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UEFA is seriously considering banning Israel from international football competitions.
According to ' The Times ', UEFA is considering suspending Israel from all international football competitions and a decision "is expected next week, with a majority of members expected to vote in favour", according to the British newspaper.
Such a decision would 'close the door to the 2026 World Cup' for Israel and exclude Maccabi Tel Aviv from the Europa League. Israeli Sports Minister Miki Zohar told Israeli media that he was "working with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent this move".
On Tuesday, UEFA's Executive Committee met to make a decision on the matter, with The Times reporting that members are "in favour of expulsion". Qatar, a major UEFA sponsor, is pushing for a drastic decision on Israel. On the other hand, Israel could seek the political support of Germany and Hungary, two countries that would have the power within UEFA to veto any proposed expulsion.
Israel has been drawn in Group I of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, alongside Italy. In this group, Norway leads with 15 points (with five matches played and a goal difference of +21) and is difficult to overtake by Italy who have 9 points (with four matches played and a goal difference of +5).
The exclusion of the Israeli team would almost automatically mean that Italy would qualify for the play-offs as the second place.
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