The conflict between Israel and Hamas has been a major talking point across multiple theaters over the past year, and the world of football has not avoided such discussions or effects.
While Israel, clocking in at No. 79 by FIFA in the latest September 2024 rankings, have seen a slight increase in football profile over the last half-decade, their status as an active UEFA member has come under scrutiny amid the ongoing hostilities.
With the nation presently clear to play matches despite opposition leading to appeals to global governing body FIFA, Israel need a temporary home given the clear risk of hosting games on their territory in the present climate.
The Sporting News details the current situation with Israel’s home matches being moved to protect the safety of players and supporters, and distance the national team from the conflict itself, ahead of UEFA Nations League fixtures with France and Italy.
MORE: Everything you need to know about the UEFA Nations League
Where do Israel play their home games?
For the time being, Israel have been playing their home games in Budapest, Hungary due to the ongoing war with Hamas.
They have played matches in multiple venues across the city. They played a Nations League match against Iceland in March 2024 at the 13,500-seat Szusza Ferenc Stadion, and met Italy in September at Bozsik Arena, which seats just 8,200 fans and is the regular venue of a second-division Hungarian club.
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban has close ties with Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of Israel, and their relationship helped broker this collaboration. Orban has promoted Hungary as the safest European country for Jews and has banned Palestinian protests, according to the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, concerns for player and supporter safety have not been limited to just Israel home matches. The city of Brussels, Belgium refused to host a June match in Nations League play between the two countries.
While Brussels is the usual host for Belgium home games, the city has been the site of multiple anti-Israel and anti-violence protests since the conflict began. The city released a statement claiming it would be “impossible to organise this very high-risk match,” and the game was eventually played at Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen, Hungary, with Belgium winning 3-1 thanks to a brace by Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne.
Will FIFA or UEFA ban Israel?
Since Israel’s conflict with Hamas escalated into full-scale aggression, many protests have pushed for FIFA or UEFA sanctions against the country.
The protestors cite UEFA’s ongoing ban of Russia for their military action in Ukraine as grounds for similar punishments to Israel. Russia is currently banned from any senior UEFA competition, including the European Championship, Nations League, and World Cup qualifying.
However, UEFA has not gone to such lengths for punishments of Israel. They have instead opened a “disciplinary investigation” against possible discrimination alleged by Palestinian soccer executives. This is partly a response to Israel incorporating football clubs located in the West Bank into its own competitions, for which Palestinian officials have requested punishment for years.
Palestine has also called for FIFA to suspend Israel, citing what is describes as “international law violations” in Gaza in addition to the complaint around West Bank teams. FIFA said it would investigate “the participation in Israeli competitions of Israeli football teams allegedly based in the territory of Palestine”.
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