Israel

Italy kept alive their faint hopes of qualifying automatically for the 2026 World Cup as they beat Israel 3-0 despite an underwhelming display in Udine.

Snipers are on the roof of the Israel team hotel in Udine and the Italian city is on maximum alert ahead of a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.

The ESPN FC crew debate if Erling Haaland needs to play at the 2026 FIFA World Cup to become a global superstar.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has called for football to support efforts towards peace in the Middle East ahead of two World Cup qualifiers for Israel over the next five days.

Israel's World Cup qualifying match at Italy next week is expected to attract more pro-Palestinian protesters outside the stadium than fans inside.

Facing growing global calls to suspend Israeli teams from football, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Thursday the governing body must promote peace and unity and could not solve political issues.

European soccer body UEFA is moving toward a vote to suspend its member federation Israel over the war in Gaza, people familiar with the proposal told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Money pledged to humanitarian work in Gaza from ticket sales at a Norway-Israel qualifying game for football's 2026 World Cup will go to Doctors Without Borders.

Craig Burley reacts to a turbulent display from Italy as they narrowly beat Israel 5-4 in their World Cup qualifier.

Sandro Tonali scored a stoppage-time winner as Italy won a chaotic nine-goal thriller against Israel 5-4 and dodged another big setback in their bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup on Monday.