A coalition of advocacy organizations and fan groups called on European soccer federations to boycott Israel with a billboard in New York’s Times Square that went live on Tuesday, kicking off a campaign called #GameOverIsrael months ahead of the World Cup.
The billboard’s messages included, “Israel is committing genocide” and “No sport for war criminals,” along with calls for soccer authorities to boycott Israel.
New York is set to host eight matches in the World Cup next year, including the final. Canada and Mexico are co-hosting the immensely popular quadrennial international competition along with the United States.
Israel competes as part of UEFA, the European soccer association. The campaign calls on soccer federations in Belgium, England, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Scotland and Spain to boycott the Israeli national team and ban Israeli players from domestic competitions, citing the ongoing attacks in Gaza.
The Israel Football Association called the billboard hypocritical and suggested that it was antisemitic.
“When will the group of hypocrites behind the pathetic call find it appropriate to condemn the October 7 massacre, call for the release of Israeli hostages who have been languishing in the tunnels of the Nazi terrorist organization Hamas for two years in inhumane conditions, or be responsible for something that doesn’t feel like sickening anti-Semitism?” the association said in a statement.
Reuters was not immediately able to reach FIFA and UEFA for comment.
“As the United States prepares to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026, Americans must not allow our stadiums to become platforms for whitewashing war crimes,” said American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee national executive director Abed Ayoub in a statement.
The ADC launched the #GameOverIsrael initiative with several European partners.
“We stand with our European counterparts and demand that every football governing body take immediate and decisive action to bar Israel from international competition,” said Ayoub. “The world must tell Israel that the game is over, and there is no room in sports for war criminals.”
A United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded on Tuesday that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. Israeli officials rejected the findings of the report, with Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations calling it “scandalous” and “fake.” Israel has consistently and adamantly rejected the charge that it is committing genocide.
The ADC said the billboard, using the word “genocide,” was only approved by the billboard company after it saw the text of the UN commission’s report. The billboard is located near the intersection of Broadway and West 43rd Street in Manhattan.
Israel is currently not a favorite to qualify for the World Cup and has not competed in one since 1970. It is currently third in the standings in World Cup qualifying Group I, behind Norway and Italy. The winners of UEFA’s 12 qualifying groups gain direct entry to the World Cup, while the runners-up go into the playoffs.
The campaign comes as calls have mounted for Israel and Israeli teams to be barred from international events, including in the sports arena. Major anti-Israel protests disrupted the Vuelta cycling race this week, even forcing the final stage of the competition to be called off.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who had praised the protests even though they severely disrupted the international competition hosted by Madrid, called on Monday for Israel to be excluded from all major international sporting events.
FIFA has faced repeated calls over the past two years from both the Palestinians and Iran to suspend the Israeli soccer federation, but has deferred making any decision multiple times.
In October 2024, FIFA promised to carry out a disciplinary investigation of possible discrimination alleged by Palestinian soccer officials against the Israeli association, but stopped short of any sanctions.