Owen Elding's Journey to International Football
Owen Elding had been waiting years for this. Not for the phone call from Heimir Hallgrimsson – that came in the summer – but for the small, crucial document that finally lets him pull on a green shirt for real.
A passport. And a ceremony delayed by fuel protests.
From training player to full international
The Hibernian striker has been named in the Republic of Ireland senior squad for the start of their Nations League campaign, his first official call-up after months stuck in international limbo.
The 20-year-old was brought into Hallgrimsson’s group for friendlies against Qatar and Canada in May and June, but only as a training player. He could train, listen, learn, make his mark around the camp. He could not play.
At that stage, Elding was still waiting on his Irish citizenship to be finalised. The paperwork was in, the case progressing, but the final step – a mandatory citizenship ceremony – never happened. Fuel protests across the Republic in April forced its cancellation, leaving him ineligible and watching from the sidelines as Ireland took the field.
The manager kept him in anyway, wanting a closer look at the young forward and a chance to bed him into the environment early. For Elding, it was a tantalising taste.
“Definitely getting that experience with the first-team international set-up was massive,” he said in August. He knew he couldn’t play, 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.”
Now, with citizenship granted and passport in hand, the door is finally open.
English-born, Irish raised
Elding’s story is a familiar one in modern international football, but with its own twist.
Born in England, he has lived in the Republic of Ireland since the age of six, when his family moved after his father Anthony signed for Sligo Rovers. Residency makes him eligible for the national team, but it was only last year that he began the formal process of applying for Irish citizenship.
The delay turned surreal when those fuel protests intervened, wiping out the ceremony that would have rubber-stamped his status. A bureaucratic footnote, but one that cost him a first cap in the last international window.
That obstacle is gone now. The timing is ideal.
Hallgrimsson has named him in a squad facing Kosovo and Austria, with a double-header against Israel sandwiched in between during a demanding 12-day run. It’s a serious schedule, and Elding is stepping into a serious forward line.
Sligo roots, Scottish stage
Like his father before him, Elding came through the Sligo Rovers academy and broke into the first team as a teenager. He made his debut at 17 in October 2023, then exploded in the 2025 Irish Premier Division season.
Sixteen goals. Five assists. A PFAI Young Player of the Year award. One of those seasons that changes a career.
Clubs across the water took notice. In January this year, Hibernian moved decisively, signing him on a four-and-a-half-year deal. The Scottish Premiership has already had a glimpse of what he can do.
Six goals in 22 games so far, three of those in nine appearances in the current campaign, have underlined his potential. Not yet a finished product, but clearly a forward on the rise.
Winning over Hallgrimsson
His summer stint as a non-playing squad member did more than just whet his appetite. It convinced the national-team manager.
“He really impressed us with his attitude and his character and how he presented himself as a player,” Hallgrimsson said of the youngster. The Icelander has not been shy in his praise.
There is a note of caution. Elding has been working his way back from a recent injury and is still chasing full fitness. He also walks into a crowded attacking department, competing with in-form and established forwards Troy Parrott, Adam Idah and Tom Cannon.
Game time in this window may be limited. The pecking order is not easily shifted. But Hallgrimsson’s decision to bring him back in, now that he is eligible, is a clear signal: this is not a token inclusion.
“He has been struggling with injury, he’s been coming back, but you can see the quality this kid has,” the manager added.
The wait for a ceremony is over. The passport is sorted. The question now is simple: how quickly can Owen Elding turn promise into presence on the international stage?
