FIFA President Gianni Infantino has said that while football cannot resolve wars or geopolitical disputes, the sport has a duty to promote peace, unity, and solidarity.
“Football cannot solve conflicts, but it can and must carry a message of peace,” Infantino told a FIFA Council meeting in Zurich on Thursday, amid mounting calls for action over Israel’s military operations in Gaza and other global crises.
He stressed that FIFA’s role is to use the unifying, cultural, and humanitarian power of football to bring people together in a divided world, rather than act as a political decision-maker.
FIFA has been under pressure from Palestinian officials to suspend Israel from international football. Amnesty International also urged FIFA and UEFA this week to take action against the Israel Football Association. However, Infantino noted that such decisions require consensus with regional confederations.
FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani echoed this stance on Wednesday, saying that Israel’s participation in European competitions, including World Cup qualifiers, falls under UEFA’s jurisdiction. “They have to deal with that,” he said.
Israel currently sits third in Group I of the UEFA World Cup qualifiers for the 2026 tournament in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
