Is a suspension of Israel really on the cards?

UEFA, European football's governing body, is reportedly closing in on a suspension of Israel. According to the Associated Press and Britain's "The Times" newspaper, a majority on the UEFA Executive Committee is prepared to support a suspension. This comes after a group of experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council accused Israel of genocide through its actions in the Gaza Strip. UEFA has not yet issued an official statement but a vote could take place as early as next week.

Media reports suggest that Qatar is playing a central role in the efforts to get Israel suspended. They say the emirate has been lobbying intensively for weeks trying to find a majority on the UEFA Executive Committee in favor of suspending Israel. The pressure intensified following an Israeli airstrike on Hamas targets in Doha on September 9.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has also repeatedly criticized Israel and suggested excluding its athletes. Spain and Ireland are even calling for the suspension of the European Union's association agreement with Israel, although they are all but alone in this position within the bloc.

The German Football Association (DFB) has not yet commented publicly, but it and the German government have a history of maintaining close ties with Israel. However, media reports suggest that DFB Vice President Hans-Joachim Watzke, who is a member of the UEFA Executive Committee, is among a "large majority" in favor of suspending Israel.

What would be the sporting consequences of a suspension?

A suspension would rule Israel's national team out of continuing their qualifying campaign for next summer's World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The team is currently third in Group I of European qualifying. Israel's next scheduled matches are in October in Norway and Italy.

Israeli clubs would also be excluded from international competition. Currently, just one Israeli club, Maccabi Tel Aviv, is involved in Europe – in the Europa League. However, due to the tense security situation, the team is not currently allowed to play its home games in Israel. They've been playing their Europa League games in Serbia, while the national team have been playing in Hungary.

Should UEFA exclude Israel, it would increase the pressure on other sports federations such as FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). However, the IOC has so far refrained from imposing sanctions on Israel, arguing that unlike The Russian National Olympic Committee (NOC), Israel's NOC has not violated the Olympic Charter.

Who are Israel's supporters on the issue?

Israel has a powerful ally in the United States, the main host of the 2026 World Cup. US President Donald Trump strongly opposes any move to suspend Israel.

"We will absolutely work to fully stop any effort to attempt to ban Israel's national football team from the World Cup," a US State Department spokesperson said on Thursday.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who maintains close ties with Trump, is also thought to oppose the idea.

For its part, the Israeli FA has been quoted by Reuters as describing the demands to suspend Israel as "pathological anti-Semitism."

Have there been any precedents?

Russia was suspended by both FIFA and UEFA within days of launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In 1992, Yugoslavia was excluded from the European Championship in Sweden in light of the wars that were starting to rip the country apart – and the UN sanctions that had already been imposed.

South Africa was banned from world sports for decades during the apartheid era. The sports boycott contributed to the regime's international isolation.

Following World War II, Germany was excluded from all international sports organizations for several years. However, the suspension was not explicitly due to the Holocaust perpetrated by Germany's Nazi regime. Japan and, to a lesser extent, Italy were also temporarily suspended as wartime opponents of the Allies.

No sanctions were imposed as a result of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, even though approximately 800,000 people were murdered within 100 days – with government support.

What would the geopolitical consequences be if Israel were suspended?

Excluding Israel would send a strong political signal – comparable to the boycott of Russia, but arguably with even greater moral weight because it stands accused not of launching an invasion, but of genocide.

It would also lead to diplomatic tensions, especially with the United States. Arab and Muslim countries that support the exclusion, some of which generally do not recognize the State of Israel's right to exist, would view this as a success.

This article was originally published in German.