AFC Asian Qualifiers
A historic second round campaign means Palestine’s FIFA World Cup dream remains alive as the qualifiers head into the third round with the West Asian side hoping to take their place in the 2026 global showpiece which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Factfile
How they got there: Round 2 Group I runners-up
2022 AFC Asian Qualifiers Record: Eliminated in Round 2
Previous FIFA World Cup appearances: 0
Head Coach: Makram Daboub
Fun Fact: Palestine advanced to the third round of qualifying in their seventh attempt
Just months after achieving a first by progressing through to the knockout stage of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™, Palestine notched another feather in their cap by qualifying for the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Palestine’s first attempt to qualify for the FIFA World Cup was for the 2002 edition where they finished second in Group 3 of the First Round behind Qatar with seven points.
The disappointment would continue in the next five FIFA World Cup qualifying campaigns with four second round appearances and one first round exit.
In their bid to reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Palestine started with a goalless draw with Lebanon before losing narrowly to Australia.
However, back-to-back wins against Bangladesh and a second goalless draw with Lebanon secured passage to the next phase with head coach Makram Daboub already eyeing a competitive third round from his charges.
"We have a good team and if the squad is complete and in the best condition, we can be a match for the strong teams in the next stage of the qualifiers,” said Daboub.
