The handshake didn't happen. Now Gianni Infantino wants the two nations to play a football match instead.
According to The Athletic, FIFA's president is pushing for Israel and Palestine to face each other in the opening game of his newly created U-15 tournament, scheduled for the United States this September — just weeks after the World Cup wraps up. It's a bold second swing after his first attempt at peacemaking went visibly sideways.
What happened in Vancouver
At the FIFA Congress on April 30 in Vancouver, Infantino brought Palestinian Football Association president Jibril Rajoub and Israel FA vice president Basim Sheikh Suliman onto the stage together. He spent two minutes pleading for a handshake. Rajoub's response was blunt: "We are suffering!" Both men left without the gesture Infantino was clearly hoping for.
Before they walked off, Infantino pointed to the upcoming U-15 tournament as a potential bridge. "Let's work together," he said. "You have my commitment, you have the support of the whole room." Whether either association heard that as an olive branch or political theatre depends entirely on which side of this conflict you're standing on.
The IFA responded through a spokesperson with measured openness: "Our hands are always extended for a better future for everyone. We hope to find a brave partner on the other side." That's a statement designed for a press release, not a peace process — but it keeps the door technically ajar.
What the tournament actually looks like
The competition itself is still taking shape. Teams will field seven to nine players on smaller pitches, playing shorter games — the exact format is yet to be confirmed. All 211 FIFA member nations are invited, including Russia, which has been banned from FIFA competitions since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Whether Israel or Palestine will actually participate is also still unresolved.
This fall's event covers boys only. A girls' edition follows next year.
As a football match between two nations with this much political weight, it would be unlike anything the sport has staged at youth level. Whether it ever gets played is another question entirely — and right now, the Palestinian side hasn't publicly agreed to anything.
