Israel knocked out of World Cup in match with Italy marked by protests and boycott

Italy faced Israel in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday night that became much more than a sporting event.

Set against the backdrop of Israel's genocide in Gaza and the start of a ceasefire process, the match in Udine was marked by a charged atmosphere both inside and outside the stadium as football fans demanded a boycott of Israel. 

Around 10,000 people took to the streets of the northeastern Italian city before the game, waving Palestinian flags and holding banners reading "show Israel the red card" - an ongoing campaign urging international football bodies to suspend the country over its conduct in the Palestinian enclave.

The demonstration was mostly peaceful, though things escalated towards the end of the march, when a small group clashed with police, throwing firecrackers and crowd-control barriers at officers.

Police responded with tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd.

The protest was widely shared on social media, with sports journalist Leyla Hamed captioning a video: “Protests continue in Udine outside the Italy vs Israel game, or as many are calling it, ‘the match of shame’.”

Protests continue in Udine outside the Italy vs Israel game, or as many are calling it, “the match of shame”.

Bravo Italia! pic.twitter.com/CcHXo4pz4K

— Leyla Hamed (@leylahamed) October 14, 2025

Boos rang out in Stadio Friuli during the Israeli national anthem as fans expressed their discontent over the match being held.

Only around 9,000 tickets - well under the reduced capacity of 16,000 - were sold for the match, according to the Italian football federation. 

Italy triumphed with a 3-0 victory, a crucial step toward qualifying for the 2026 World Cup playoffs, while Israel was knocked out of the race. 

During the broadcast, RAI Sport presenter Alessandro Antinelli wore a black ribbon in tribute to "the 250 journalists killed in Gaza, in a genocide that they tried to report on but from which they did not return”. 

Echoes from Oslo

The match came just days after Israel suffered a crushing 5-0 defeat to Norway.

Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick during the 11 October match in Oslo, while hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators chanting “Free Palestine” were met with tear gas from police.

Inside the stadium, Norway fans also showed their support for Palestine by displaying the nation's flag alongside a banner that read “Let Children Live”.

For over two years, football fans have pressured Fifa and Uefa to ban Israel, citing its genocidal war and the banning of Russia over its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. 

On 2 October, days before Israel's two World Cup qualifiers, Fifa chief Gianni Infantino stated that "football cannot solve geopolitical problems". 

He was accused of hyprocisy after he said football could support the Israel-Hamas peace deal announced by Donald Trump just days after. 

Infantino also attended the Gaza ceasefire summit in Egypt on Monday, where he took a photo with the US president and joined the group shot alongside the assembled world leaders.