Palestine sets sights on FIFA World Cup 2026 despite Israel’s war on Gaza

Israel’s war on Gaza and restrictions in the occupied West Bank have ‘paralysed everything’, say Palestinian football officials.

Palestine’s quest to qualify for their first FIFA World Cup underlines the team’s determination to overcome the devastation caused by Israel’s war on Gaza, the president of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) has said.

The PFA have faced obstacles to on-field success that few other national teams have come up against, even before the latest Israeli military offensive on Gaza launched on October 7, 2023 following Hamas’s attacks on Israel’s southern border.

Coach Makram Daboub and his squad, however, have confounded the odds and retain a chance of representing Palestine at the 2026 finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“The restrictions on our movement, the suffocating policies by the Israelis have paralysed everything,” PFA President Jibril Rajoub said in an interview with the Reuters news agency.

“We suspended everything, including the national league, but in spite of this we have insisted on continuing our participation in competitions, and that includes the World Cup qualification.

“We have a real problem because we could not bring any athletes from Gaza, and tens of them have lost their lives. In Gaza all sport facilities have been destroyed, including most of the clubs, the stadiums and everything are destroyed.

“In the West Bank, they are suffocating us, we cannot do anything. But this is our determination, our commitment.”

Israeli military’s attacks against Palestinians have also surged in the occupied West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza and have killed at least 747 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials.

In October, the United Nations said Israeli forces had killed 165 children in the occupied West Bank over the past year.

‘We have to overcome with our determination’

While the expanded 48-team format for the 2026 finals offered a golden opportunity for the likes of Palestine to play in the showpiece tournament, plenty of work remains to be done if they are to secure a spot.

Bottom of Group B with two points from four matches, Palestine renew their campaign against Oman in Muscat on November 14 before “hosting” South Korea five days later.

It has been five years since Palestine have been able to host an international in Jerusalem and their clash with the group-leading Koreans will take place in Jordan’s capital Amman.

“It will never be like home,” Rajoub said. “We like Jordan, we like Amman but we like to play in Jerusalem, we like to play in our home but this is what we have.

“We cannot play at home and this is financially [difficult]. For the first time we will play in Jordan, which is close. I hope some of our fans from Palestine can come.

“We have the right to host. We have to overcome with our determination, our people’s resilience, our commitment. We have no other choice.”

A trip to the World Cup would help ease those financial pressures – each team in Qatar two years ago went home with at least $9m – and Palestine have already had some encouraging results in the third phase of Asian qualifying.

A surprise 0-0 draw with the South Koreans in Seoul in their group opener in September was followed by a draw against Kuwait last month.

A South Korean fan, at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, holds a banner that reads ‘South Korea and Palestine let’s go to the World Cup together’ during an AFC region qualifying match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 [File: Kim Soo-Hyeon/Reuters]

While securing a direct ticket to the finals is unlikely, Palestine could advance to another round of playoffs with a third- or fourth-placed finish in the group and are currently only a point behind fourth-placed Oman.

“I think they are doing well,” Rajoub said of the team. “This is the first time in our history we have qualified for the third phase in spite of the situation.

“We don’t have a national league so it’s not easy. Some athletes have lost their lives or their colleagues or mentors or coaches. This also, psychologically, will have an effect but despite this we are trying and playing well.

“It could also be a source of motivation for the athletes.”

Palestine players line up during the national anthems before their match against Jordan in Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia [File: Hasnoor Hussain/Reuters]

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Al Jazeera and news agencies