July 17 – Belgium will not stage their Nations League match against Israel in September at home over security concerns, the Belgian Football Federation (RBFA) confirmed on Tuesday.
Last month, Brussels, home to the King Baudouin Stadium and the traditional venue for Belgium’s matches, declined to host “the very high-risk” game because of fears over protests over the conflict in the Middle East, and even ruled out the match being played behind closed doors.
The RBFA (Royal Belgian FA) has now said that the encounter will have to be staged on foreign soil after other Belgian cities also refused to host the match.
Leuven, often a host city for the Belgian women’s national team and the U-21 team, cited security concerns while both Ghent and Liège declined as well.
Belgian media report that Hungary could be the venue for the match, but the RBFA did not confirm a host city yet. Israel have staged their home matches in Budapest since the October 7 terror attacks and the war on Gaza.
Last October, a gunman killed two Swedish nations in the Belgian capital in the lead-up to the Euro 2024 qualifier between Belgium and Sweden.
At half-time, the match was abandoned and the stadium went into lockdown. Ultimately, all the fans and both teams left the King Baudouin Stadium without further incidents.
Belgium and Israel have been drawn in a group with France and Italy in the Nations League.
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