Pro-Palestine Protests Pose Challenge to Norway's World Cup Qualification Hopes
Norway's World Cup qualification hopes amid pro-Palestine protests. Will security measures be enough to prevent disruptions?
“You never know how a match will go. And now, when you add the political dimension to it, things come...”
The Norwegian Football Association is worried that pro-Palestine protesters might disrupt Saturday's crucial World Cup qualifier against Israel, potentially jeopardizing Norway's 28-year bid to return to the tournament.
Karl-Petter Loken, General Secretary of the Norwegian FA, expressed his concerns to NRK, highlighting the importance of maintaining security within the arena to avoid any situations that might put Norway's qualification hopes at risk.
If pro-Palestine protesters breach security, it could lead to interruptions or even cancellation of the match, significantly impacting Norway's chances of qualifying for the World Cup.
“Our main focus is to secure the event here. And ensure that there is a good framework for the team to perform, so that they may win and perhaps go to a World Cup on the men's side for the first time in 28 years,” says Loken.
The FA is keeping its security budget under wraps but emphasizes that it's allocating more funds than ever before to ensure safety at the national arena for this match.
“You never know how a match will go. And now, when you add the political dimension to it, things come to a head. But we do ten times more than we do for a normal international match, so we feel well prepared,” she says to NRK.
FIFA regulations govern World Cup qualifying matches, addressing security challenges that may impact the game's integrity. If significant security issues arise, the organizing association may face disciplinary action, including a default defeat.
🚨 🇳🇴 Norway would be on the brink of the 2026 FIFA World Cup if 🇮🇱 Israel are KICKED OUT of qualifiers!
— Football Rankings (@FootRankings) September 25, 2025
❌ 🇮🇱 Israel's matches at 🇳🇴 Norway and 🇮🇹 Italy would be cancelled, giving 🇮🇹 Italy less chance to overtake 🇳🇴 Norway! pic.twitter.com/Hdk0kdugq8
There have been instances where teams faced consequences for spectator behavior. Denmark in 2007 and Serbia in 2014 were handed 0-3 default defeats after their matches were abandoned due to crowd trouble.
“It is particularly the implementation of matches inside the arena that will be particularly important to ensure that the Norwegian FA avoid ending up in such a situation,” says Espen Auberg, former member of UEFA's judicial committee, to NRK.
“I do think the threshold for awarding a loss is probably higher if the security problems are related to conditions outside the stadium and demonstrations that do not take place inside the stadium, than if it is spectators who cause the match to have to be interrupted” says Auberg.
The World Cup qualifying match between Norway and Israel kicks off at 5:00 PM local time on Saturday at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo.
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