Amid the qualifying campaign, calls are growing louder and putting international football governing bodies under pressure, especially after a UN Human Rights Council-mandated commission of inquiry examined the situation in mid-September.
Just one week after this announcement, a group of about thirty UN-appointed experts issued a press release stating that Israel must be excluded from international football – UEFA and FIFA – in response to the situation, arguing that sports bodies must consider human rights issues. During this period, Palestinian athletes are also affected.
Palestinian football, a target for Israel
Over the past two years, among the war victims, the Israeli military has killed approximately 898 Palestinian athletes, including at least 420 footballers. Among them are Hani Al-Masdar, assistant coach of the Palestinian national football team, Mohammed Barakat, star striker of the national team, and Suleiman Al-Obeid, killed last August 6th while waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip.
The death of this 41-year-old footballer caused a major stir. UEFA reacted by posting on social media: Farewell to Suleiman Al-Obeid. A talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest times. A message that prompted a reaction from Liverpool’s Egyptian star Mohamed Salah.
With each escalation of violence, Israel also deliberately targets sports infrastructure – nearly 290 over two years in the Palestinian enclave and the occupied West Bank. In August 2024, the famous Yarmouk stadium in Gaza City was directly targeted by the Israeli army. Nothing remains of it today. Inaugurated in 1952 and rebuilt many times, this 9,000-seat stadium became a refuge for Gaza residents from the start of this new war.
In early October 2025, the headquarters of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), located in East Jerusalem, was targeted by tear gas fired by the Israeli military. The PFA states that sports facilities have been deliberately destroyed and athletes have been prevented from traveling and participating in regional and international tournaments, in flagrant violation of international laws and conventions.
Federations, politicians, and citizen movements up in arms
For decades, Palestinian rights advocates have called for Israel’s ban from world football competitions. And since the start of the 2023 war, despite restrictions, football fans have been displaying flags and tifos in support of Palestinians in stadiums worldwide.