US President Donald Trump has said his administration “will work to stop any effort to ban Israel from the [FIFA] World Cup” ahead of a crucial UEFA vote previously scheduled for this week.
The clamour to exclude Israel has been spreading amongst executive committee members since the United Nations declared their war on Gaza a genocide (16.09.2025), but Trump’s recent 20-point ‘peace-plan’ has brought a pause to proceedings.
Officials feel it would be unwise to cast any decisions whilst peace talks are ongoing, with FIFA keen to allow European football to lead the motion.
Despite any potential vote, Israel are currently third in their UEFA qualifying group and so would not progress to America if they cannot surmount Italy or Norway ahead of them.
Israel have been allowed to compete under the European umbrella regardless of their geographical location since 1991, after their expulsion from the Asian Football Confederation in 1974 as regional nations refused to play them.
The tournament is set to be played across Mexico, Canada, and the USA in 2026; it’s rumoured that Trump could look to further exercise his power as the leader of its primary host.
White House FIFA World Cup Taskforce head Andrew Giuliani told Politico last month: “The president knows that soccer is so important to so many countries better than anybody, and I think he’s willing to utilize whatever he has.”
Trump has looked to tempt Russia into a ceasefire with Ukraine by giving them the conditional opportunity to compete, whereas the Iranians are expected to be blocked from traveling to the United States as the American President continues his aggressive attitude towards Iran.
