2026 World Cup: Norway refuses to face Israel
Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian FA, called for the Israelis to be expelled from the competition
The draw for the qualifying phase for the 2026 World Cup dictated a clash between Norway and Estonia , Moldova , Germany / Italy and… Israel , something that did not please the Norwegian Federation, which refuses to face the Israelis, due to the war in Gaza.
Lise Klaveness, president of the Federation, explained the decision: “The draw is difficult for us. None of us can remain indifferent to the disproportionate attacks that Israel has inflicted on the civilian population of Gaza over a long period of time,” she began by saying, calling for Israel to be expelled from the competition, as was the case with Russia .
“Israel is still part of the UEFA competitions. We have to deal with that. We are monitoring the situation closely with FIFA, UEFA and the Norwegian authorities,” he assured, with the games scheduled for March 25 and October 11, 2026.
