Will Israel be banned from international soccer competitions?

Italian coaches are demanding Israel be barred from competing in the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

By World Israel News Staff

European soccer officials are pushing for Israel to be banned from international competitions, raising fears that the Jewish State could face growing cultural isolation on the world stage.

The Italian Coaches’ Association penned a letter to the president of the Italian soccer federation (FIGC), urging that Israel be excluded from the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Italy’s national team is slated to face Israel twice during the tournament in September — matches the coaches said they are determined to avoid.

The group called on the Italian soccer organization to press the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to suspend Israel from international play.

“This must not be just a symbolic gesture, but a necessary choice, which responds to a moral imperative,” wrote the association’s president, Renzo Ulivieri.

“Humanity’s values, which are the foundation of sport, compel us to resist acts of oppression with devastating consequences,” the letter continued. “Too many innocent lives, including athletes, have been lost. Indifference is not acceptable.”

While the letter briefly acknowledged the October 7th Hamas massacres, it argued that the attack did not “justify the fierce genocidal retaliation of Israel.”

The text made no mention of Hamas’ long-documented use of human shields or its deliberate endangerment of Gaza’s civilian population as a war tactic.

UEFA has signaled hostility toward Israel in recent months. Earlier in August, during the opening of a major soccer match broadcast to millions, the organization sponsored a banner reading, “Stop killing children. Stop killing civilians.”

Notably, UEFA has not publicly condemned the October 7th terror attacks, which saw the rape, mutilation, and murder of Israeli civilians.

Nor has the organization spoken out against Hamas’ ongoing torture and starvation of Israeli hostages, who have been held in Gaza for nearly two years.