🇺🇸 Trump moves to block Israel’s ban from world football 🇮🇱

The United States government, under the Trump administration, has announced a direct intervention to prevent Israeli national and club football teams from being subjected to bans or sanctions by international organizations such as FIFA and UEFA.

Football governing bodies UEFA and FIFA face growing calls to suspend Israel's national and club teams from international competitions.

Sky's @RobHarris reports from Villa Park, where Aston Villa are due to host Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv in November.https://t.co/hncFXT2UXTpic.twitter.com/ojfpC7V6gp

— Sky News (@SkyNews) September 25, 2025

The revelation, first reported by Sky Sports, indicates that Washington will actively seek to stop any initiative aimed at excluding Israel from international football, especially with the FIFA World Cup 2026—much of which will be played on U.S. soil—on the horizon.

Direct response to UN pressure

The decision by the U.S. government comes at a time of heightened tension, after expert advisers from the United Nations (UN) this week urged the governing bodies of world and European football to suspend all Israeli teams due to the war in Gaza.

One of the calls came from the UN Special Rapporteur for Cultural Rights, Alexandra Xanthaki, who stated that "sport cannot continue as usual" and that the exclusion of Israel is a "red line" in the face of "credible allegations of genocide" (allegations that Israel rejects).

The U.S. State Department, whose secretary is Marco Rubio, confirmed its position to Sky News. "We will absolutely work to completely stop any attempt to ban the participation of Israel's national football team in the World Cup," a spokesperson told the British network.

UEFA and FIFA, in the midst of debate over sanctions

The news comes amid rumors about the future of Israeli teams in international football. Senior officials in world football have been debating the paradox that Russia remains banned from UEFA and FIFA for the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, while Israel continues to compete despite the growing number of casualties in Gaza.

Although UEFA has previously argued a difference in the origins of both conflicts (noting that Israel was responding to the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023), international pressure has increased following the accusation by a UN commission of inquiry regarding alleged acts of genocide.

FIFA, which has an ongoing investigation into allegations of discrimination and the participation of Israeli settlement teams in the West Bank, has not responded to the calls from the UN special rapporteurs. 

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

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