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The Palestinian national soccer team is looking too Chile for talent and a training base to prepare for the 2030 World Cup.
Chilean Connection Fuels Palestinian Football ambitions
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At the end of July 2025, Palestine’s soccer coach, Ehab Abu Jazar, traveled to Chile with a specific mission: scout young talent to bolster his national team for the 2030 World Cup. Chile holds meaningful importance for palestine due to its large Palestinian diaspora, a football club founded by these immigrants, and prominent figures of Palestinian descent in football leadership, including the current president of the National professional Football Association.
Tensions frequently overshadow everyday life, making consistent athletic training a challenge.
A Diasporic Base for Talent
The project aims to create a space were athletes can maintain peak competitive form for the upcoming World Cup. “What we want is to have a group of Palestinian players in Chile, then others from Latin America, and hopefully some from Palestine, who can train there,” explained Jibril Rajoub, president of the Palestinian Football Association. He highlighted Chile’s immense solidarity with their cause.
Support from the Palestinian Sports club, established in 1920 and deeply connected to the community, is crucial. Rajoub expressed gratitude for their generosity, noting that the club’s facilities could help Palestinian players stay in consistent action, “ready to join our national teams.”
“Due to genocide and other policies of the Israeli occupation, many of our stadiums have been destroyed or converted into detention centers,” coach Abu Jazar shared, referencing accusations supported by international and Israeli human rights organizations but disputed by the Israeli government and its allies.
Abu Jazar further elaborated on the difficulties faced in the West Bank, citing movement restrictions and settler attacks that hinder league operations. “That is why we thought we could generate a basis for our selections in the diaspora. We are not transferring the selection of Palestine to Chile,” he clarified.
A Long-Held Dream
The initiative benefits from Chile’s large Palestinian community,the established infrastructure and experience of the Palestinian sports Club,and dedicated coordinators in both the West Bank and Santiago. The goal is to commence initial training sessions before the end of 2025.
“The Palestinian community in Chile has always supported us,” rajoub said.”These initiatives send a message of hope and resilience, showing that even if some wish to destroy Palestinian identity, we will persevere and achieve our dream of reaching the 2030 World Cup.”
Abu Jazar also pointed out the need to address player progress challenges. The current socio-political and military climate necessitates forming multiple youth teams across the West Bank to manage and develop players effectively. Increasing the pool of available and actively training players is vital for a competitive World Cup campaign.
The dream of World Cup qualification is not distant.In the 2025 Asian qualifiers, Palestine narrowly missed advancing from the third round. A 1-0 victory against Oman was overshadowed by a controversial penalty in the 97th minute, resulting in a draw that eliminated them.”The elimination was very unfair,” Abu jazar recalled, “with a penalty that never existed.But today,we are focused on the
