Overview

• Eight independent UN experts formally asked FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israel from international football, citing a UN Commission of Inquiry that found Israel is committing genocide in the occupied Palestinian territories.
• British outlet the Times reports UEFA is considering a suspension with a vote possible next week and a majority said to be in favor, though this has not been confirmed by UEFA.
• UEFA has not announced an emergency meeting or a decision, and both UEFA and FIFA had not publicly responded to the UN experts’ request at the time of reporting.
• A suspension would remove Israel from European competitions, jeopardize its 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, put the 14 October Italy–Israel match in Udine in doubt, and exclude clubs such as Maccabi Tel Aviv from the Europa League.
• Israel’s sports minister Miki Zohar said he is working with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to block any ban, and a U.S. State Department spokesperson said the United States would work to prevent Israel’s exclusion from the World Cup.