The United States government has announced it will oppose any attempts to ban Israel from participating in the 2026 World Cup. Calls for sporting sanctions against Israel have grown amid accusations of genocide in Gaza.
In a statement released to multiple media outlets on Thursday, a US State Department spokesperson affirmed, “We will absolutely work to fully stop any effort to attempt to ban Israel’s national football team from the World Cup.”
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be hosted jointly by the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that UEFA, the European soccer governing body, is moving toward a vote to suspend Israel’s football federation over the conflict in Gaza, according to sources familiar with the proposal.
A majority of UEFA’s 20-member executive committee is expected to back a vote in favor of suspending Israeli teams from international competitions, two anonymous sources told the Associated Press due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Such a suspension would bar Israeli national and club teams from participating in international competitions, including next year’s World Cup. Israel’s men’s team is set to resume its World Cup qualifying campaign in two weeks with away matches against Norway and Italy.
Israel currently sits third in their UEFA-organized World Cup qualifying group with nine points, trailing the group leaders Norway by six points.
The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup, while the second-placed teams advance to the play-offs.
It remains unclear whether FIFA will support excluding Israel, given the close relationship between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and US President Donald Trump. The Trump administration’s assistance in securing the World Cup and facilitating visas for players, officials, and potentially hundreds of thousands of visiting fans is seen as crucial for FIFA to successfully deliver the tournament in the US, Canada, and Mexico next year.
FIFA’s ruling council, consisting of 37 members including eight from UEFA, is scheduled to meet in Zurich next week.
Al Jazeera highlighted that Russia was banned by both UEFA and FIFA in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine. However, despite numerous allegations of war crimes and the UN’s declaration that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, Israel has continued to participate in international football events.
Calls to exclude Israel from soccer and other sports have intensified in recent weeks amid global outrage over the humanitarian impact of its military campaign in Gaza. Last week, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that Israel should be banned from international sports events, similar to Russia’s suspension following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
(With inputs from AP.)