Amnesty urges UEFA to suspend Israel, calls Nations League participation ‘unconscionable’

Human rights organisation Amnesty International on Tuesday called on UEFA and FIFA to suspend Israel’s football association, saying its Nations League participation was “unconscionable” because the association supports settlement-based clubs. “It’s unconscionable that the Israel men’s football team will participate in the UEFA Nations League this autumn despite clear evidence that Israel’s football association continues to support illegal settlements,” Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s regional director for Europe, said in a statement. “UEFA and FIFA should have suspended the Israel Football Association (IFA) over its refusal to exclude clubs based in illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” Cockburn said. As the Israel team travels to Europe where they will play against Austria, Ireland and Kosovo between 24 September - 6 October, Palestinian families are being displaced and dispossessed, their land stolen, their olive trees uprooted, and their histories erased by settlers with… pic.twitter.com/0VTr1ol7KL — Amnesty International (@amnesty) September 22, 2026 He said the continued participation of settlement-based clubs in Israeli leagues “violates FIFA statutes and international law”. He added that UEFA and FIFA funding to the IFA “risks contributing to the sustainability of Israel’s illegal occupation, settlements and violations of international law”. Israel is set to play in League B's, Group B3, alongside Austria, the Republic of Ireland and Kosovo. The league phase begins on Thursday, with Austria hosting Israel, according to UEFA. Read More: Board of Peace reiterates Gaza objectives ahead of UN General Assembly Israel will also play the Republic of Ireland on Sept 27 and Oct 4, and Kosovo on Oct 1 and Nov 14, before hosting Austria on Nov 17. Amnesty said opposition to Israel’s participation has grown in Ireland, where football associations, players, activists, trade unions and politicians have called for sanctions, a boycott or suspension. The Football Association of Ireland has also asked UEFA to consider suspending Israel, according to the rights group. “Sport should never be used as a public relations spectacle for states committing atrocities,” Cockburn said. “As the Israel team travels to Europe, Palestinian families are being displaced and dispossessed, their land stolen, their olive trees uprooted and their histories erased by settlers with the support of the Israeli military,” he said. “The beautiful game should bring people together, not rubber-stamp apartheid,” Cockburn added. Amnesty said it wrote to FIFA and UEFA in October 2025 to call for the IFA to be suspended unless clubs based in Israeli settlements were excluded from Israeli competitions. FIFA announced in March 2026 that it would take no action against the IFA over the participation of settlement-based clubs, according to Amnesty. The Palestinian Football Association subsequently appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.