After advancing further than ever in World Cup qualifying, the Palestinian national football team is determined to host a game for a change.
The football association has proposed playing games in the third phase of its Asian qualifying campaign in the West Bank and already has the support of several opponents, starting against Jordan on September 10.
The Palestinian team reached the second stage of the continental qualifiers for the first time in its history in June, but due to Israel-Hamas War in the Gaza Strip, it organized its home games in neighboring Kuwait and Qatar.
“Playing at a neutral venue is not permanent and was never intended to be that way,” PFA vice-president Susan Shabali told the Associated Press. “Faisal Al-Husseini is ready to host.”
The Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium, with a capacity of 12,500 people, is located in the city of Al Ram, in the West Bank. In 2019, it hosted the team’s last official home game, in the World Cup qualifiers against Saudi Arabia, which ended 0-0.
“We hope everything goes well,” Shalabi said, adding that there were “no objections” from FIFA, football’s international governing body, or the Asian Football Confederation.
Israel launched a major offensive in Gaza in response to the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, in which around 1,200 people were killed and another 250 people were kidnapped.
The Israeli offensive killed more than 38,000, according to health officials in Gaza, who did not say how many were civilians or militants. The war caused vast destruction throughout the territory, displacing most of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million inhabitants. often several times – caused widespread famine and raised fears of famine.
The Palestinian national team’s success has been remarkable amid the ongoing war and the fact that it has played dozens of matches away from home since 2019, and players have had to move for safety and seek contracts abroad.
Although little football is currently played in the territory, most of the players in the Palestinian squad belong to clubs in foreign leagues. The latest line-up saw coach Makram Daboub select players from countries including Sweden, Belgium, Libya, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan.
Mohammed Rashid, who plays football for Bali United in Indonesia, told reporters in Perth last month before the second round final against Australia that the hardest part of competing in international competitions was not being able to play at home.
On June 27, the Palestinian team, currently 95th in the world rankings, was drawn into Group B of the third round, which includes South Korea, Iraq, Jordan, Oman and Kuwait.
The top two teams from each of the three groups of six automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
After the opening game in South Korea on September 5, the Palestinians return to West Asia to face Jordan five days later.
The Jordanian Football Federation issued a statement this week to “affirm its position in support of the right of the Palestinian Football Association to hold its home games on its lands and among its fans”.
“Jordan is proud to be the first team to face our Palestinian brothers in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup on Palestinian territory,” the statement said.
The Oman Football Association also said it supports the PFA’s “legitimate right to hold official national team matches in front of its home fans”. Kuwait previously issued its support.
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