Israel: UEFA and FIFA’s bone of contention

The exclusion of Israeli clubs and the national team by European football’s governing body UEFA remains up in the air despite strong pressure from various quarters for Israel to stop participating in European competitions.

As things stand, despite rumours in many outlets, there is no scheduled UEFA extraordinary Executive Committee meeting for the week ahead.

At present, the Israeli national side will play two World Cup qualifying matches against Norway and Italy next week with both opponents two of the stronger voices of dissent and both nations will use the games to make their positions clear on the Israeli government’s policy in the Gaza strip.

UEFA’s fear is that, at some point, one of the federations facing the Israeli national side will refuse to play the game as a means of protest against the regime and the nation’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Putting Israel’s future within European football to a vote within its Executive Committee is not ruled out, although the Israeli press announced on Monday that the local federation has been notified otherwise.

If the exclusion were to be implemented (a simple majority would be required), Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Israeli national teams participating in UEFA competitions would be immediately eliminated from their respective tournaments.

Banning Israel from competing in the World Cup qualifiers is a different matter given that the organisation for that tournament comes under the jurisdiction of FIFA, (despite the qualifying rounds being organized by UEFA). Therefore, it should be FIFA and not UEFA that gives the order to expel Israel from the World Cup as well, and this raises many more questions than answers.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, has forged a close relationship with U.S president Trump with the 2026 World Cup set to be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States and it’s difficult to conceive that FIFA would take steps against U.S. ally in Israel.

The FIFA Council will meet on Thursday, and the proposal to exclude Israel, spearheaded by the Palestinian Football Federation, has been on the table for years. FIFA, in an effort to avoid conflicts of interest with its own business, has been postponing the decision time and again.

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.

Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.