Spain Is Threatening To Withdraw From The 2026 World Cup If Israel Still Plays Despite Its Genocide In Gaza
Spain’s president Pedro Sánchez called for Israel to be banned from international sports, saying Israel should not use sports to "whitewash" its image.
Spain’s government has said the country could boycott the 2026 World Cup if Israel plays.
Spain’s national men’s team is ranked No. 1 in the 2026 FIFA world rankings.
It won the FIFA World Cup title in 2010 and is also the second country to have won both the men’s and women’s World Cups.
On Sept.18, Spain’s president Pedro Sánchez called for Israel to be banned from international sports after Palestine protests shut down Spain’s most prestigious cycling race La Vuelta.
He said Israel should not use global sports platforms to “whitewash” its image.
“Our position is clear and categorical: as long as the barbarity continues, neither Russia nor Israel should participate in any international competition," Sánchez said.
On Tuesday, Sept. 26, the spokesperson of the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, Patxi López, said it will submit a request to “prevent Spain from participating in the 2026 World Cup if Israel does”, Argentine newspaper La Nacion reported.
However, Spain’s sport minister Pilar Alegría said Spain’s football team, La Roja, will participate in the upcoming qualifications without a doubt.
“If people have a bit of a sports archive, which they surely do, they know perfectly well that Israel hasn't participated in the World Cup for more than 25 years because they've never qualified," Alegría said, according to Spanish sports newspaper La Marca.
Alegría has still called for international sports bodies, including the International Olympic Committee, to ban Israel as they did with Russian teams, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Qatar, one of the biggest sponsors of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), pushed for a vote to ban Israel from all European football matches for its genocide in Gaza and its attacks in Qatar’s capital Doha, according to Times of Israel.
The vote was paused following Trump’s announcement of his 21-point peace plan for Israel and Gaza.
Sofia Hou
Kassy Cho
Kassy Cho
