TL;DR
- Israel suffered a 3-0 defeat to Italy, severely diminishing their 2026 World Cup qualification prospects.
- Mathematically eliminated from direct qualification and playoff contention via their qualifying group.
- Israel's only slim hope for a playoff spot through Nations League qualifiers is now impossible.
- Israel sits third in their qualifying group, needing to win subsequent playoffs to reach the 2026 World Cup.
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.
Israel, facing minimal margin for error, suffered a significant 3-0 defeat against the Azzurri, severely diminishing their prospects of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. This was followed by a goalless draw with Lithuania, further exacerbating their recent poor performance streak.
Despite achieving an impressive late rally, they'd still have to secure victory in their subsequent playoff bracket to qualify for the prestigious FIFA tournament.
AllSportsPeople offers a comprehensive overview of Israel's standing in their qualifying group and the necessary steps they need to take to secure a place in the 2026 World Cup. The outlook for The European team appears challenging.
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Israel's 2026 World Cup bid
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.
Since Israel didn't secure first place in their Nations League group, they would only be eligible if fewer than four Nations League group victors didn't advance via the group stage. This situation is now impossible; Romania, Sweden, Northern Ireland, Moldova, and San Marino all topped their Nations League groups and can't achieve a top-two finish in their World Cup qualifying groups, placing them ahead of Israel in that specific ranking.
MORE: Erling Haaland, Norway sink Israel in tense UEFA World Cup qualifier
Israel's position in 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 top team in the group secures direct entry into the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The runner-up advances to the UEFA playoff stage, where they'll compete in a four-team tournament and need to win both of their subsequent elimination matches to secure a place.
Teams finishing third through fifth are eliminated.
Israel has not previously qualified for the FIFA World Cup.
Israel established its national federation in 1948. Consequently, their initial eligibility for World Cup qualification occurred during 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.