Both the Norway FA and the Israel FA have now issued statements.
The Israel Football Association issued a statement following Norway’s announcement that it would give proceeds from the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifier between the two countries to ‘a humanitarian purpose’ in Gaza.
On October 11, the two nations will face off in Oslo.
Norway currently leads Group H after winning all four of their games, with Israel in second with six points from three matches.
With Italy three points behind Norway in third place but two games in hand, the outcome of the match might determine who qualifies automatically for the World Cup.
So far, Norway has won 3-0 over Italy in June and 4-2 away against Israel in March.
The Norwegian Football Federation has declared that all proceeds from the sale of tickets for the game will be donated to a ‘humanitarian purpose’ in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
According to the Gaza health ministry, more than 80,000 individuals have died in Gaza since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October 2023, including 17,000 children.
The situation in the region has been described as deteriorating, with the United Nations stating that Gaza has reached two of the three famine criteria for food intake and acute malnutrition.
It has called for much more humanitarian aid to be let into Gaza, characterizing the current situation as ‘a calamity unfolding in front of our eyes’.
Now, Norwegian FA president Lise Klaveness has stated: “Neither we nor other organisations can remain oblivious to the humanitarian suffering and disproportionate attacks that the civilian population in Gaza has been exposed to for a long time.
“Israel participates in FIFA and UEFA competitions, and we must cope with this. But we want to donate the earnings to a humanitarian agency that saves lives in Gaza every day and provides active emergency relief on the ground.”
Klaveness demanded ‘an urgent halt to the disproportionate attacks on innocent civilians in Gaza’ in December.
The Israel FA has now issued a caustic comment to The Telegraph.
The statement reads: “We do not generally advise associations on how to spend match revenue, even if it is acquired as a result of a match against our proud national team, but we will vary from that practice this time.
“It would be nice if some of the money was directed to try to find a condemnation by the Norwegian FA of the October 7 massacre that claimed the lives of hundreds of Israeli citizens and children, or action in favor of the release of 50 hostages – and please ensure that the money is not transferred to terrorist organizations or whale hunting.
“We are also aiming to gain three points.”
While the 2026 World Cup qualifications are just getting started in Europe, they are nearly finished in Asia.
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Palestine, with the majority of its squad now playing domestic football outside of the country, advanced to the third round but placed fifth in their six-team group after ten matches, with the worst two teams unable to advance further in the competition.
In their final match, they drew 1-1 with Oman thanks to a dubious injury-time penalty, which eliminated them and sent Oman through. The Palestine Football Association described the penalty ruling as ‘obviously unfair’.
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