On Wednesday, for the first time since 1976, Israel will return to Olympic soccer as it takes on Mali in its first match at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Israel earned its spot in the 16-team Olympic tournament at last summer’s UEFA European U-21 Championship, where the country made it to the semifinals.
The under-21 team’s success in July 2023 followed a strong showing by Israel’s under-20 team, which had a third-place Cinderella finish at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina the month prior.
“Soccer in Israel is improving, we have a good generation, and the people understand what we can do,” midfielder El Yam Kancepolsky told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency during the U-20 World Cup.
Israel has competed in Europe’s umbrella soccer association since the 1990s because it was previously kicked out of the Asian Football Confederation after a campaign by Middle Eastern states. Now, the Palestinian Football Association is trying to get Israel kicked out of FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, altogether.
The Olympics are a blow of sorts to that effort. Israel previously competed in the 1968 and 1976 Olympics, reaching the quarterfinals in both Games. Israel has an all-time Olympic soccer record of two wins, two losses and four draws, with 13 goals scored.
This year, the Olympic soccer tournament begins as a round-robin competition, with the 16 participating countries divided into four groups. Each country plays the others in its group, with the top two from each advancing to a knockout stage that begins Aug. 2.
Israel, which is at No. 78 in FIFA’s men’s world rankings, is in Group D alongside No. 18 Japan, No. 53 Mali and No. 62 Paraguay. Wednesday’s game is at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, and all games will be streaming on Peacock and the NBC and NBC Olympics apps.
Israel will play Paraguay on July 27 and Japan on July 30. Today’s game and the Paraguay match will also air on NBC’s Universo TV channel,
Olympic soccer is an under-23 tournament, but each team is allowed three roster sports for players older than 23. Israel’s roster includes many players in the Israeli Premier League as well as some who play in European leagues and the MLS.
Two notable Israeli stars will miss the Olympics due to injuries: Tottenham Hotspur forward Manor Solomon, who has been sidelined since October with a knee injury; and Bayern Munich goaltender Daniel Peretz, who withdrew from the Olympics roster last week after suffering a tendon injury.
Israeli soccer drama this summer will not end with the Olympics. Earlier this year, the Palestinian Football Association urged FIFA to suspend Israel from international competition over the country’s ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza. Russian teams had similarly been temporarily banned by FIFA and UEFA following the country’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
In May, FIFA postponed an initial vote on the proposal and sought independent legal review. Last week, FIFA again declined to resolve the issue, pushing any decision until after the Olympics.
FIFA said Thursday that it had postponed a decision — which was due to be announced July 20, four days before Olympic play began — because “more time is needed to conclude this process with due care and completeness.”
The respective Israeli and Palestinian soccer federations had both asked for extensions to “submit their respective positions,” FIFA said in its statement, adding that a decision would be made no later than Aug. 31.
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