Northern Ireland to face Ukraine in Slovakia as war continues to force hosts into exile
Northern Ireland to face Ukraine in Slovakia as war continues to force hosts into exile
Northern Ireland will travel to Slovakia this week to face Ukraine in the Uefa Nations League — a fixture that raises a natural question: why are the two sides meeting in a neutral country rather than in Ukraine?
The answer lies in Russia's invasion. Since the start of the war in February 2022, Ukraine have been forced to play all of their home matches outside the country. The encounter with Northern Ireland, scheduled for Friday, 2 October, will take place at the Anton Malatinsky Stadium in Trnava, one of several venues Ukraine have used as a makeshift home.
A settled pattern of exile
Venues in the Czech Republic, Poland, Spain and Germany have all hosted Ukraine's matches in recent years. The Anton Malatinsky Stadium is already familiar territory for the war-torn nation: it staged Ukraine's 1-0 win over Malta in June 2023 during qualification for the 2024 European Championships.
Uefa permits Ukraine to host their matches wherever they wish, providing the chosen venue adheres to its regulations. There is no requirement for the team to stage fixtures on home soil while the security situation remains untenable.
A congested international break
The match against Northern Ireland is the third of Ukraine's four games in this international window. They opened with a 1-0 victory in Hungary on Friday before heading to Georgia on Monday. The Northern Ireland fixture follows, and the run concludes with a home match against Hungary — again in Trnava.
The Slovakian city will remain Ukraine's base into November, when they are due to host Georgia in the next round of fixtures. The scheduling underlines how thoroughly the team has adopted Trnava as a temporary home.
Clubs face the same reality
Playing football outside the homeland has also become commonplace for Ukrainian clubs. This season, defending top-flight champions Shakhtar Donetsk will play their home Champions League matches at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge in London, further illustrating how the war has displaced the country's football at every level.
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