SHAH ALAM – With just eight months to go before the 2026 International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup kicks off across the United States (US), Mexico and Canada, the world football’s governing body has issued its response to growing calls for Israel to be banned from the tournament.
Since the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Palestine in October 2023, both fans and senior public figures urged FIFA and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to impose the same sanctions placed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Demands intensified further after the United Nations (UN) raised concerns and Euro 2024 champions Spain threatened to boycott the World Cup should Israel qualify.
Amnesty International recently added its voice to those urging FIFA and UEFA to ban Israel, echoing widespread criticism from civil society groups.
Reports had suggested that FIFA had been hesitant to act, with speculation that any decision could risk aggravating US President Donald Trump, who had openly supported Israel.
No official vote on the agenda
FIFA’s council meeting in Zurich, scheduled for Thursday, was expected to consider Israel’s participation.
However, according to a report by The Independent, the matter was not on the formal agenda. That meant no official vote could be taken on the calls to exclude Israel from the competition.
It remained possible that the topic could surface informally under the “miscellaneous” section of the meeting, but this would only allow for discussion, not a binding decision.
Despite the absence of an official agenda item, FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani, who was also president of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf), shared his perspective on the debate.
“First and foremost, Israel is a member of UEFA, no different than I have to deal with a member of my region for whatever reason. They have to deal with that. And I respect not only their process but whatever decision they make,” he said.
Reports had suggested that several senior UEFA officials were pushing for an emergency executive committee meeting to discuss Israel’s potential suspension.
However, these plans were shelved after Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to pursue a peace deal, delaying any immediate decisions.
The controversy highlighted the growing intersection between global politics and football.
With Spain threatening a boycott, human rights organisations applying pressure and FIFA yet to table the issue formally, the debate over Israel’s participation in the 2026 World Cup remained unresolved.