Eyes on 2026: Road to World Cup begins for the Israel national team

Despite some nerves, the blue-and-white are working hard to make their 2026 World Cup dreams a reality

By JOSHUA HALICKMAN DECEMBER 18, 2024 16:26

MANOR SOLOMON (pictured above in a Israel-Belarus Euro 2024 qualifier in September 2023) and the National Team hope to soon get back to playing at Bloomfield Stadium as the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign is set to kick off. (photo credit: RONEN ZVULUN/REUTERS)

Although the 2026 World Cup in North America is more than a year and a half away, the Israel National Team will begin qualifying for the tournament in early 2025 and has now learned who will be in its group as it attempts to make it to the biggest soccer competition for the first time since 1970.

The blue-and-white will face either Germany or Italy – whichever team loses in their Nations League matchup – Norway, featuring Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland, as well as Estonia and Moldova in Group I of the qualification stage for the World Cup.

The biggest issue for the Israel National Team is the location of its home games, with hopes that they will be back in Israel by the beginning of the campaign when it hosts Estonia and Norway. The blue-and-white has been playing home games in Hungary since the unprovoked October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah.

Following the draw, Israel head coach Ran Ben Shimon spoke about the upcoming challenge.

“There is no doubt that any draw we would have received would have been very difficult, but this is definitely a tough draw. Italy or Germany from the first pot of teams and Norway from the second are very strong teams, but the Israeli team is also strong.

Israeli national soccer team meets during practice (credit: ADI AVISHAI)

Focusing inward

“We will also play Estonia and Moldova in the group, and Moldova, of course, is coached by Serghei Cleșcenco, our friend and former Hapoel Tel Aviv player. I believe that instead of focusing on the teams in the draw – which is admittedly an important factor – we should focus on ourselves. The important thing is that we continue to move forward and appear as a team that is organized, strong, and improving all the time,” he added.

Since October 7, 2023, and the onset of the war, Israel has been playing international home games – both at the club and national team levels – outside of the country, primarily in Hungary. However, Ben Shimon knows that the team’s best chance of succeeding in qualifying will be if games are played back in the Holy Land.

“The most important thing, for me anyway, is that the games return to Israel as soon as possible. In Israel, we can beat any team, and there is no doubt that our chances in this group will depend greatly on our home games being played in Israel. I really hope that we will return to play in Israel soon.”

The chairman of the Israel Football Association, Shino Zuaretz, also weighed in on the campaign.

“I trust Ran Ben Shimon and the team to continue to develop the players and the team as a whole,” said Zuaretz. “If we can take one more step after what we accomplished in the Nations League, it will be a fascinating World Cup qualifying campaign. We knew that every draw would be very challenging when the number of teams from Europe going to the World Cup is limited, but no one gives up on a close fight. My job is to do everything I can when the time is right to bring the games back to Israel. I truly want to believe that at least some of the games in the campaign will be held here, in our true and only home. This is something that everyone hopes for.”

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Eli Dasa, the captain of the Israel National Team, also spoke about the challenge ahead after ending the Nations League campaign on a high note with a win over Belgium and a draw against France.

“The draw and the upcoming games give us an opportunity as a team to continue to progress. We finished the challenging Nations League with good momentum, we achieved the professional goals we set for ourselves as a team, and every tournament is a good opportunity to enhance them. Ran and the team are building something very special, and our connection with the players, their vision, and their path can lead this team to places we have never been before, whether in the upcoming campaign or in the Euro 2028 qualifiers.”

The wingback also addressed the possibility of playing in front of home fans back in Israel.

“The thing that will excite us most as a team is the possible return to playing at home in front of our fans. This is a painful issue that has been missing for all of us for more than a year, and for me, this could be the most significant news. I have no doubt that together with our wonderful fans, we will be even more competitive, no matter who the opponent is.”

Leeds winger Manor Solomon shared his thoughts on the upcoming campaign.

“There are no easy or impossible draws, and each group has its own dynamics. More than once, we thought the draw was good for us, and it didn’t end the way we had wanted it to. Qualifying for the World Cup is a huge challenge, especially considering the limited number of teams advancing from Europe, but there is a group of guys here that believes anything is possible. We are in the midst of a process led by the professional staff, and we have no intention of lowering expectations. We have already proved in the Nations League that we are able to look every opponent in the eye, and it is clear to me that we aspire to win every game.

“I didn’t sit around before the draw and think about which teams I would prefer. For me, what is more important than any team we were drawn against is that we return to play in Israel. I am sure that is also what each of my teammates – and certainly our fans – want. Just the thought of it excites me, even before we take the field. I hope and wish that this will be the case.”

Israel National Team veteran Muhammad Abu Fani added: “I truly believe that anything is possible, and it’s clear to me that we will work as hard as possible to achieve our goals. I have a lot of respect for each of our opponents, but I’m not willing to give up any points in advance. The past year has only made us even hungrier to play for the team, and in the last campaign, we felt like we were making progress in every game.

“I wish we could play at a packed Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa or any other stadium in the country. I know how much it can push us to even higher places. The team has an excellent combination of young and veteran players and a professional staff that is constantly demanding and teaching us.”