The ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict has cast a shadow over the preparations of the Palestinian national football team for their crucial 2026 World Cup qualifier against Lebanon on Thursday. Despite the challenges posed by the situation, both a team official and a player have expressed the players’ determination to deliver a commendable performance.
Originally scheduled to take place in Beirut, the match will now be played at the neutral venue of Khalid bin Mohammed Stadium in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The decision to relocate the fixture was made in response to the conflict, with Israel’s reaction to the Hamas attack on October 7 prompting officials to find alternative venues for upcoming matches.
The Palestinians, accustomed to hosting games at Al-Ram’s Faisal Al-Husseini Stadium on the West Bank, have faced significant disruptions due to the conflict. “Everything changed after Oct. 7 with the start of the conflict in Gaza,” remarked Ahmed Rajoub, the Palestine Football Association (PFA) media manager. “All sporting activities stopped completely in Palestine, and the football team was forced to move to Jordan.”
The national team’s first real training session in preparation for the qualifiers took place in Sharjah only four days ago. Rajoub acknowledged the challenges faced during this period, stating, “We had some training sessions in Jordan, and in the absence of Gazan players, this was not enough to prepare for an ideal match in the qualifiers.”
The impact of the conflict on the players’ focus and morale was emphasized by Rajoub. “We just can’t get the players focused on the game when people are killed and injured every day since the conflict started,” he stated. “The players don’t talk about football, but about the war.”
Despite these difficulties, Rajoub highlighted the team’s unwavering determination to succeed. “But we want to say, despite all these issues and this difficult period, the players definitely want to win, no matter how hard it may be.”
Palestinian midfielder Mohammed Rashid echoed Rajoub’s sentiments, acknowledging the challenges of staying focused. “It’s really hard to stay focused,” Rashid admitted. “We want to show our best, and we want to show the whole world that we’re people, just like any other country, that we can exercise our rights to be free and play the beautiful game of football.”
The match against Lebanon is a crucial step for the Palestinian team, who are set to face Australia in Kuwait on November 21, further complicating their preparation amidst the challenging backdrop of the conflict.
