PHILADELPHIA and GAZA – As people around the world cheer on their favorite teams and players in the 2026 World Cup, Palestinians in Gaza continue to be targeted by Israel’s genocide. Like everyone in Gaza, Palestinian soccer players have faced enormous hardships, losing their teammates, homes, and playing fields under Israeli bombs. But this summer, players have come together for their own #GoalsForGaza World Cup. The final match will take place on Thursday, July 16, 5 pm Gaza / 10 am EST. It will be livestreamed here. A post-game press conference will follow.
Journalists in Gaza can attend the match in person in Gaza City; contact AFSC for location details. The event is organized by the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization that has been present in Palestine since 1948.
“Millions of people around the world follow the World Cup, and we wanted to create a thread between them and the reality that people in Gaza experience,” said Firas, AFSC's Office Manager in Gaza and one of the main organizers of the match. “We want to send a message to the world that Palestinian players, Palestinian children, also have dreams. Despite everything we’ve been through, and even as we try to rebuild our lives during a genocide, people in Gaza want to live, want to create, and want to play.”
Thursday’s simulation match will feature teams of professional Gaza club soccer players from Rafah and Shuja'iyya, two cities that Israel has completely destroyed. They will be playing as Team Palestine and Team Spain as a gesture of gratitude to the people and government of Spain for its efforts to stop the genocide in Gaza. Player cards showcasing some of the players and their stories can be found here.
This match is the final of three matches held this summer. The first game was a “Veterans and Legends” exhibition match featuring older star players from Gaza. This match honored Palestinian National Team player Suleiman Al-Obeid, who was killed by Israeli forces in 2025 while awaiting humanitarian aid. The second game called “The Match of Will & Resistance” was between two teams composed entirely of players with one or more limbs amputated.
Despite an announced ceasefire, and Israel’s obligation to withdraw under international law, the Israeli military continuing to displace and kill Palestinians in Gaza with impunity. Over ninety percent of the population are still forcibly displaced from their homes and Israel now controls more than 70% of Gaza. Food, medicine, and other essential lifesaving goods and materials needed to rebuild are blocked from entering. Tens of thousands of people are still buried under the rubble. Israeli restrictions on what can enter Gaza block almost everything; even soccer balls are rarely allowed to enter and can cost hundreds of dollars on the private market.
“People in the U.S. and around the world cannot forget about Gaza now,” said Jennifer Bing, who leads AFSC’s Palestine Activism team in the U.S. “The genocide continues every day. The death toll climbs every day. There are no medical supplies left in health facilities and water distributions are on the brink of collapse in the middle of the summer. Goals for Gaza is one small way we can send the message that Palestinians deserve freedom and a future where they can live and thrive without fear of bombs and hunger.”
In addition to the three matches in Gaza, solidarity matches have been organized around the world. Matches have already taken place in Turkey and New Zealand, and more are planned for Ireland, the UK, Austria, Spain, Malaysia and Sweden.
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The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) promotes a world free of violence, inequality, and oppression. Guided by the Quaker belief in the divine light within each person, we nurture the seeds of change and the respect for human life to fundamentally transform our societies and institutions. We work with people and partners worldwide, of all faiths and backgrounds, to meet urgent community needs, challenge injustice, and build peace.