Palestine players continue push for World Cup qualification amid war back home

Mohammed Rashid once worked as a forklift driver in a Chicago warehouseFast forward to these grim times and Rashid along with his Palestine soccer teammates carry a heavier weight knowing success on the field offers a little respite from the war raging in GazaAmid the horrifying backdrop of the IsraelHamas war now in its eighth month an inspired Palestine has produced a stirring run to reach the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian qualifiers for the first timeWhat doesnt kill you makes you stronger Rashid said in Perth on Monday a day before Palestine plays Australia Were here for one cause and one goal Whoever is on the team has to perform There is no other way to itPalestine 93rd in the world rankings has never come close to reaching the World Cup via the Asian Football Confederations qualifying route With the 2026 tournament expanding to 48 teams and Asias automatic qualification allocation doubling to eight Palestine has a legitimate chance to make historyPalestine and Australia meet at HBF Park on Tuesday to complete the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian qualifiers Both teams are safely through to Septembers next stageOf course its World Cup a big dream Rashid said Everything is possible Theres a lot of hard work that needs to be done before we get therePalestine team officials discourage politically charged questions at press conferences But the players are willing to publicly engage in conversations about the devastation in Gaza More than 36700 Palestinians have been killed according to the Gaza Health Ministry which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its counts Hamas and other militants killed some 1200 people in the Oct 7 attack on Israel mostly civilians and took around 250 people hostageIt playing gives the chance to raise the name of Palestine to the whole world and the World Cup is the biggest platform for this said Rashid a defensive midfielder Whats happening right now is affecting all of us You cant help but be affected by itRashid was on a college soccer scholarship in Illinois from 201317 before signing with the Palestinian Premier League one year laterWhile most United Nations members do not recognize Palestine as a country including the US and Australia the Palestine Football Association became a full member of FIFA in 1998The team affectionately known as Al Fidai The Warriors had only moderate success at the regional level until recently Preaching a disciplined style of play mirroring the resolve of its players Palestine has conceded only one goal in five matches in this qualifying cycleAlso Read Emptiness at packed venue as Sunil Chhetri leaves the sceneIts been a remarkable effort given Palestine has not played on home soil since 2019 having been forced to host matches in Kuwait and Qatar Players have had to flee for safety and seek overseas leaguesThis is the hardest part not playing at home said Rashid who plays club soccer for Bali United in Indonesia The last time we played Saudi Arabia at home it was a full house People were climbing trees to watch the game Weve had 28 straight games away which is rough But were always playing for our peopleWhile the players try to avoid making inflammatory remarks the teams mere existence is seen as a political statement with controversy inevitably not far away PFA president Jibril Rajoub was denied a visa into Australia Rajoub is also a politician and chair of the Palestine Olympic CommitteeThese decisions are made at arms length by the bodies by the immigration department Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saidRashid and his teammates are hoping to put that setback aside and continue to provide a rallying cry for PalestiniansWhen it comes to soccer you try to get your head out of it the controversy he said This Palestine matches is the only thing they Palestinians are watching The only thing giving them hope For us this is a big motivationWith agency inputs