Israel were hot on the heels of Italy in their World Cup qualifying group ahead of the pivotal match between the two in Udine to conclude the October international break.
With Israel sporting very little room for error, Ran Ben Shimon's side were thumped by the Azzurri by a 3-0 score, leaving them with very little chance to secure a 2026 World Cup place. They then drew 0-0 with Lithuania, compounding a difficult recent run of results.
Even if they complete a remarkable late comeback, they would still need to win their ensuing playoff bracket to reach the hallowed FIFA tournament.
AllSportsPeople brings you a full look at where Israel sit in their qualifying group and what they must do to snatch a spot at the 2026 World Cup. It doesn't look great for the European side.
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Can Israel qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
As of the 3-0 defeat to Italy on October 14, Israel mathematically cannot qualify for the World Cup directly via the top spot in Group I, and they are also mathematically eliminated from contention for the second-place playoff position.
There was one, small, highly unlikely way for Israel to qualify for the UEFA playoff system, and that is through the few places afforded to Nations League qualifiers. Four spots are allocated to Nations League group winners who did not otherwise qualify for either a direct spot or a playoff position via the group stage.
As Israel did not win their Nations League group, they would only be considered if fewer than four Nations League group winners fail to qualify through the group stage itself. That scenario is no longer possible, however: Romania, Sweden, Northern Ireland, Moldova, and San Marino all won their Nations League group and cannot finish in the top two of their World Cup qualifying groups, so they are ahead of Israel in that particular pecking order.
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Israel World Cup qualifying standings
| Pos | Nation | GP | W-D-L | GD | Pts |
| 1. | Norway | 7 | 7-0-0 | +29 | 21 |
| 2. | Italy | 7 | 6-0-1 | +12 | 18 |
| 3. | Israel | 7 | 3-0-4 | -4 | 9 |
| 4. | Estonia | 8 | 1-1-6 | -13 | 4 |
| 5. | Moldova | 7 | 0-1-6 | -24 | 1 |
Israel sit third in their qualifying group.
The group winner earns direct qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while the second-place finisher qualifies for participation in the UEFA playoff round, where they would be drawn as part of a four-team mini bracket and must win their ensuing two knockout games to earn a spot.
Teams finishing third through fifth are eliminated.
Has Israel ever made the FIFA World Cup before?
Israel first organised its national federation in 1948. Thus, the first time they were eligible to contest World Cup qualification was in the 1950 cycle.
Israel has qualified for one World Cup in its history, reaching the 1970 tournament in Mexico, where they were eliminated in the group stage after finishing bottom of Group 2 behind Italy, Uruguay, and Sweden.
Since then, Israel have not qualified for a World Cup tournament, coming closest in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2014, and 2022 with third-place finishes in their group, all one place out of moving on to the next round.