Protection of political, economic and commercial interests has led to FIFA’s ‘double standards’ in countering anti-Israel protests and calls for sanctions, say experts.

Israel will resume its qualification campaign for the FIFA World Cup 2026 this coming weekend amid widespread public protests and growing demands for football’s governing body to sanction the country over its genocide in Gaza.

Despite the widespread opposition, Israel’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers – against Norway on Saturday and Italy on Tuesday – will go ahead as scheduled after FIFA sidestepped the issue by saying it cannot “solve geopolitical problems”.

Football fans and several experts have accused FIFA and UEFA of double standards over their failure to act against Israel in the two years of its war on Gaza, while swiftly sanctioning Russia following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Who has asked for a ban on Israel, and why?

More than 30 legal experts have called on UEFA to bar Israel and its clubs from competitions over the atrocities in Gaza.

The letter said banning Israel was “imperative”, citing a report by a United Nations commission of inquiry that concluded that Israel was carrying out a genocide against Palestinians. The letter highlighted the damage that Israel has inflicted on the sport in Gaza – at least 421 Palestinian footballers have been killed since Israel began its military offensive in October 2023 – and said Israel’s bombing campaign was “systematically destroying Gaza’s football infrastructure”.

While a ceasefire deal was agreed