The President of the Palestinian Football Association, Jibril Rajoub, confirmed his insistence on holding the match between the Palestinian national team and its Iraqi counterpart, in the eighth round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, on Palestinian soil, denying that it would be moved to a neutral stadium.

Al-Rajoub said, after meeting with the head of the Iraqi Federation, Adnan Darjal, that the match between the Iraqi and Palestinian national teams will be held in the city of Jerusalem and not in any other place. He pointed out that since the first day of the draw, the federations of the Arab national teams present with us in the second group confirmed their readiness to play in Palestine.

The head of the Palestinian Football Association denied the news that FIFA had asked the Palestinians to find a neutral stadium for the match against the Iraqi national team, describing it as “lies and slander,” stressing that the Palestinian side had not received any response from FIFA after choosing the Martyr Faisal Al-Husseini Stadium, in the town of Al-Ram, north of Jerusalem, to host the match against Iraq on March 15.

Jibril Rajoub added: “There were exceptional circumstances that prevented us from hosting the past matches on our land and among our fans, but now we are struggling with FIFA, and with us the Iraqi Football Association, to restore the most important Palestinian sporting achievement, which is the home stadium, as it is one of the most important symbols and manifestations of our national identity. After the ceasefire and the cessation of aggression, we will fight for Palestine to host our national team’s matches on its land.”