Seamus Coleman Left Out of Ireland Squad for Nations League
Seamus Coleman has been left out of the Republic of Ireland squad for the upcoming Nations League window, a significant omission for a player who has been at the heart of the national side for more than a decade.
The 37-year-old, capped 81 times, is currently without a club after bringing a 17-year spell at Everton to an end following the 2025-26 season, during which he made 433 appearances for the Toffees. He was involved in Ireland’s June friendlies, but his name is missing from Heimir Hallgrimsson’s latest 26-man list.
Coleman left out – but door stays open
Hallgrimsson stressed this is not a farewell, at least not in his mind.
"It is my intention in whatever shape or form that he [Coleman] would be with us in the future, hopefully as a player," the Ireland manager said as he unveiled his squad on Thursday.
Coleman has been training to stay in shape but has not been working with a club. That proved decisive.
"His intention is to play, he's keeping fit but he hasn't been training with a club so we felt together, and it was more his decision, that it would be appropriate he sit out this one, mostly because he thought it was unfair to other players that he would be taking up a place."
So the former captain steps aside, for now, as Ireland prepare for four games that will shape their Nations League campaign.
Brutal schedule, stretched squad
Ireland open away to Kosovo on 24 September, then face Israel on 27 September and Austria on 1 October. They round off a demanding run with a second Group B3 clash against Israel on 4 October.
They will do so without several established figures.
- Robbie Brady misses out, also unattached at club level.
- Current captain Nathan Collins is sidelined by a calf injury picked up in Brentford’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Sunderland on 5 September.
- The casualty list runs deeper. Evan Ferguson (ankle), Josh Cullen (knee), Jack Taylor (knee), Mikey Johnston (ankle) and Oisin McEntee are all unavailable.
- QPR defender Jimmy Dunne suffered a muscular injury earlier this month and was not considered.
The result is a squad that looks lighter on experience, heavier on opportunity.
New faces step into the frame
Into that gap steps Liam Kitching. The left-sided centre-back, on a season-long loan at Sheffield United from Coventry City, receives his first senior call-up and could feature across the four-game window.
He is not the only newcomer.
Uncapped Cardiff City defender Joel Bagan is included and will hope to force his way onto the pitch for a debut. Owen Elding of Sligo Rovers is also in contention for a first cap, another nod to the domestic league in a squad reshaped by injuries and contract limbo.
A Nations League block that was supposed to be about rhythm and refinement has turned into something else for Ireland: a test of depth, of transition, and of how long the Coleman era can realistically be stretched.
