Séamus Coleman Rules Out UEFA Nations League Participation

Séamus Coleman plans to play on for Ireland – but not yet.

The veteran defender has ruled himself out of the upcoming UEFA Nations League window, with Republic of Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson revealing Coleman felt it would be “unfair” to take a place in the squad while he remains without a club.

Coleman’s 17-year stay at Everton ended at the close of last season, bringing down the curtain on one of the Premier League’s most enduring captaincies. The Donegal native turns 38 next month and, like international team-mate Robbie Brady, is still unattached as the new campaign beds in.

He has been training alone to stay in shape, as he outlined on the Stick To Football podcast earlier this month, but his name was missing when Hallgrimsson read out his squad on Thursday for Ireland’s four opening Nations League fixtures.

The manager stressed that absence should not be mistaken for a farewell.

“My intention, in whatever shape or form that will be, he will be with us in the future, hopefully as a player. His intention is to play, he is keeping fit but he hasn't been training with a club or with a team,” Hallgrimsson said at his press conference, confirming both Coleman and Brady are actively looking for new clubs.

The decision to step aside for this window, Hallgrimsson explained, came from the player.

“We felt, together, it was more his decision that it was appropriate he would sit out this one. Mostly because he felt it was unfair to other players that he would be picked at this moment.”

Injuries, returns and a long road back

One absentee was fully expected. Captain Nathan Collins misses out after a calf injury picked up with Brentford earlier this month. Hallgrimsson, though, expects the defender to be back in club colours once the international break is over.

There was a flicker of better news around two long-term casualties. Evan Ferguson and Josh Cullen have not featured for Ireland since November 2025, the Brighton striker sidelined by ankle problems and the midfielder by a cruciate knee ligament injury.

Hallgrimsson suggested the November window could finally mark their return.

“They will probably start training on the grass with (their club teams) after the FIFA window sometime. So maybe next camp is their time,” he said.

He has also called up Bosun Lawal, the versatile Stoke City player with one senior cap, even though Lawal is currently injured and unlikely to play a major role in this window.

“He is injured at the moment, but we still rate him that highly,” Hallgrimsson said.

“We still want him in the camp, being with us and around us. I don't expect him to play much.

“But we are in collaboration with Stoke City, just to see how much he can do and will load him and hopefully he can take some part in the end of this camp.

“But we rate him that highly that we think it is necessary for him to be around the squad.”

Israel fixtures cast a shadow

On the pitch, Ireland open away to Kosovo in Pristina next Thursday. What follows is more complicated.

Their second group game is the first of two controversial fixtures against Israel, both moved to neutral venues – one in Hungary, the other in Serbia. The political and moral weight around those matches has not been ignored inside the Ireland camp.

Hallgrimsson said he made a point of speaking to every player individually about the games.

“I have spoken to all of them individually on that, because you shouldn't be doing this (in) a group talk,” he said.

“And obviously we have different opinions, different strength of opinion. I think it's best to say, without going into individual (situations), none of us feel comfortable playing these games.

“But once we have decided to play them, we all stick together and play as one, and we want to represent Ireland with the best games and performances that we can.

“So that's just that's the agreement between all of us. But obviously, we don't have to all share the same opinion, and that's just human nature.”

Momentum to protect in a changing Nations League

Away from the politics, Hallgrimsson is intent on protecting something more fragile: momentum.

UEFA’s restructure of the Nations League will see the competition move from four tiers to three, with sides in League B no longer facing automatic relegation to League C. The safety net is bigger now, but Hallgrimsson is not interested in drifting.

“(There are) lots of reasons why we want to do really well in these Nations League matches,” he said.

Ireland arrive in this window unbeaten in seven. They are conceding fewer goals. The manager points to the internal metrics that back up what the results suggest – performances are trending upwards.

“Again, the importance of this moment, these games, we are on a good run, we are on a positive spiral, we (would) like to keep that going, (and) have not lost in the last seven matches. Long may that continue.

“We are conceding less goals and all the metrics that we are using to kind of look at how our performance is improving.”

So Coleman waits, training alone, searching for a club while the team he has captained moves into a crucial stretch without him. The door is open for his return. The question now is whether Ireland’s resurgence will still be gathering pace when he walks back through it.