By Tass
Copyright tass
MADRID, September 17. /TASS/. The Spanish national football team may boycott the 2026 FIFA World Cup if the Israeli team qualifies for the world championship, Spain’s Marca daily reported on Wednesday citing Patxi Lopez, a spokesperson for the Socialist Group in Congress.
The Spanish government’s position comes amid an ongoing debate about Israel’s participation in international sports competitions. At a press conference in Congress, Lopez called on sports organizations to exclude Israeli athletes from international competitions.
“We will consider this option [skipping the 2026 World Cup],” the daily quoted Lopez as saying.
The statutes of the world’s governing body of football, FIFA, and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) prohibit government interference in the affairs of national federations.
Spain is currently at the top of its 2026 World Cup qualifying Group E with six points after two matches. The Israeli team has nine points in five matches and is third in qualifying Group I. The Spanish national team will play its next match against the team from Georgia. The Israeli national team will play against the Norwegian squad. Both matches will be played on October 11.
Group winners will automatically qualify for next year’s World Cup. The second-place teams will be eligible to play in the play-off matches to qualify for the world championship.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States. The matches will be staged in 16 cities across the three countries. This will be the first FIFA World Cup featuring 48 teams instead of the previous 32-team format.
