Spain, one of the favourites to lift the FIFA World Cup 2026 hosted by the U.S., Canada & Mexico, have threatened to pull out if Israel is among the contesting nations. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Israel, just like Russia, should not be allowed to compete in international sports events because of its military campaign in Gaza. He may also consider boycotting the edition of the tournament if Israel makes it past the qualification stage, reports suggest.
"The sports organizations should consider whether it's ethical for Israel to keep participating in international competitions. Why expel Russia after the invasion of Ukraine and not expel Israel after the invasion of Gaza? Sanchez said. Until the barbarity ends, neither Russia nor Israel should be in any international competition," he reportedly asked.
Worst-case scenario, the World Cup may have to go ahead without La Roja, one of the most promising and talented teams on the planet today. Fans will have to wait another four years to see Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Gavi together on the field for the game's ultimate glory. However, things are not simple for Israel to qualify for the tournament. They are in a tough group, battling a tough scenario. It is more likely for Ran Ben Shimon-managed team to crash out of the qualification stage than crash out. Here is how the things stand as Israel look to secure their first World Cup qualification since 1970:
Israel is pooled along with Italy, Norway, Estonia, and Moldova in Group I of the UEFA Qualifiers.
- While the winner of each group directly qualifies for the World Cup, the second-placed teams go into a play-off round. Thus, a third-place finish or lower means elimination from qualification.
- As it stands, Israel sits third in its group behind Norway and Italy with nine points. Israel's next three group games can ultimately decide whether they will be on the plane to North America or not. These games will decide the fate of the group standings as they take on:
1.Norway away October 11, 2025
2.Italy away on October 14, 2025
3. Moldova home on November 16, 2025
- Italy are currently level on points with Israel but are second in the table since they have a game in hand and enjoy a supreme goal difference over Israel. So the Eli Dasa-led team can afford no slip-ups against Norway or the Azzurri in particular.
- If Israel manage to win all three games, they will have 18 points in all. Also, Norway, who currently has a six-point lead, need to lose their other games as well. Since this is highly unlikely, a direct qualification is out of the picture for Israel.
- A comparatively realistic path is to finish second and secure a place in the play-offs. For that, as mentioned before, they need to win all their remaining matches, including tough fixtures against Norway and Italy. Also, Italy will have to repeat its recent history of a poor showing in World Cup qualification to clear the path for Israel.
- Once they have done their part well by securing all full points, Israel should hope for the four-time World Cup winners to perform poorly.