointed that no city can host the Red Devils. We start the Nations League on a downer, but we want to be there straight away on a sporting level.”
The Israelis have staged all of their home matches in Hungary after the October 7 Hamas-led terrorist attacks. They last played a home match in Tel Aviv against Belarus on Tuesday, September 12, 2023.
Belgium will seek to rebuild after a disappointing Euro 2024 ended in a 1-0 round of 16 defeat to France in Dusseldorf. It was the third major finals in a row that the Red Devils fluffed their lines.
Israel will be debuting in league A of the Nations League, a biennial tournament that UEFA introduced in 2019 to replace friendlies and foster a more competitive international match environment.
Belgium and Israel are joined by heavyweights Italy and France in their Nations League group.
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