2026 World Cup: the US State Department promises to block attempts to ban Israel from the tournament

There has been an increase in calls to prohibit Israel from sports competition since the UN report.

And this comes in the midst of the reports that UEFA could vote on the opportunity to suspend Israel next week. UEFA said that no meeting was currently planned.

Israel is third in their World Cup qualifying group – organized by UEFA – on nine points, six between Norvèges leaders.

The best team of each group is automatically qualified for the World Cup, the finalists entering the play-offs.

The Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez said that Israel should be treated in the same way as Russia being prohibited from international sports competitions.

“Israel cannot continue to use any international platform to whiten its image,” said Sanchez.

The Russian national team has been forbidden to participate in international football tournaments since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 by the country.

The Israeli FA refused to comment when contacted by BBC Sport, and FIFA was approached to comment.

Sanchez’s comments came like the last stage of the Vuelta, a Espana was abandoned earlier this month after pro-Palestinian demonstrators entered a part of the course in the center of Madrid.

The demonstrators overthrew the barriers and occupied the road to several points from the route, including Gran via, where the cyclists had to pass several times.

The International Olympic Committee (CIO) prohibited Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing under their national flags at the 2024 Olympic Games.

Earlier this week, the president of the IOC, Kirsty Coventry, bypassing a question on the sanction of Israeli athletes, saying: “The sports movement must present the good which is in humanity.”

Meanwhile, supporters of the Greek team Pak displayed Palestinian flags and banners during the Europa League match of their team against the Israeli Maccabi team Tel Aviv on Wednesday.

Fans have kept panels in English by reading “Stop the Genocide” and “Show Israel The Red Card”.

Songs of “free Palestine” were also heard after the supporters of Maccabi exceeded an Israeli flag.

The displays came after demonstrations earlier in the day in Thessaloniki, where fans and groups of activists gathered against Israel’s participation in European football.

The demonstrators submitted more than 1,900 signatures to UEFA in support of a petition launched this week, who said that there could be no hunger for representatives of the genocide “.

The match had been designated at high risk due to the current situation involving Israel and Gaza, with supporters of PAOK before the match: “The display of banners, messages or flags with political content could lead to heavy sanctions for our club.”

Maccabi faces Aston Villa at Villa Park in the Europa League on November 6.

Additional report by Nikos Papanikolaou, BBC News.