FIFA won't ban Israel from competitions: 'We cannot resolve geopolitical conflicts'
The organization’s president, Gianni Infantino, issued a statement confirming that Israel will remain in competitions despite pressure to ban it.
Israel's national team celebrates a goal in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino refuses to ban Israel from any official competition, either its national team or the country's teams, despite pressure to exclude them because of war in Gaza.
In a statement reported by AFP, Infantino called for an end to the war and for a lasting peace agreement. However, the president of soccer’s top governing body emphasized that FIFA is not responsible for "resolving geopolitical conflicts."
Furthermore, Infantino emphasized that soccer has "the power" to "bring people together in a divided world," delivering "a message of peace and unity."
"FIFA cannot solve geopolitical problems, but it can and must promote soccer throughout the world by exploiting its unifying, educational, cultural and humanitarian values," the FIFA president said.
Nowhere in his statement does Infantino specifically mention Israelis, even as FIFA faces mounting pressure to ban them from all official competitions, including the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico 2026.
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