'A History Of Rebels': Will Spain Boycott 2026 FIFA World Cup If Israel Participates?

Last Updated:September 20, 2025, 16:00 IST

FIFA World Cup 2010 champions Spain have threatened to boycott the competition if the governing body FIFA allows Israel to compete in it.

Spain. (AP Photo)

An intense round of games at different qualification tournaments for the next year’s FIFA World Cup 2026 has already set in a great sense of excitement for football’s biggest competition. Passionate fans of the great game are keenly awaiting the start of the next summer when the biggest edition of the quadrennial event takes centre stage in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

As of now, 18 of the 48 participants for the FIFA World Cup have been confirmed from different regions. The remaining qualifiers will be determined in the coming months, before the event takes place between June 11 and July 19, 2026. Much before the action kicks off, however, the FIFA World Cup has found itself embroiled in controversy.

Euro 2024 winners Spain have threatened to boycott the competition if the governing body FIFA allows Israel to compete in it. Spanish government officials have warned that the country could pull out if Israel qualifies for the UEFA Confederation. Currently placed third in their group at the regional qualifiers with nine points from five games, Israel can potentially secure a play-off spot if they eclipse one of Norway and Italy.

For Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, however, Israel should be banned from all sporting competitions amidst its war escalation and allegations of carrying out a genocide on the people of Gaza. “Israel cannot continue to use any international platform to whitewash its image," said Sanchez, as quoted by SportBible.

If Spain do boycott the World Cup, they will join a short list of countries to give the quadrennial event a miss due to a political stance or disagreements with the organisers.

In 1934, Uruguay decided not to defend their World Cup crown in Italy as a mark of protest against European teams, only a few of whom had decided to participate in the 1930 edition of the tournament in Uruguay.

The very same year, England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland also decided to pull out of the FIFA World Cup, recognising it as an inferior competition to their Home Championship.

Uruguay continued its boycott of the World Cup for the 1938 edition. They weren’t alone on this occasion. 1930 runners-up Argentina also opted out of the tournament after organisers chose France as the hosts. Argentina’s Football Federation expected to be given the hosting rights for the tournament, believing they would alternate between South American and European countries and the 1934 FIFA World Cup was organised in Italy.

The 1950 World Cup in Brazil witnessed the infamous tale of India, which automatically secured one of the qualification spots from Asia after Indonesia, the Philippines and Burma decided not to contest for it. A myth persists about India’s withdrawal from the tournament, as per which they opted out because their players wouldn’t have been allowed to play barefoot. However, according to reports, the bone of contention was not considering the tournament important enough in a move that perhaps shaped India’s sporting culture post-independence.

Scotland couldn’t take part in the 1950 World Cup after the Scottish Football Association decided not to send the side, as it failed to win the Home Championship outright. Turkey withdrew from the competition after complaining about the financial costs and travel constraints.

24 years later, the USSR failed to qualify for the World Cup after deciding not to play Chile in a play-off between European and South American qualifying runners-up. After the first leg of the qualifiers in Moscow ended with a goalless draw, the return leg in Chile didn’t take place, as the USSR requested a venue change following the violent seizure of power by General Pinochet. Ultimately, the USSR refused to field a side and Chile qualified.

For the 1966 World Cup in England, all African countries opted out of the competition’s qualifying stages due to subtle racial injustice and marginalisation faced by the continent.

Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. News18 Sports brings you the latest updates, live commentary, and highlights from cricket, football, tennis, badmintion, wwe and more. Catch breaking news, live scores, and in-depth coverage. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated!

News sports 'A History Of Rebels': Will Spain Boycott 2026 FIFA World Cup If Israel Participates?

Read More