Norway fought a two-front campaign at this World Cup, and only one of them ended in Miami. On the field, the Vikings reached the quarterfinals for the first time in their history before England ended their run 2-1. Off the field, Norway’s federation has been pushing FIFA on getting Israel removed from international soccer entirely.
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“Norway has brought that perspective to soccer’s governing bodies, arguing that Russia’s exclusion from the sport after its invasion of Ukraine presents a double standard that should be applied equally to Israel,” Politico’s Zoha Qamar reported.
That comparison is the foundation of Norway’s entire case. The Norwegian Football Federation argues FIFA suspended Russia almost immediately after its invasion of Ukraine, yet has let Israel continue competing throughout the war in Gaza. The NFF has formally asked FIFA to investigate Israel and impose sanctions, pointing to attacks on civilian areas and damage to Palestinian football infrastructure as grounds for action. Protesters and Norwegian officials have argued that continuing to host Israel effectively normalizes what’s happening in the region.
That argument only works because of where Israel actually sits in world soccer’s structure. Israel spent years playing in shifting regional groupings without a permanent home before UEFA admitted the country as a full member in 1994, a status that lets Israeli national and club teams compete in the UEFA Champions League and European Championship qualifying alongside the rest of Europe.
This year, that membership put Israel in the same World Cup qualifying group as Norway. Group I also included Italy, Estonia, and Moldova, and due to the war, Israel was required to play its home qualifying matches at neutral venues. Norway won the group outright with a perfect record, eight wins in eight matches, sending Italy to the playoff route as runner-up. Israel finished well back in the group and was eliminated from qualifying entirely.
That qualifying campaign is also where Norway’s federation first raised its objections publicly. Ahead of their own qualifier against Israel in Oslo last September, NFF president Lise Klaveness called sanctions against Israel “necessary.”
That same week, the NFF pledged all proceeds from the Oslo qualifier, ticket sales, broadcast rights, and sponsorships, to humanitarian relief in Gaza through a partnership with Doctors Without Borders. Turkey’s federation president sent FIFA a formal letter around the same time making a similar appeal, though European federations broadly stayed quiet on the issue.
FIFA hasn’t moved on the request. President Gianni Infantino has said the organization “cannot solve geopolitical problems” and that its mission is to “unite people through football,” a position that’s kept Israel competing without interruption. The Israel Football Association has pushed back directly on Norway’s campaign too, accusing Klaveness of bias and noting that Norway has not condemned the October 7, 2023, attack that killed roughly 1,200 people and led to the capture of 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
None of that has slowed Norway down. With their own World Cup run now over, the federation’s attention shifts fully back to the fight it’s been building for nearly a year, one that, unlike Saturday’s quarterfinal, doesn’t have a clear endpoint yet.
