Palestinian football team prepares for World Cup qualifying against a backdrop of war

The Palestinian national team celebrates after winning a match against Malaysia at the FIFA World Cup in 2018. Credit: AP

The Palestinian football team are continuing to prepare for 2026 World Cup qualification while three of its players remain trapped in Gaza.

Head coach Makram Daboub wanted to include Ibrahim Abuimeir, Khaled Al-Nabris, and Ahmed Al-Kayed in a training camp in Jordan ahead of a World Cup qualifying matches against Lebanon next Thursday and Australia on November 21.

But they have been unable to make it out of Gaza because of the Israel-Hamas war, now in its second month. More than 10,800 Palestinians have been killed in that time, according to the territory's Health Ministry.

"So far they are fine," Daboub told The Associated Press.

"Many of their relatives have died, however, as a result of the bombing."

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Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip. Credit: AP

Preparations have already been interrupted as players were unable to leave to participate in a tournament in Malaysia last month.

Now, the team is based in Jordan to be sure of being able to travel to matches.

Two players from Gaza, Egypt-based Mohamed Saleh and Mahmoud Wadi, are expected to join the Palestinian team in Jordan.

Daboub, who is from Tunisia, acknowledged it will be difficult for players to focus on football while many have families in danger.

"With the death and destruction in Gaza, the players are in a difficult psychological state," he said.

But for Susan Shalabi, the vice-president of the Palestine Football Association, there's no question that the players and the people want the matches to go ahead.

"This is a people that wants to be heard and seen by the rest of the world, wants to live normally like everyone else, so people care about their national team," Shalabi said.

The Palestine Football Association became a full member of FIFA, football's international governing body, in 1998 and has had some success at the regional level.

Appearing at the World Cup in 2026 would be a dream for a team that has never come close to reaching the finals via the Asian Football Confederation's qualifying route.

There is a little more hope this time as Asia’s automatic qualification allocation has increased from four places in 2022 to eight in 2026, when the tournament will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

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Palestinians look for survivors following Israeli airstrikes in Nusseirat refugee camp, Gaza Strip. Credit: AP

The Palestinian team, which reached a highest FIFA ranking of 73 in 2018, appeared at the Asian Cup in 2015 and 2019 and has qualified for the 2023 continental tournament coming up in Qatar.

"There is no match that you can win in advance," Daboub said.

"But we have a good chance of reaching the next round of the World Cup qualifiers."

"We will do our best. Football is the most popular game in the world. It brings people together.

"We aspire to achieve good results and qualify to show the Palestinian identity and that this is a people who deserve life and love peace."

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