AAP FACTCHECK – False claims are circulating online that Norway’s national football team has announced it will refuse to play against Israel in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
Several social media posts have misrepresented criticism from the Norwegian Football Association (NFF) of Israel’s actions in Gaza as a decision to boycott the nation’s qualifying game against Israel.
“The Norwegian national football team will refuse to play against Israel in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers for Europe and will forfeit the match instead,” one Facebook user posted along with an image of the Norwegian national team.
“The Norwegian Football Association has announced its refusal to compete against the Israeli national team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers for Europe,” another Facebook post is captioned, with a link to an article from Gaza-based Safa Press Agency, which also makes the false claim.
The NFF did not indicate any plan to boycott matches against Israel when the 2026 World Cup qualifying group was announced on December 13, 2024.
A spokesperson told AAP FactCheck in January 2025 that the fixtures will go ahead.
“Our national team will play against Israel – on a neutral pitch in March and at home in October at Ullevaal Stadium,” the NFF spokesperson said.
The claims appear to be a misinterpretation of NFF president Lise Klaveness’s criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza after the draw was announced.
“Yesterday we drew Israel in the World Cup qualifiers. It is difficult for us, even beyond the purely sporting aspect,” she told Norwegian news outlet ABC Nyheter.
“None of us can be indifferent to the disproportionate attacks that Israel has subjected the civilian population in Gaza to over time.
“The Norwegian Football Association stands with the Norwegian government in its demand for an immediate end to the disproportionate attacks on innocent civilians in Gaza.”
Ms Klaveness indicated that Norway would not take any unilateral actions, such as a match boycott, in comments reported by The Jerusalem Post and Israeli outlet Ynetnews.
“Israel is still part of UEFA competitions. We have to deal with that. We are following the situation closely with FIFA, UEFA and the Norwegian authorities,” she said.
The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) has been pushing for its Israeli counterpart to be suspended.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee was looking into PFA allegations of discrimination by the Israel Football Association, the FIFA Council said on October 4, 2024.
Norway manager Stale Solbakken indicated that his team were not planning to boycott their match with Israel.
“You saw in the draw that there were political considerations and conflicts, and unfortunately that is the world we live in,” Solbakken told Norwegian news outlet VG.
Norway and Israel are due to play their first match on March 26, 2025 (AEST), as part of the European qualifiers, according to UEFA.
Adding to the confusion, AJ+, an outlet affiliated with Al Jazeera, initially reported in a Facebook post that Norway’s former manager Egil “Drillo” Olsen supported a boycott.
However, the outlet later corrected the post, clarifying that Olsen denied the statement, explaining he had not read the post carefully before co-signing it.
The Verdict
False – The claim is inaccurate.
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