Palestine plan to play World Cup qualifiers in occupied West Bank

After advancing further than ever in World Cup qualifying, Palestine are determined to host a game for a change.

The Palestinian football association has proposed playing games in the third stage of its Asian qualification campaign in the illegally Israeli-occupied West Bank and already has support from a number of its opponents, starting against Jordan on September 10.

The Palestinian team progressed through the second round of continental qualifying for the first time in its history in June but, because of the Israeli carnage in besieged Gaza, staged its "home" games in nearby Kuwait and Qatar.

"Playing at a neutral venue isn't permanent and was never meant to be so," Susan Shabali, the PFA's deputy president, told The Associated Press. "Faisal Al-Husseini is ready to host."

The 12,500-capacity Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium is situated in the occupied West Bank town of Al Ram.

In 2019, it hosted the team's last competitive home game, a World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia that ended 0-0.

"We hope that all goes well," Shalabi said, adding that there'd been "no objections" from FIFA, football's international governing body, or the Asian Football Confederation.

'On its land, among its fans'

The Palestinian team's success has been remarkable during the war and the fact it has played dozens of games on the road since 2019, and the players have had to move for safety and seek overseas contracts.

While there is little football currently being played in the territory, most players in the Palestinian roster belong to clubs in foreign leagues. The most recent roster saw coach Makram Daboub select players based in countries including Sweden, Belgium, Libya, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan.

Mohammed Rashid, who plays club football for Bali United in Indonesia, told reporters in Perth last month ahead of the second-round finale against Australia that the hardest part of competing in international competition was not being able to play at home.

On June 27, the Palestinian team, currently ranked No. 95 in the world, was drawn in Group B of the third round, which includes South Korea, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, and Kuwait.

The top two from each of the three groups of six qualify automatically for the 2026 World Cup.

After the opening game in South Korea on September 5, the Palestinians return to West Asia to take on Jordan five days later.

The Jordan Football Association issued a statement this week to "affirm its position in support of the Palestinian Football Association’s right to hold its home matches on its land and among its fans."

"Jordan is proud to be the first team to face our Palestinian brothers in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Palestinian territory," the statement said.

The Oman Football Association also said it supported the PFA's "legitimate right to hold official national team matches in front of its fans on home soil." Kuwait earlier issued its support.

Annexation of land and sports

The Palestinian Football Association [PFA] was established in 1928, 20 years before Israel was created by European Zionists. PFA was accepted by FIFA in 1998.

Palestine expanded its football in the early 20th century, with many clubs emerging, many of which were location-based clubs and religiously affiliated clubs, including the Orthodox clubs in Jerusalem, the Islamic Club of Jaffa and the Islamic Club of Haifa.

As Zionist Jews colonised Palestine and established Israel with the help of Western powers, many Jewish clubs from Europe also migrated illegally to Palestine over the years.

The growing sports sector in historic Palestine declined, especially after the killing of many Palestinian players amid the illegal expansion of Israeli colonisers.