Published on 6/16/2026
Gaza- A few hundred meters from the yellow line in the Al-Daraj neighborhood, east of Gaza City, athletes held a match simulating the World Cup held in the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico.
The match brought together stars of former football players in humanitarian messages highlighting the genocide that the sector was subjected to over the course of two years, and the setback that befell the sports sector as a result of the loss of hundreds of martyrs and the destruction of sports facilities.
The former players represented the Egyptian and Moroccan teams in an encouragement match for the eight Arab teams participating in the 2026 World Cup finals.
The right to live and play
Sports journalist Ahmed Abu Diab, a member of the media committee for the World Cup Simulation Project, says that the tournament came to confirm the right of the people of Gaza to live the World Cup atmosphere despite the difficult circumstances that the Strip is going through, and to confirm the message that Gaza deserves life, joy, and playing sports, and it also deserves to be part of the global sporting events that it was deprived of due to war and siege.
The project includes many sporting and media events that reflect Gaza’s connection to international sports, with the participation of a number of stars who have previously represented national teams, competing within teams that simulate the teams participating in the World Cup, including the Egyptian national team and the Moroccan national team.
Abu Diab points out that the Palestinian fans followed with interest the first matches of the 2026 World Cup, in which the Arab teams performed distinguishedly against strong international teams such as Brazil.
The tournament was held on a stadium located close to the border areas, as a message of challenge and insistence on clinging to life, and that the Palestinian people in Gaza have the right to live and practice football, and maintain their sporting activity despite all the circumstances, according to the sports journalist.
Humanitarian messages
On the stands of the stadium, which is one of the few sports facilities that survived the Israeli bombing, there were pictures of three sports martyrs who had a mark on international stadiums and were among the victims of the recent Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
The participation of the child Saif Hijazi, who was paralyzed as a result of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, was one of the humanitarian messages left by the World Cup simulation project, telling the world that the children of Gaza have the right to play and have fun away from bombing and destruction.
In this context, former Palestinian international referee Mahmoud Al-Jaish said that the World Cup simulation tournament confirms the presence of Palestinian sports and the insistence of its people to continue giving despite the difficult circumstances that the Palestinian people are experiencing.
While the participation of referees, players and administrators in these events reflects the Palestinian sports family’s adherence to its right to exist on the international sports scene, according to the former referee, who expressed his hope that the next editions of the World Cup will witness a Palestinian presence on the refereeing teams.
Advanced arbitration
Despite the challenges that Palestinian football has faced during the recent period as a result of the exceptional circumstances and the war, the army speaks of a “remarkable development” in the level of sports and refereeing cadres, which enhances the chances of a Palestinian referee to represent Palestine in the World Cup finals in the future.
He pointed out that there is clear progress in the Palestinian arbitration sector, especially in the West Bank, expressing his hope that Gaza will regain its full sporting activity and that it will continue to supply the sporting arena with talents and competencies capable of representing Palestine in international forums.
The former international referee points out that Palestinian athletes continue to work and develop despite the difficult living conditions and the effects of war, and that sport remains a message of hope and steadfastness for the Palestinian people. He hopes that the world will witness an Arab team winning the World Cup title in the future, and that Arab sports will have a greater presence at the international level.
Destruction in numbers
As part of the World Cup simulation activities, those in charge of the project drew international football figures and stars, including the Spanish star Lamine Yamal, in the context of highlighting the positions of international sports figures in support of the Palestinian cause, as well as the Spanish coach Pep Guardiola, who repeatedly expressed his solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The Israeli war on Gaza led to the martyrdom of 1,015 athletes, including 45 women, and 34 belonging to sports federations and institutions. The Palestinian Football Association also lost 570 martyrs among its members, while the Scouts and Guides Association provided more than 125 martyrs, according to the latest statistics issued by the Supreme Council for Sports.
Council Public Relations Director Ghassan Muhaisen told Al Jazeera Net that 265 sports facilities in the Gaza Strip were damaged, of which 184 were completely destroyed, and 81 were partially damaged.
The damage included 23 large stadiums and stadiums (19 of which were completely destroyed and 4 partially), in addition to 35 closed sports halls (28 of which were completely destroyed and 7 partially), 58 administrative headquarters for clubs (45 of which were completely destroyed and 13 partially), and 12 stadiums funded by FIFA that were completely destroyed.
Muhaisen explained that the Israeli war completely destroyed 3 club swimming pools, in addition to 15 basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts (14 of which were completely destroyed and 1 partially), 49 bodybuilding gyms were also partially damaged, and the occupation forces completely demolished 9 equestrian facilities.
Muhaisen noted that the occupation forces destroyed 17 grass five-a-side fields (12 of which were completely destroyed, and 5 partially), in addition to completely destroying 23 private five-a-side fields, and 19 sports education facilities (17 of which were completely destroyed, and two facilities partially).
