United Nations experts have urged FIFA and UEFA to suspend the Israeli national team, in reaction to the “unfolding genocide” in Gaza, from international football tournaments. This comes after Spanish government officials threatened to withdraw their national team, who are among the favourites to reign supreme, from the 2026 World Cup.
As things stand, Russia are the only country that have been banned from competing in major international competition – but as we approach next summer, there are concerns over whether Israel, too, should be prevented from being represented on the international stage. At the time of writing, they are third, behind Norway and Italy, in Group I.
Israel are currently six points off Erling Haaland and Co as they look to secure themselves a spot in next summer’s international showpiece and their tally of nine points means they are well-placed to secure a play-off spot with three matches left of qualifying. UN, however, have called on competition organisers to suspend Ran Ben Shimon’s side from competing.
Not only at the 2026 World Cup, which will be the first edition to incorporate 36 nations, but the UN – an international organisation which was founded in 1945 as a means of maintaining international peace – are asking, in the 2026 World Cup and beyond, for Israel to be banned from competing internationally in football entirely.
In a press release, the group of eight human rights experts released the following statement in response to the war in Gaza. They wrote: “Sports must reject the perception that it is business as usual. Sporting bodies must not turn a blind eye to grave human rights violations, especially when their platforms are used to normalise injustices.
“We are clear that the boycott must be addressed to the State of Israel and not to individual players. We have always mantained that individuals cannot bear the consequences of the decisions their government makes, so there should be no discrimination or sanctions against individual players because of their origin or nationality. National teams representing States that commit massive human rights violations can and should be suspended, as has happened in the past.”
Their article also states that private international organisations, which include FIFA and UEFA, are bound by international human rights law in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. As mentioned earlier, Spain’s current governing political party, PSOE, are not ruling out the possibility of boycotting the international competition in the United States, Mexico and Canada next summer.
At the ‘Together for Palestine’ concert in London, Manchester United and France hero Eric Cantona also urged football’s decision-makers to take action by banning Israel from the World Cup. “I know that international football is more than just sport, it is culture, it is political, it is soft power,” he claimed before saying that Israel shouldn’t have the privilege of being able to compete.
“In a way that a country represents itself on a global stage, the time has come to suspend Israel from that privilege. Four days after Russia started a war in Ukraine, FIFA and UEFA suspended Russia. We are not 716 days into what Amnesty International have called a genocide – and yet Israel continue to be allowed to participate.”