Battlefield Gaza moves to the World Cup

That the FIFA World Cup 2026 is not all fun-and-games, but rather serious business, should be news to no sports fan. But this year, it's turning into a veritable battlefield — almost literally.

The Italian Soccer Coaches' Association (AIAC), for one, is advocating for Israel’s suspension from international competition due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

With Italy scheduled to face Israel in the pivotal World Cup qualifiers over the next two months, the AIAC has stated, “Israel must stop. Soccer must also take action.”

The association has sent a formal letter to the Italian soccer federation, requesting that this appeal be sent to the governing bodies of European and world soccer, calling for Israel’s suspension from matches.

Lending further gravity to the matter, Gabriele Gravina, who leads the Italian soccer federation, also holds the position of senior vice-president at UEFA.

UN special rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese cheered, "This is the Italy I belong to, respect and love: the one that chooses with its conscience and values, not with its fat wallet and ideologised brain.

"In the name of the rule-of-law [sic] and humanity, all the way."

In its letter, the AIAC wrote, “The AIAC Board of Directors unanimously believes that, given the daily massacres, which have also resulted in hundreds of deaths among managers, coaches, and athletes… it is legitimate, necessary, indeed a duty, to place at the centre of federation talks the request, to be submitted to UEFA and FIFA, for the temporary exclusion of Israel from sporting competitions.”

The letter adds, “Because the pain of the past cannot cloud anyone's conscience and humanity.”

Italy’s squad is scheduled to play Israel on neutral ground in Debrecen, Hungary on 8 September, followed by a home match in Udine on 14 October.

“We could just focus on playing, looking the other way. But we believe that is not right,” commented AIAC vice-president Giancarlo Camolese.

The Italian national team, or Azzurri, also faced Israel in Udine in October 2024 in a Nations League game that was marked by protests and heightened security, including snipers posted on the stadium roof.

Since then, conditions have worsened, with over 62,000 Palestinians reported killed in the 22-month conflict, leading to a dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza that experts warn is nearing famine.

Last week, the UN reported that hunger and malnutrition in Gaza are at unprecedented levels, from Israel’s retaliatory strikes and aid blockade following the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel — in which the militants kidnapped 251 people, mostly civilians, and left about 1,200 dead.

AIAC vice president Francesco Perondi said, “The world is in flames. Many people like the Palestinians are suffering.”

“Indifference is unacceptable,” he added.

Notably, as many activist have pointed out, Russia’s teams have remained suspended by UEFA and FIFA since the early days of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, as future opponents refused to play against them.

So far, no UEFA member team has refused to play Israel.

The AIAC drafted its letter after taking a vote around its boardroom — with unanimous agreement. The group represents around 18,000 individuals in the sport, including coaches and technical staff across all levels of Italian football, from Serie A down to amateur leagues.

A spokesperson, reports the Associated Press, said that while a full membership consultation was not held, “the letter of appeal represents the widespread feelings present within the large community of Italian coaches”.

Norway refuses to be ‘indifferent’ too

The soccer federation of Norway also announced it “cannot remain indifferent” to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and will contribute any profits from its upcoming World Cup qualifier against Israel to relief efforts there.

The match between Norway and Israel is set to take place in Oslo on 11 October.

“Neither we nor other organisations can remain indifferent to the humanitarian suffering and disproportionate attacks that the civilian population in Gaza has been subjected to for a long time,” Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness had stated on 19 August, Tuesday.

“We want to donate the proceeds to a humanitarian organisation that saves lives in Gaza every day and provides active emergency aid on the ground,” she said.

Ticket sales for the game start next week, but it's not yet known how much revenue the Norwegian federation expects from the event.

In response, the Israeli soccer federation urged its Norwegian counterpart to also denounce the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks and kidnappings.

According to a statement first reported by The Telegraph, the Israeli federation also called on Norway to “make sure that the money is not transferred to terrorist organisations or to whale hunting,” referencing a matter that has brought Norway international criticism.

Norway’s stance is nothing new, however — in fact, it is being regarded by some pro-Palestinian viewers as a dilution of its position of December 2024.

Last year, the Federation had said, "The Norwegian Football Federation stands with the Norwegian government's call for an immediate halt to the disproportionate attacks on innocent civilians in Gaza" — and had pledged not to compete against Israel in the qualifier games.

Klaveness has been reported as having said at the time, “None of us can remain indifferent to what is happening in Gaza, with Israel’s attacks on civilians, and this has been going on for a long time” — and like Italy, urged other football organisations to take a stance against Israel as well.

Now, for security preparations, the Federation is collaborating with UEFA and local police for the 11 October game to put extra precautions in place. It is expected that the crowd size will be cut by up to 3,000 seats to facilitate this. The Ullevaal Stadium normally welcomes 26,000 supporters for national team matches.

Due to ongoing security concerns since October 2023, Israel hasn’t hosted international football matches. Its recent ‘home’ qualifier against Norway in March actually took place in Hungary, a ‘neutral’ third space. Norway won 4–2.

Norway currently leads the five-nation qualifying group, with Israel in close pursuit.

Palestine's Football Association, meanwhile, has relocated to Chile to continue training — as far as it is able. Their loss to Oman in June pushed them out of contention for the FIFA World Cup.

However, not many football fans — or supporters of Palestine as a political entity — will soon forget the heartwrenching team selection video posted on YouTube in March, showing the players emerge out of the rubble that is the Gaza Strip.

On 6 August, former national team captain Sulaiman Al-Obeid, 41 years old, was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza while trying to receive aid for his five children.

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah was among the better-known voices in the world of football to criticise UEFA for its apparent complicity with or shielding of Israel, posting below its tribute post a question on "how he died, where, and why".

With 27 caps and dubbed the Palestinian Pele, he may have been one of the most accomplished of Palestine's footballers — but he was hardly the only one to have been killed.

Reportedly, as many as 344 young footballers have lost their lives in Gaza. For not everyone wants to leave their families to go play — and not everyone even can.

With AP inputs