Trump intervenes to block Israel ban from US World Cup, per reports
A Sky News report says a Rubio aide signaled the administration will oppose any move to exclude Israel from the World Cup; UN calls amid Gaza conflict intensify scrutiny of FIFA leadership.
Donald Trump is poised to intervene to block any move by FIFA to ban Israel from the World Cup to be held in the United States next summer, according to Sky News. The United Nations this week urged organizations to suspend Israeli sporting teams over the war in Gaza after a UN commission said Israel is committing genocide in the region. Israel has rejected the accusations.
Sky News cited a spokesperson for Senator Marco Rubio's State Department as saying the United States will absolutely work to stop any effort to ban Israel's national soccer team from the World Cup. FIFA has not yet commented on the UN calls, leaving Gianni Infantino in a potentially difficult position after he has spent years cultivating a close relationship with Trump. In a recent address in New York, Infantino acknowledged the challenge of sanctioning countries involved in conflict, while expressing sympathy for civilians affected by the fighting. Russia remains banned from international competition and will not participate in the World Cup, which is set to begin next June. Israel has two qualifiers left, with the next match scheduled for October 11 against Norway and a final group game three days later against Italy. Israel sits third in the standings, tied on points with Italy for second place. The group winner earns automatic qualification, while the runner-up advances to a playoff.
Norway’s federation has already said that any profits from the October 11 game could be donated to humanitarian aid organizations assisting Gaza. Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian Football Federation, said European nations cannot remain indifferent to the humanitarian suffering in Gaza. Some European soccer officials have signaled support for banning Israel from the tournament next year, complicating Infantino's position as he weighs sanctions against a country still hoping to qualify.
It is possible Infantino could choose to stay quiet on the topic, hoping Israel fails to qualify and leaves a difficult decision for others to resolve. Thursday's comments from Rubio’s team have brought the issue back into sharper focus. Earlier in the year, there was concern that Iran might be banned from the World Cup when Trump imposed a travel ban on Iranian nationals; a White House spokesperson told the Daily Mail that exceptions apply for players, coaches and other athletic team members for the World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Trump will attend the Ryder Cup near New York on Friday morning, continuing a string of high-profile appearances at sporting events during his presidency. He has previously attended the US Open tennis final in New York, the Club World Cup final, and became the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl earlier this year. He also watched the New York Yankees play the Detroit Tigers in the Bronx and attended the Daytona 500.
FIFA has not issued a formal response to the UN calls, and Infantino has repeatedly stressed that sanctions must be considered carefully when conflicts are ongoing. The absence of Russia from the tournament underscores how geopolitical factors continue to shape international competition even as a World Cup staged largely in the United States looms on the horizon.