Israel’s national football team is having a difficult road to Qatar. They’re fired up to clinch their first entry into a major tournament since 1970. Israel sits in third place in their World Cup qualifying group. They now sit in third place, six points behind leaders Norway and level on points with second-placed Italy, but Italy has one game in hand. Our home team has some big games coming up! First up, they’ll face Norway away on the 11th of October, before facing hosts Italy on the 14th in Udine.
Unfortunately, the road to qualification is complicated and contentious. Arab Football Jibril Rajoub, president of the Palestinian Football Association, has been quite vocal in advocating sanctions against Israel. I don’t think that Israelis should have the opportunity to take part in any games, and that means competitions both in UEFA and FIFA. ”Israel have undermined equality, non-discrimination, respect for fundamental rights and FIFA’s statutes. That’s why I think Israel deserves to be sanctioned. And I trust UEFA if not in letter to at least go by the spirit of those statutes. It’s on them, then, to defend their own state statutes and laws.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has countered these allegations by calling Rajoub’s allegations “fake.” They claim that his claims are based solely on lies. Israel has long argued that its conflict is only with Hamas and not with the Palestinian people.
After weeks of escalating violence, the United States government announced a proposal to intervene. They’re just getting started, as they are completely undeterred at being banned from competing in the next World Cup. The men’s 2026 World Cup is set to be the biggest ever! All but one of the matches will be played in the United States, with the possibility of Israel joining the tournament.
Israel has even bigger games on their calendar aside from the World Cup qualifiers. Maccabi Tel Aviv is the only Israeli club remaining in UEFA’s club competitions this season. Against this backdrop, the national team is preparing for another round of Europa League action against Dinamo Zagreb, Midtjylland and Aston Villa on Nov. 6.
Moshe Zuares, head of the Israel Football Association, noted that on the field of play the fighting should not affect their football operations. He shared his prayer for peace: “I truly wish the war must stop. I pray and I wish every day for that. I hope to live as neighbors peacefully with all.” We aren’t against the Palestinian people, we are only against Hamas. I do not believe that ending football will make a positive difference.
Israel, meanwhile, is preparing for their crossroads matches in October and beyond. Now, the intersection of sports and politics is defining its path to what could be a historic qualification for the World Cup.
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