‘We play every game with heart’: Palestine meet Socceroos with minds on Gaza

As the final whistle rang out, waves of emotion began to crash over Michel Termanini. The weight of what had been accomplished became clear but so too what this moment would mean for so many. Termanini and his teammates had just seen out a 0-0 draw against Lebanon to secure Palestine’s progression to the next phase of Asian qualification for the 2026 World Cup. It is the furthest the team has advanced in their attempts to secure a place at the showpiece event since joining Fifa in 1998.

Against a backdrop of the war in Gaza, it has been a campaign like no other. Palestine were set to stage a first home game since 2019 in a qualifier against Australia in the West Bank last November, but the outbreak of hostilities forced the team to ‘host’ games across Kuwait and Qatar instead. Coach Makram Daboub has said players, many of whom have lost loved ones, have a “constant feeling of anxiety for their families”, and with the Gazan and West Bank leagues suspended, many have been forced to look abroad to continue playing, leaving home to play in leagues in Jordan, Egypt and Libya.

Related: Socceroos overcome Bangladesh and ‘dangerous’ pitch to earn World Cup qualifying win

“It’s been a rough time,” said Termanini, whose team have travelled to Perth, where they meet the Socceroos on Tuesday. “But the thing is, every player is professional. Everybody has their role to be 100% ready when we meet with the national team, and to be focused and be prepared for every game.”

Palestine are five points clear of Lebanon in Group I with two games remaining, and a draw was as good as a win last Thursday. It was treated as such; defender Mohammed Khalil conducted the celebrations with fans before the team posed for a historic photograph.

Goals haven’t come easy – all six of theirs were scored in two games against Bangladesh – but as is so important in the slog of qualifying, they’ve been solid defensively, conceding just a single goal across five fixtures – in a 1-0 loss to group winners Australia. It’s rendered their return fixture against the Socceroos somewhat moot; they are already qualified and locked into pot five for seeding purposes. But ultimately, the progression has all been in service of a greater goal.

“[Bringing joy] is our only motivation right now,” said midfielder Mohammed Rashid. “This is what keeps us working on the pitch. There’s really nothing else to work for. Of course, we want to advance, we want to go to the next rounds, but if we don’t go to the next round, no one is happy. And people right now, this is the only thing they’re watching; this is the only thing that gives them hope, watching their national team advance and going into the next rounds that we have never made before.

“This is a big motivation, to see the support. That even with the war going on, you see pictures of people watching the games in Gaza and all over Palestine. This gives us a lot of hope. Hopefully, this will keep us going. But we pray that everything will stop and peace will prevail in that area.”

A desire to bring joy and prayer for peace. It’s been a near-constant refrain of the side ever since the conflict in Gaza began, with the ongoing death and destruction casting a long shadow. The health ministry in Gaza said in a statement on Saturday that at least 36,801 Palestinians have been killed and more than 83,680 have been injured in Israel’s military offensive since the conflict began on 7 October, following Hamas’s 7 October attack that killed approximately 1,200 and took more than 240 hostages.

But Daboub’s side have still found a way to make history with their exploits on the pitch. “We play every game with heart and with motivation from the war. So we go out onto the field with 100% focus,” said Termanini.

In January, Palestine advanced to the knockout stages of the Asian Cup for the first time in their history, even taking a 1-0 lead over eventual champions Qatar in their last-16 clash through Oday Dabbagh, only for the host nation to rally. Last week’s result ensured they will return to Asian football’s showpiece event for a fourth consecutive time in 2027, continuing a streak that began back in 2015 and has seen them qualify in three different ways. They were unlucky not to take a point off Australia in that previous meeting, a lone header from Harry Souttar from a set piece proving the difference. Their women’s side recently played their first game in Europe, in a friendly against Irish side Bohemians. It has understandably been overshadowed, but Palestine is reaching new heights in football.

Dabbagh laughed when the subject of the previous Australia fixture came up at training on Sunday, noting with good humour that while he may not have won on that day, but he had got one over Socceroos player Jordy Bos when their two club sides met in the Belgian Pro League in the first game after that international break – Dabbagh came off the bench and scored as Charleroi beat Westerlo 3-2. The first home-grown Palestinian to play in a major European league, Dabbagh serves as this side’s talisman and is a key figure in pursuit of a maiden World Cup appearance.

The path would appear narrow even with the tournament’s expansion to 48 teams, but Palestine are ready to dare to dream.

“It’s the dream, it’s a big dream,” said Rashid. “This is something that we’re all looking forward, to at least get close to that. Because it gives us a chance to raise the name of Palestine to the whole world – the World Cup is the biggest platform for this.

“It’s football, everything is possible. But there’s a lot of hard work that needs to be done before we get to that.”