Owen Elding's Journey to Republic of Ireland Squad
Owen Elding has waited years for this moment. In the end, it was held up not by form, fitness or paperwork errors, but by fuel protests.
The Hibernian striker has received his first full call-up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad for the start of their Nations League campaign, a step that has felt inevitable for those who have tracked his rise – just not this delayed.
From training player to full international
Elding, 20, was brought into Heimir Hallgrimsson’s squad for friendlies against Qatar and Canada in May and June, but only as a training player. He trained, he mixed with the squad, he wore the gear. He just couldn’t play.
The reason was painfully simple. He was still waiting for his Irish citizenship to be finalised, leaving him ineligible for those fixtures. Hallgrimsson still wanted him in the camp, though, to get a closer look at a forward who has been gathering momentum on both sides of the Irish Sea.
Born in England, Elding has called the Republic of Ireland home since the age of six, when his family moved over after his father Anthony signed for Sligo Rovers. Residency made him eligible for Ireland; it was only a matter of getting the passport to match the accent.
The process began last year. The final step was supposed to be routine: a mandatory citizenship ceremony. Then the country’s fuel protests in April intervened, forcing the cancellation of that ceremony and leaving Elding in limbo for the last international window. The green shirt would have to wait.
Now the passport is finally in his hand. Now the wait is over.
Sligo roots, Scottish platform
Like his father, Owen Elding came through the Sligo Rovers academy before stepping into the first team. He made his senior debut at 17 in October 2023, a teenager thrown into the Irish Premier Division and immediately looking at home.
By 2025, he had gone from prospect to problem for defenders across the league. Sixteen goals, five assists and the PFAI Young Player of the Year award underlined a breakout season that was always going to draw attention from elsewhere.
It did. Scottish Premiership side Hibernian moved quickly in January, tying him down on a four-and-a-half-year deal. The jump has not fazed him. Six goals in 22 games so far, three of those in nine outings this campaign, have confirmed that his scoring touch travels.
That early move to Scotland also helped smooth his international path. When Hallgrimsson called him into the summer camp, Elding got something he could not find in any domestic league: a feel for the senior international environment.
“Definitely getting that experience with the first-team international set-up was massive,” he said in August. He knew he couldn’t play. He went anyway. “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 left that camp without a cap, but not without a mark.
Hallgrimsson sold on attitude and upside
Hallgrimsson has named Elding in his squad for a demanding 12-day run: Kosovo and Austria on either side of a double-header against Israel. It is a serious stretch for an established international, never mind a newcomer.
Game time may be limited. Elding is still working his way back to full sharpness after a recent injury, and the competition up front is fierce. Troy Parrott, Adam Idah and Tom Cannon arrive in form and with international minutes already banked.
Yet the Icelandic coach has made it clear why Elding is there.
“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.”
That quality now has a passport to go with it. The training bib is gone. The Nations League awaits. The only question left is how quickly Owen Elding can turn promise into a permanent place in Ireland’s attack.
