In June, the city of Brussels announced that the match would not be played at the Roi Baudouin stadium. The city authorities had deemed it “impossible to organize this very high-risk match” on the city’s territory due to tensions linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The football (soccer) match between Belgium’s Red Devils and Israel at the opening of the Nations League,  scheduled for September 6, will not be played on Belgian soil but rather in Hungary following the refusal of the city of Brussels to host it. 

Belgian Daily Het Laatste Nieuws reported that the match will be played in Budapest, Hungary. This information has not been confirmed by the URBSFA, which does, however, stated that the Hungarian capital is an option.

In June, the city of Brussels announced that the match would not be played at the Roi Baudouin stadium. The city authorities had deemed it “impossible to organize this very high-risk match” on the city’s territory due to tensions linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Red Devils matches at the King Baudouin stadium have always been moments of unity and togetherness. The humanitarian and security situation in Gaza and its many repercussions force the City of Brussels to inform the URBSFA (the Belgian Football Union) that the organization of this match is not possible at the Stade Roi Baudouin”, the city wrote last month in a press release.

“The announcement of such a match in our capital in these particularly volatile times will undoubtedly lead to large demonstrations and counter-protests, jeopardizing the safety of spectators, players, Brussels residents and our police forces,” Brussels’  Mayor Philippe Close claimed.

The URBSFA regretted the city’s decision. “We very much regret the decision of the City of Brussels, which has a great deal of experience in organizing major events, not to organize the match in our home port”.

Other Belgian cities also refused to host the match.

Since the attacks perpetrated by Palestinian Hamas on October 7, 2023, Israel’s representative sport has been taking part in international competitions in several different countries. Footballers, both national team and club, play in Hungary, while Maccabi Tel-Aviv basketball players have made their home on the floor of Partizan Belgrade, in Serbia, for two-thirds of their Euroleague season.