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The U.S. government plans to oppose international efforts to ban Israel from the 2026 World Cup.Europe's soccer governing body, UEFA, is considering a vote to suspend Israeli teams from international play.Israel is currently competing in UEFA World Cup qualifiers and could miss its first tournament appearance since 1970 if suspended.The United States government says it will fight international calls for Israel to be banned from the 2026 World Cup, while Europe's governing soccer body is moving toward a vote to suspend Israel, the Associated Press reports.Israel's men's national team currently sits third in its UEFA World Cup qualifying table with the group winner securing a spot in next summer's World Cup and the runner-up advancing to qualification playoffs. The next round of qualifiers is in October and Israel faces an uphill climb with games against group-leader Norway and second-place Italy on the road.The majority of the 20-member UEFA executive committee is "expected to support any vote in favor of suspending Israeli teams from international play," according to the Associated Press. A ban would end Israel's hopes of qualifying for its first World Cup since 1970, the only time it has reached the tournament.Israeli club teams would be barred from participating in European tournaments if a vote passes, with Maccabi Tel Aviv currently playing in the second-tier Europa League.Calls have intensified to ban Israeli teams from international competitions – like Russia was following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 – in the weeks since a United Nations inquiry concluded that Israel has committed genocide in its war on Gaza since being attacked on Oct. 7, 2023.Spain's prime minister Pedro Sánchez expressed support for such a suspension, stating that "Israel cannot continue to use any international platform to whitewash its image."FIFA, world soccer's governing body, is also facing pressure to act against Israel – but the U.S. State Department told multiple outlets that "we will absolutely work to fully stop any effort to attempt to ban Israel's national soccer team from the World Cup."FIFA president Gianni Infantino has formed a close relationship with American President Donald Trump as the U.S. gets set to co-host the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico. Trump and the State Department hold significant leverage over FIFA with the power to process visas for hundreds of thousands of fans, players and officials coming from all over the world.“Sports must reject the perception that it is business as usual,” the UN experts said in a statement. “Sporting bodies must not turn a blind eye to grave human rights violations, especially when their platforms are used to normalize injustices.”Nearly two years into the war, more than 65,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Israel is currently ramping up its assault on Gaza City.Israel has rejected all claims that it is committing genocide in Gaza. The Israeli football association told Reuters in September that calls for the country to face consequences from soccer's governing bodies "feel like sickening anti-Semitism."The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
