Owen Elding's Journey to the Republic of Ireland Squad
Owen Elding had to wait for his Ireland dream. Not for a manager’s faith or a club move. For a passport ceremony postponed by fuel protests.
Now the paperwork is done, the Hibernian striker finally has his first official call-up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad as they open their Nations League campaign – and it feels overdue.
From Sligo kid to senior squad
Elding is only 20, but his story with Ireland stretches back far beyond this week’s squad list.
Born in England, he moved to the Republic at the age of six when his father, former striker Anthony Elding, signed for Sligo Rovers. The family settled, Owen grew up there, and the club became his football home too. He came through Sligo’s academy, just as his dad had worn the shirt before him.
By October 2023, he was making his senior debut for Rovers at 17. Two years later, he had turned promise into production. In the 2025 Irish Premier Division season, Elding exploded: 16 goals, five assists, and the PFAI Young Player of the Year award. That kind of output doesn’t stay secret for long.
Clubs across the water took notice. In January this year, Hibernian moved quickest, signing him on a four-and-a-half-year deal. The step up to the Scottish Premiership has not fazed him. Six goals in 22 games so far, with three in nine in the current campaign, have underlined why he was worth the investment.
A debut delayed by protests
Heimir Hallgrimsson had already seen enough to bring him into the Ireland picture earlier this year. Elding was named in the squad for friendlies against Qatar and Canada in May and June – but only as a training player.
The issue wasn’t form. It was paperwork.
Elding qualifies for the Republic of Ireland on residency grounds and began the process of applying for citizenship last year. The final step was a mandatory ceremony to receive his Irish passport. Then fuel protests in April forced that ceremony to be cancelled.
The result was surreal. Elding trained with the national team, impressed the staff, mixed with the squad – and then watched the matches from the sidelines, ineligible to play.
“Definitely getting that experience with the first-team international set-up was massive,” he said in August. He knew he couldn’t feature, 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.”
The appetite was whetted. The passport, at last, has followed.
Hallgrimsson’s faith – and the battle for minutes
Hallgrimsson clearly liked what he saw. The Icelandic coach has now included Elding in his squad for a demanding 12-day run: Kosovo and Austria on either side of a double-header against Israel.
This time, Elding is not just making up numbers.
“He really impressed us with his attitude and his character and how he presented himself as a player,” Hallgrimsson said. “He has been struggling with injury, he’s been coming back, but you can see the quality this kid has.”
There is a reality check too. Elding is working his way back to full fitness after a recent injury and steps into a forward line already stacked with in-form and established options: Troy Parrott, Adam Idah, Tom Cannon. Minutes will be hard-earned, not handed out.
But this window is about more than game time. It is about finally being eligible, officially part of the group, no longer the talented onlooker waiting on a bureaucratic technicality.
From a cancelled ceremony to a green jersey within reach, Elding’s route has been anything but straightforward. Now the question is simple: how quickly can this Sligo-raised striker turn promise into goals on the international stage?
