Amid rising international appeals to suspend Israeli soccer teams, FIFA President Gianni Infantino emphasized that FIFA’s role is to foster peace and unity, avoiding involvement in political disputes.
During a volatile period for soccer politics, Infantino chaired a FIFA council meeting in Zurich where Israel was not a formal agenda item ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers resuming next week.
He later held a private meeting at FIFA headquarters with Jibril Rajoub, head of the Palestinian soccer federation, commending their resilience.
Efforts among European soccer leaders to challenge Israeli teams amid the Gaza conflict halted following a peace proposal from U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
Infantino reiterated to the 37-member board “the importance of fostering peace and unity, particularly against the backdrop of the ongoing Gaza situation,” as noted in a FIFA press release which omitted a direct mention of Israel.
“FIFA cannot resolve geopolitical issues,” Infantino declared, “but it can and must advance football globally through its unifying, educational, cultural, and humanitarian purposes.”
No press conference was scheduled, and Infantino was unavailable for interviews.
The Israeli men’s soccer team is set to play World Cup qualifying matches against Norway in Oslo on October 11 and Italy in Udine on October 14.
Norway, among other European federations, urged UEFA to convene a vote on suspending Israeli teams at the FIFA meeting in Zurich. Turkey’s soccer association also directly called on UEFA and FIFA for a suspension.
A possible UEFA 20-member committee vote appeared to be in favor of suspension, insiders told The Associated Press, despite opposition from countries like Israel and Germany.
FIFA, along with Infantino—who has built a close relationship with Trump in anticipation of the upcoming World Cup jointly hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico—was unlikely to heed a UEFA vote, especially after the U.S. State Department vowed to protect Israel’s position in soccer.
Qatar’s Involvement
The Trump-Netanyahu peace proposal was swiftly endorsed by Middle Eastern nations, including Qatar, a significant Palestinian ally. Netanyahu apologized to Qatar’s prime minister for a military strike in Doha targeting Hamas leaders, during a call from the White House.
Qatar maintains robust commercial and sports ties with UEFA, whose President Aleksander Ceferin attended Thursday’s FIFA assembly. Also present was Nasser al-Khelaifi, head of the influential European Club Association and president of the Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning Champions League victor. Al-Khelaifi also serves as a member of Qatar’s government.
FIFA-Palestinian Meeting
Before visiting FIFA, Rajoub met International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Infantino’s Instagram noted their meeting to “discuss the ongoing Middle East situation.”
There was no mention of any progress at FIFA regarding two pending investigations initiated at the Palestinian federation’s request to suspend Israel.
FIFA has called for a disciplinary probe into potential discrimination by the Israeli soccer federation and is conducting a separate governance review concerning “participation of Israeli football teams allegedly operating in Palestinian areas.” No timeline has been provided for resolving these matters.