Uefa members set to vote on Israel suspension, here’s what you need to know | OneFootball

Conflicts between countries are once again impacting European football. After the suspension of Russia in 2022 due to the war in Ukraine, Israel may be banned from competing in UEFA tournaments because of the offensive in Gaza. This information comes from the English newspaper The Times.

During the United Nations General Assembly, held between Monday and Wednesday this week, experts pointed out that the suspension of Israel is necessary in response to the events in Gaza. In addition, some Norwegian clubs and the Norwegian national team expressed dissatisfaction in matches against Israeli teams.

Before the draw for the continental tournaments, European clubs also requested that UEFA avoid matchups against Israeli teams.

Given this scenario, and considering the stance taken in 2022 with Russia, it is likely that UEFA will call an emergency meeting to vote on the suspension of Israel.

Changes in tournaments

The Times reports that the majority of UEFA member associations are in favor of suspending the Israeli national team and clubs. If this happens, there will be changes in the World Cup Qualifiers and in the continental club tournaments.

If it follows the 2022 model, UEFA should remove Israel from Group I of the European Qualifiers for the World Cup, keeping the direct spot and playoff contention between Norway, Italy, Estonia, and Moldova. In sporting terms, this measure would favor the Norwegians and Italians, who are directly competing with Israel for positions.

Israeli teams would also be suspended from UEFA tournaments. Since all three competitions are still in the league phase, clubs that were set to face Israeli teams should have new matchups defined, possibly through a new draw. The only Israeli representative is Maccabi Tel-Aviv, which is competing in the Europa League.

Crisis

The conflict between Israel and Palestine intensified in 2023 after an attack by the Hamas group. In 2024 and 2025, threats of boycott by UEFA clubs increased.

Photo: Disclosure / UEFA

Before the UEFA Super Cup, the federation displayed banners with the phrase: “Stop killing children. Stop killing civilians,” interpreted as a protest directed at Israel.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.