Owen Elding's Long-Awaited Call-Up to Ireland's Squad

Owen Elding has waited a long time to hear his name read out in a Republic of Ireland senior squad. Longer than it should have taken. And all because of a fuel protest.

The Hibernian striker, 20, has finally received his first official call-up for the start of Ireland’s Nations League campaign, a moment that has been building quietly in the background for more than a year. He was there in May and June, in camp for the friendlies against Qatar and Canada, but only as a training player, watching from the sidelines in a bib while others pulled on the shirt he has always wanted to wear.

He couldn’t play then. Not because the manager didn’t fancy him, but because the paperwork didn’t arrive in time.

Born in England, Elding has lived in the Republic of Ireland since he was six, when his father Anthony moved the family over after signing for Sligo Rovers. Ireland is home. He qualifies on residency, began the process of applying for citizenship last year and expected to be available for selection in the last international window.

Then real life intervened in the most surreal way. Fuel protests across the Republic in April forced the cancellation of the mandatory citizenship ceremony he needed to attend to receive his Irish passport. No ceremony, no passport. No passport, no cap.

That box is finally ticked. Passport in hand, Elding now heads into an extended four-game window with a genuine chance of making his debut.

The family thread runs straight through Sligo. Like his father, Owen came through the Sligo Rovers academy and made his first-team debut as a 17-year-old in October 2023. He didn’t just ease his way into senior football; he tore into it. By 2025 he had produced a breakout season in the Irish Premier Division, hitting 16 goals and adding five assists, form that earned him the PFAI Young Player of the Year award and put his name firmly on scouting lists outside the country.

The interest from across the water quickly turned concrete. In January this year, Scottish Premiership side Hibernian moved decisively, signing him on a four-and-a-half-year deal. The step up hasn’t fazed him. Six goals in 22 games so far, three of those in nine appearances this current campaign, have underlined why clubs were queuing up.

That early summer call into the Ireland camp, even without the chance to play, left its mark on him.

“Definitely getting that experience with the first-team international set-up was massive,” he said in August. “Obviously I couldn't play the game but it was just a chance for me to go in and show the staff and everyone what I could do. Just being around the boys for the camp and seeing what it's like is something I want to be a part of.”

The feeling was mutual. Heimir Hallgrimsson liked what he saw. The Icelandic coach has brought Elding straight back into the squad for a demanding 12-day spell that features a double-header against Israel, bookended by games with Kosovo and Austria.

This time, Elding is eligible. This time, if his number goes up, he can actually cross the white line.

He may have to be patient again. The striker is still working his way back to full fitness after a recent injury and finds himself competing with in-form and established forwards Troy Parrott, Adam Idah and Tom Cannon. The pathway is crowded, but Hallgrimsson’s words make clear why Elding is in the room at all.

“He really impressed us with his attitude and his character and how he presented himself as a player,” said the Ireland boss. “He has been struggling with injury, he's been coming back, but you can see the quality this kid has.”

The citizenship delay, the cancelled ceremony, the wait on the sidelines – all of that now fades into the background. What matters is whether that quality the manager talks about can turn a long chase for a passport into the start of a long career in green.