Belgium cancels hosting Israel match over security fears

Belgium will not host the Nations League match against Israel on September 6 over security fears, the Belgian Football Federation (RBFA) announced on Tuesday.

The city of Brussels said last month that the match would not be played at the King Baudouin stadium because it could spark demonstrations.

Authorities had deemed it "impossible to organise this very high-risk match" in the city due to tensions linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Other Belgian cities also refused to host the match.

The host city has not yet been designated with Budapest being cited as an option.

Concerns were likely raised by the attack in Brussels in October in which an Islamist gunman killed two Swedish football fans before a Euro 2024 qualifier between Belgium and Sweden, although the motive of the attack was not anti-Semitic.

France and Italy are in the same Nations League Group A2 as Belgium and Israel.