Owen Elding's Long-Awaited Call-Up to Ireland National Team

Owen Elding has waited a long time for this.

The Hibernian striker, who has spent almost his entire life in the Republic of Ireland, has finally received his first official call-up to the senior national team for the start of their Nations League campaign. At 20, the moment feels overdue, largely because of a delay that had nothing to do with football.

A call-up stalled by protests

Elding was brought into Heimir Hallgrimsson’s squad earlier this year for friendlies against Qatar and Canada, but only as a training player. He trained, he mixed with the squad, he wore the gear – but he couldn’t play.

The problem wasn’t form or fitness. It was paperwork.

Born in England, Elding moved to the Republic of Ireland at the age of six when his father, Anthony, signed for Sligo Rovers. He qualifies for Ireland on residency grounds and began the process of securing Irish citizenship last year. Everything was in place for him to become eligible in time for the summer games.

Then the fuel protests hit.

Demonstrations across the Republic of Ireland in April led to the cancellation of a mandatory citizenship ceremony, the final step before he could receive his Irish passport. No ceremony, no passport. No passport, no debut.

So while Ireland played those friendlies, Elding watched on, fully involved in camp but unable to pull on the green shirt.

From Sligo prospect to Hibs striker

The path that brought him to this point has been steady rather than spectacular, but always upward.

Like his father, Owen came through the Sligo Rovers academy and broke into the first team as a 17-year-old in October 2023. By 2025, he had turned promise into production, delivering a standout season in the Irish Premier Division: 16 goals, five assists, and the PFAI Young Player of the Year award.

That kind of return doesn’t stay under the radar for long. Interest came from across the water and in January this year, Scottish Premiership side Hibernian moved decisively, tying him down on a four-and-a-half-year deal.

He has adapted quickly to life in Scotland. Six goals in 22 games so far, three of them in nine outings this campaign, underline why Hallgrimsson wanted him in and around the senior international setup as soon as possible.

A taste of camp – and a hunger for more

Those early weeks with the squad in May and June left a mark.

“Definitely getting that experience with the first-team international set-up was massive,” Elding 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.”

He did enough. Hallgrimsson liked what he saw.

The Icelandic coach has now named Elding in his squad for a demanding 12-day run that includes games against Kosovo and Austria, wrapped around a double-header with Israel. This time, the striker is not just there to make up numbers. Passport in hand, he is eligible and ready.

Hallgrimsson’s belief, competition up front

The route to minutes, though, is not straightforward.

Elding is only just working his way back to full fitness after a recent injury, and the competition in attack is fierce. Troy Parrott, Adam Idah and Tom Cannon arrive in form and already established in the squad.

Hallgrimsson, though, has made it clear why he wanted Elding back in the group.

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

For now, his involvement in this window may be limited to cameos, or even just the bench. But the door is open, the paperwork is finally done, and the long wait for a debut can realistically end in the space of these four games.

A strange twist of fuel protests kept Owen Elding from wearing green in June. The only question now is how long it will take him to make that shirt his own.