Owen Elding Finally Named in Republic of Ireland Squad

Owen Elding has waited a long time to hear his name read out as a full Republic of Ireland international. Longer than it should have taken. And all because of fuel protests.

The Hibernian striker has finally been called up as a full squad member for the start of Ireland’s Nations League campaign, a milestone that has felt just out of reach for months. At 20, he has already been in and around the senior set-up, but always on the fringes, always watching rather than playing.

Back in May and June, Heimir Hallgrimsson brought him into camp for friendlies against Qatar and Canada. Not as a capped player in waiting, but as a training option. Elding trained, listened, learned, but never crossed the white line on matchday. He wasn’t allowed to.

The problem wasn’t form. It wasn’t trust. It was paperwork.

Born in England, Elding has lived in the Republic of Ireland since the age of six, when his father Anthony joined Sligo Rovers and moved the family across the Irish Sea. He qualifies on residency grounds and began the process of securing Irish citizenship last year. Everything was in place. Almost.

Then the protests hit.

Fuel demonstrations in April led to the cancellation of a mandatory citizenship ceremony – a bureaucratic box that had to be ticked before his Irish passport could be issued. No ceremony, no passport. No passport, no debut. So while Ireland played, Elding watched on, still technically in limbo.

That delay has now been cleared. Passport in hand, the striker heads into an extended four-game window with the chance to finally pull on the green shirt for real.

This is not some overnight story. Elding’s path has followed a familiar family script. Like his father, he came through the Sligo Rovers academy and broke into the first team as a teenager, making his debut at 17 in October 2023. From there, his rise accelerated.

The 2025 season in the Irish Premier Division turned him from promising youngster into one of the league’s most dangerous forwards. Sixteen goals, five assists, and the PFAI Young Player of the Year award to underline it. Defenders struggled to contain him, and scouts took notice.

Interest grew across the water. In January this year, Scottish Premiership side Hibernian made their move, tying him down on a four-and-a-half-year deal. Since arriving in Edinburgh, he has adapted quickly, scoring six goals in 22 games, with three in nine so far this campaign. Not explosive numbers yet, but enough to show why clubs and country see a long-term striker in the making.

His early taste of international camp life over the summer left a mark on him. Even without a minute on the pitch, the experience sharpened his focus.

“Definitely getting that experience with the first-team international set-up was massive,” he said in August. He knew he couldn’t play, but he treated it like an audition. “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 saw a young forward who could handle the environment as well as the ball.

The Icelandic coach has now named Elding in his squad for a demanding 12-day run: Kosovo, a double-header against Israel, and Austria. It is a testing stretch, not an easy introduction. Minutes may still be hard to come by. Elding is only just working back towards full fitness after a recent injury and must compete with in-form and established names such as Troy Parrott, Adam Idah and Tom Cannon.

Hallgrimsson, though, is clearly invested in what Elding might become.

“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, that quality has earned him a place in the room and, finally, the chance to be used. The long wait, the cancelled ceremony, the training-only tag – all of it fades the moment his number goes up on the fourth official’s board.

If that moment comes in this window, Ireland will welcome a striker who has grown up in their system, forged his name in their league, and chosen their colours. If it doesn’t, Elding has already made one thing clear: he plans to be around this squad for a long time.