SCOTLAND are set to play Israel behind closed doors in the Fifa Women's World Cup Qualifiers next month, it has been announced.
Melissa Andreatta's side will complete their Group B4 campaign with both the home and away games against Israel taking place at the Bozsik Arena in Budapest.
The first game will take place on Friday, June 5 at 5pm and the second on Tuesday, June 9 at 6pm.
READ MORE: Major campaign launched to boycott Israeli football teams amid Gaza genocide
Uefa, the European football governing body, has said that no matches can be held in Israel due to security reasons.
But the Scottish FA has not explained why the "home" game is not being played in Scotland, with a spokesperson simply saying that "the decision to play both matches at a neutral venue ... is in line with the other teams in Group B4".
It comes after the Scotland v Israel Euro 2025 qualifying game at Hampden in 2024 was temporarily postponed after a pro-Palestine protester chained themselves to a goalpost over Israel's continued participation in the competition despite the country's actions in Gaza, which the UN has determined constitutes a genocide.
The National told last year how campaigners had urged Scotland's women's team to refuse to play Israel in the World Cup qualifiers.
Elsewhere, Uefa is under increasing pressure to ban the Israeli national side and all of its clubs from competition amid Israel's brutal onslaught on Gaza.
READ MORE: Major campaign launched to boycott Israeli football teams amid Gaza genocide
When previously asked whether the Scottish FA would boycott the matches, a spokesperson said last year that "to refuse to play would forfeit both matches and negatively impact the prospects of our women's national team".
They added: "The Scottish FA is acutely aware of the suffering and devastation experienced in Gaza.
"We are not insulated from the emotional weight of that reality, nor immune to the moral urgency expressed by the supporters, campaigners and wider civic society who have been in touch following the draw against Israel.
"At the same time, we are a national association operating under membership of Fifa and Uefa and bound by their statutes.
"Member associations do not have unilateral discretion to choose who they will or will not play against, which is why we are obliged to fulfil our fixtures."
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