Hibernian striker Owen Elding has been named in the Republic of Ireland Under-21 squad for their crucial European Championship play-off against Finland.
The 20-year-old drops down from the senior set-up despite earning his first full international cap during the previous window, with Jim Crawford calling on the forward for the two-legged tie.
Your Under-21s squad for the Play-Offs with Finland 🇮🇪🇫🇮 Owen Elding and Matteo Egan with a first U21 call-up and there’s a return for Gbemi Arubi ☘️ A trip to Finland first before the home leg in Cork 💚 Fri, Nov 13 | 🇫🇮 v 🇮🇪 Tue, Nov 17 | 🇮🇪 v 🇫🇮 🔗 https://t.co/yNf9UrkEqH https://t.co/8xobYPhaF5
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) November 5, 2026
Elding made his senior Republic of Ireland debut in September, coming off the bench for the closing stages of a 1-0 Nations League defeat to Kosovo in Pristina.
It represented a significant milestone for the Hibs attacker, who had previously trained with Heimir Hallgrimsson's senior squad before becoming eligible to play following the completion of his Irish citizenship process.
Elding will now switch his attention to Under-21 duty as Ireland bid to secure their place at the European Championship.
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Ireland travel to Finland for the first leg against Finland on Friday, November 13, with kick-off scheduled for 4.15pm. The sides then meet again at Turner's Cross in Cork on Tuesday, November 17, with the return leg kicking off at 5.45pm.
Ireland reached the play-offs on the back of three consecutive qualifying victories, culminating in an impressive 3-1 win over reigning European champions England.
Elding will now hope to make his senior international experience count as the Under-21s attempt to book their place at the finals.
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