KUALA LUMPUR – Despite the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, the Palestinian national football team continues to dream of playing on home soil once again.
Tomorrow, world number 96 Palestine will host Asian Cup runners-up Jordan in the Asian World Cup 2026 Qualifiers, round three, at the neutral Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Cheras.
At the pre-match press conference, Palestine head coach Makram Daboub and goalkeeper Rami Hamada expressed their gratitude to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) for allowing them to play their “home” match in Malaysia. However, both admitted it does not compare to playing in front of their home supporters.
For the record, Palestine has not hosted an international match since 2019, and their national football leagues have been suspended for the past year due to the ongoing conflict.
“We want to thank FAM and the people of Malaysia for welcoming us. We are truly grateful,” said Daboub.
“However, it is up to the PFA (Palestine Football Association) and the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) to decide where we will play our home matches moving forward.
“Ideally, we dream of playing at home again. Playing in front of your home fans is so important.”
Hamada also spoke of the messages of support the team have received from back home, especially from those in Gaza.
“Palestine and Jordan are like brothers, but tomorrow’s match will be a tough one.
“We’ve received a lot of messages from Gaza, urging us to do our best. If we perform well tomorrow, it will be for them.
“This past year has been extremely difficult. With our league suspended, we’ve had to train separately. We will fight hard for our people back home,” said Hamada.
Commenting on their upcoming opponents, world number 68 Jordan, Hamada added: “Jordan are a strong team with a good coach. We respect them a lot.
“But we had a great start against South Korea last week, which has given us confidence. We’re looking forward to a competitive match.”
The third round of the qualifiers involves 18 teams divided into three groups, A to C. The top two teams after home and away matches will qualify for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted across three nations, the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The third and fourth teams from each group will advance to round four.
When asked if he was confident of qualifying for the World Cup on merit, Daboub said: “Every team that has qualified for this stage has a good chance of qualifying for the World Cup. Our goal is to finish in the top four.
“If we finish among the top two, that is great, but if we don’t, we still have a chance as the third and fourth team.” – September 9, 2024