In response to the “unfolding genocide” in Gaza, United Nations experts have called on FIFA and UEFA to ban the Israeli national team from participating in international football competitions. This follows threats from Spanish government officials to pull their national team—one of the favourites to win the 2026 World Cup—from the competition.
Russia is now the only nation prohibited from participating in major international competitions, but as next summer draws near, there are questions over whether Israel should also be barred from participating internationally. They are currently in third place in Group I, behind Italy and Norway.
Group I Standings for the World Cup Qualifiers
Place
Group
played
Points
1.
Norway
5.
15.
2.
Italy
4.
9.
3.
Israel
5.
9.
4.
Estonia
5.
3.
5.
Moldova
5.
0
As they attempt to guarantee their place in the world showcase next summer, Israel is presently six points behind Erling Haaland and company. With three games remaining in qualifying, their nine-point total puts them in a strong position to guarantee a play-off spot. However, the UN has demanded that the competition’s organisers exclude Ran Ben Shimon’s team from participating.
FIFA and UEFA Should Prohibit Israel from Football Competitions, the UN Demands
In addition to the 2026 World Cup, which will be the first to include 36 countries, the United Nations, an international organisation established in 1945 to uphold world peace, is calling for Israel to be completely prohibited from playing football internationally in 2026 and beyond.
In reaction to the conflict in Gaza, the eight-member panel of human rights experts issued the following statement in a press release. They wrote: “Sports must deny the idea that everything is going as usual. Sporting organisations must not ignore serious human rights abuses, particularly when those abuses are made more commonplace by their platforms.
We are adamant that the State of Israel, not specific players, must be the target of the boycott. Individual players should not be subjected to prejudice or punishment according to their nationality or place of origin since we have always maintained that people cannot suffer the repercussions of the actions made by their government. As has been done in the past, national teams representing states that engage in serious human rights abuses can and need to be suspended.
In line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, their essay also claims that private international bodies, such as FIFA and UEFA, are subject to international human rights legislation. As previously stated, PSOE, the present ruling party in Spain, has not ruled out boycotting the international competition in the US, Mexico, and Canada next summer.
Eric Cantona, a hero of Manchester United and France, also called on football’s decision-makers to act by prohibiting Israel from the World Cup during the ‘Together for Palestine’ performance in London. He asserted, “I know that international football is more than just sport, it is culture, it is political, it is soft power,” before asserting that Israel shouldn’t be granted the opportunity to participate.
The time has come to deny Israel the privilege of representing itself on the international scene. FIFA and UEFA suspended Russia four days after it began a conflict in Ukraine. Even after 716 days of what Amnesty International has referred to as a genocide, Israel is still permitted to take part.
In an interview with POLITICO, UEFA head Aleksander Ceferin stated that he opposes sportsmen being prohibited from playing sports since he feels they are not responsible for such circumstances. “Seeing all the children and civilians dead makes me wonder how a politician who can do so much to stop the slaughter anywhere can sleep at night,” he remarked. “I don’t comprehend it. Football, you know, ought to be the answer to these issues? No way.
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