Mainz's Paul Nebel could switch international allegiance to Ireland

June 16, 2025

FSV Mainz star Paul Nebel revealed the FAI have stepped up pursuits to try and switch his international allegiance to Ireland.

The 22-year-old scored ten goals and added six assists in the Bundesliga this season for Mainz who ended the campaign in sixth to qualify for the Europa Conference League.

Nebel started 26 of his 31 league appearances, playing a key role in the club’s impressive resurgence after finishing 13th the year prior and the German-born winger has been on the Irish radar for some time.

Born in Bad Nauheim, Germany, Nebel qualifies to play for Ireland through his maternal grandmother and recently spoke about the association’s attempts to get him in a green shirt as soon as possible.

“After the season, they [the FAI] started courting me more intensively. That’s nice.

“If things don’t work out with the DFB at some point, then I’ll have to think about it, because Ireland is also in my heart.”

The youngster has represented Germany at underage level since 2017 and is currently a part of the squad at the Under 21 European Championships, even getting on the scoresheet in a 4-2 win over the Czech Republic on Sunday.

Nebel could be getting his hands on silverware very shortly as Germany are joint favourites with Spain and England to win the tournament according to the top betting sites in Ireland.

In an interview with the Irish Sun earlier this year, Nebel went into detail regarding his grandmother Maura, born in Dublin and his Irish roots.

“My grandmother’s name is Maura, she was born and raised in Dublin and came to Germany in her early 20s.

“Here, she met my grandfather and they had a family. She lives in Germany the majority of the time but still flies to Ireland quite often as she still has relatives there and a house, where we used to vacation when we were kids.

“When I was younger, I was there every year. We went on holiday at my grandmother’s house and visited the Irish side of our family. We always had a marvellous time.

“The thing that sticks out to me most is the amazingly lush nature. They did not name Ireland the Emerald Isle for nothing.

“I usually spend a lot of time outdoors when I am in Ireland. For me, the beautiful landscapes are the ideal place to relax and get my mind off of things.”

Heimir Hallgrimsson’s current Ireland squad features a handful of players who weren’t born in the country such as Sammie Szmodics, Kasey McAteer and John Joe Patrick Finn.