Owen Elding Finally Receives Republic of Ireland Call-Up

Owen Elding had been waiting years for this. Not just for a phone call, but for a passport.

The Hibernian striker has finally been named in a competitive Republic of Ireland senior squad for the start of their Nations League campaign, a moment that has felt overdue for those who have tracked his rise. At 20, he has already lived a curious football life – and his route to the green shirt has been anything but straightforward.

A passport delayed by protests

Elding was part of Heimir Hallgrimsson’s group for friendlies against Qatar and Canada in May and June, but only as a training player. He trained, he travelled, he mixed with the squad. He just couldn’t play.

The problem wasn’t form or fitness. It was paperwork.

Born in England, Elding moved to the Republic of Ireland at the age of six when his father Anthony signed for Sligo Rovers. He qualifies for Ireland on residency and began the process of applying for citizenship last year. It should have been routine.

Then the fuel protests hit.

Demonstrations in April led to the cancellation of a mandatory citizenship ceremony, the final step before Elding could receive his Irish passport. No ceremony, no passport. No passport, no debut.

So while Ireland took to the pitch in the last international window, Elding watched on, still technically in limbo. Hallgrimsson kept him in camp anyway, wanting a closer look at the youngster he clearly rated. It was a teaser, not the main event.

Now the passport is finally in his hand. The wait is over. This extended four-game window offers him the chance to become an Ireland international in more than just spirit.

From Sligo streets to Scottish spotlight

Elding’s story is intertwined with Sligo. Like his father, he came through the Sligo Rovers academy and broke into the first team as a 17-year-old in October 2023. The step up did not faze him.

By 2025, he had exploded.

Sixteen goals and five assists in the Irish Premier Division marked him out as one of the league’s most dangerous young forwards. That output earned him the PFAI Young Player of the Year award and, inevitably, attention from outside Ireland.

Hibernian moved quickest. In January, the Scottish Premiership club signed him on a four-and-a-half-year deal, a clear statement that they saw him as a long-term project rather than a short-term gamble.

The adaptation to Scotland has been encouraging rather than spectacular, but crucially, it has been steady. Six goals in 22 games, with three in nine so far this campaign, underline a player adjusting to a higher level and still finding ways to affect games.

A taste of the big stage

That early summer call into the Ireland camp, even without the chance to play, was no token gesture. It was preparation.

“Definitely getting that experience with the first-team international set-up was massive,” Elding said in August, reflecting on his time with the squad.

He knew he was ineligible. He went anyway.

“Obviously I couldn't play the game but 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.”

That hunger struck a chord with Hallgrimsson. The Icelandic coach has now named him in a squad that faces Kosovo and Austria, with a double-header against Israel sandwiched in between across a demanding 12-day run.

This time, Elding is not just there to make up numbers in training. He is available. He is an option.

Competition, caution and clear belief

The pathway to minutes is not clear-cut. Elding is working his way back towards full sharpness after a recent injury and walks into a forward group already loaded with in-form and established options.

Troy Parrott, Adam Idah and Tom Cannon are ahead of him in the pecking order for now, and Hallgrimsson will not want to rush a young striker still building his body back up after a setback.

Yet the Ireland manager’s words leave no doubt about what he sees.

“He really impressed us with his attitude and his character and how he presented himself as a player,” Hallgrimsson said of Elding’s first taste of camp.

“He has been struggling with injury, he's been coming back, but you can see the quality this kid has.”

That is the crux of it. Ireland are not just rewarding potential; they are investing in it.

Elding’s debut might be a late cameo rather than a starring role. It might even be delayed again if fitness or game state dictate caution. But the paperwork is done, the passport is real, and the manager’s faith is public.

For a striker who grew up in Ireland, learned his game in Sligo and now tests himself in Scotland, the next step feels natural: to finally wear the green shirt in a competitive game.

After everything that has stalled him so far, how long before he makes that chance impossible to ignore?