logo
Palestine World Cup dream ends after late penalty heartbreak against Oman

Palestine World Cup dream ends after late penalty heartbreak against Oman

Al Jazeera10-06-2025
Palestine's historic Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifying campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was ended by a late Oman penalty in a 1-1 draw in their final group game.
Needing a win to reach the fourth round of the AFC qualifiers, Palestine led deep into five minutes of injury time through Oday Kharoub's goal early in the second half.
The scoreline would have been enough to propel Palestine past Oman into the fourth and final qualifying spot in Group B of the third round of the AFC qualifiers – a stage they had also reached for the first time.
However, a tug of the shirt on a runner chasing a free kick from the deep was spotted by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), and Palestine's dream of a first appearance at a football World Cup ended with Essam Al-Subhi's spot kick in the 97th minute of the match.
Kharoub's headed goal came after a fine first half for Palestine, in which Michel Termanini struck the bar with a header.
Wessam Ali had a second for Palestine ruled out for a marginal offside, only moments after Oman's Harib Al-Saadi saw red for a second yellow following a foul on Hamed Hamdan in the 73rd minute.
The decisive moment came, though, when Muhsen Al-Ghassani ran clear in the box in an attempt to reach a looped ball in the area. Ahmed Taha's grab at the runner was deemed illegal and the eliminating kick was awarded against Palestine.
The run to the third round of the AFC qualifiers for the first time followed Palestine's historic feat of reaching the knockout stages of the last AFC Asian Cup for the first time.
A first appearance at football's global showpiece was only one more match away until the late drama at the King Abdullah II Stadium in Amman, Jordan, where Palestine were forced to stage their home matches due to Israel's war on Gaza.
The full-time whistle, and with it, anticipated scenes of wild celebration was cruelly only seconds away for Palestine.
Instead, the tension that was palpably building ahead of the referee calling an end to the match turned to scenes of despair as tears rolled down the cheeks of the Palestine players, many of whom collapsed to the floor in disbelief.
Oman now join Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Iraq and Indonesia, who lost 6-0 to Japan earlier in the day, in the fourth round of qualifiers, from which two teams will join the already six qualified nations from the third round of qualifiers.
One final chance will be available for the third-placed team from the fourth round of qualifiers, as that nation will progress to the FIFA Intercontinental Playoffs in a last-chance saloon to line up at next year's finals.
Australia became the final team to confirm their automatic qualification from the third round of qualifiers when they saw off Saudi Arabia's challenge for second spot in Group C with a 2-1 win in Jeddah.
Alongside Australia – Japan, Iran, South Korea, Uzbekistan and Jordan, finished as the top two finishers in their group to book their places at the 2026 tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The latter two qualified for a World Cup for the first time.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Pakistan and Afghanistan pen UAE T20 tri-series before Asia Cup
Pakistan and Afghanistan pen UAE T20 tri-series before Asia Cup

Al Jazeera

time4 days ago

  • Al Jazeera

Pakistan and Afghanistan pen UAE T20 tri-series before Asia Cup

The United Arab Emirates will host a Twenty20 tri-series including Afghanistan and Pakistan later this month, as part of the teams' buildup for next year's T20 World Cup. Sharjah will host all seven games of the tri-series, starting August 29. Teams play against each other twice before the top two qualify for the final. Pakistan and Afghanistan have already secured direct qualification for the T20 World Cup to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. UAE could also qualify, but it has to play ICC's Asia-East Asia and Pacific qualifiers in Oman in October. Afghanistan, which finished seventh in the last T20 World Cup, hasn't played a T20 since a bilateral series against Zimbabwe late last year. Pakistan is currently playing a T20 series against the West Indies in the United States. The tri-series will be followed by the Asia Cup, also scheduled to be held in the UAE, from September 9, when Afghanistan takes on Hong Kong in the opening game.

FIFA 2026 World Cup draw set to be held in Las Vegas in December
FIFA 2026 World Cup draw set to be held in Las Vegas in December

Al Jazeera

time6 days ago

  • Al Jazeera

FIFA 2026 World Cup draw set to be held in Las Vegas in December

Las Vegas is set to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw, with reports that the ceremony will be held on Friday, December 5. The city, based in Nevada, United States, was selected over cities in co-host nations Canada and Mexico. FIFA officials have not themselves confirmed the date or site but reports are now widespread for the December date in Vegas. For the first time, the competition will take place in three countries and has been expanded to feature 48 nations, as opposed to the traditional 32. Las Vegas's Allegiant Stadium was rejected as a host venue. Eleven US cities/venues were selected, along with three in Mexico (Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey) and two in Canada (Toronto and Vancouver). The US sites are divided into three regions. New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Boston, Miami and Atlanta are a part of the eastern region, Kansas City, Dallas and Houston comprise a part of the central region, while Los Angeles, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay area make up three of the four cities in the western region. The draw will reveal the dozen groups with four nations per group. Mexico (Group A), Canada (Group B) and the United States (Group D) have already been selected for their groups. MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will host the final match on July 19, 2026. Las Vegas hosted the draw in 1994, the last time the World Cup was held in the United States. The modern Sphere, which has a seating capacity of at least 17,000 people and opened in 2023, is the frontrunning venue to host the evening. Although hosting the draw for the 1994 edition, Vegas was not a host city for any matches, a situation that is also the case for next year's event. Qualifying for the tournament is set to be concluded by the end of March 2026, following an intercontinental playoff.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store