Conflict escalates, UEFA decides to suspend matches in Israel

On October 20, the Israel Football Association (IFA) cited an announcement from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) saying that no matches within the framework of UEFA tournaments will be held in Israel until further notice.

UEFA stated that the above decision was made after a thorough assessment of the current safety and security situation throughout Israel in the context of the dangerous escalation of the conflict between the Hamas Islamic Movement and Israel.

Israeli champions Maccabi Haifa - a UEFA Europa League participant - and Maccabi Tel Aviv - a UEFA Europa Conference League participant, have been asked to join the IFA in choosing stadiums outside Israel as an alternative to their home stadiums.

The away match between Maccabi Haifa and Spanish club Villarreal scheduled for October 26 will be moved to December 6.

Maccabi Haifa's next home match against Villarreal will be on November 9.

Meanwhile, Maccabi Tel Aviv's upcoming home match against Ukraine's Zorya Luhansk has been rescheduled from October 26 to November 25.

Israel is scheduled to host UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying matches against Switzerland and Romania on November 15 and 18 respectively.

If UEFA's decision stands, these two matches will be moved to neutral venues.