2026 World Cup Qualifiers: Palestine stun Iraq 2-1 while Norway rout Israel 4-2

Palestine came from behind to stun Iraq 2-1 in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup late on Tuesday, keeping alive hopes for its first qualification for the marquee soccer tournament.

Iraq opened the scoreline when Aymen Hussein scored a goal in the 34th minute of the match played at Amman International Stadium in Jordan.

As the game appeared to slip away from Palestine, Abou Ali scored an equaliser with two minutes of normal time to play, keeping his side in the game.

Ameed Mahajneh then came to the party seven minutes into injury time, scoring the second goal for Palestine and compensating for missed chances earlier in the game.

With this nail-biting win, Palestine moved up in Group B and now stand in fifth place with six points, just above Kuwait.

Iraq, a formidable Asian football side, are placed third in the group with 12 points.

The next year’s World Cup is being jointly staged by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

In Group I, Norway routed Israel 4-2 after Manchester City striker Erling Haaland scored the final goal to kick off their World Cup qualifying campaign in style.

Before the start of the match played in Hungary, Norwegian fans booed the Israeli anthem as a mark of protest against the ongoing Israeli genocidal war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

There had been vociferous calls for a boycott against the Israeli football team prior to the match against Norway on Tuesday.

“We deeply regret what is happening in Gaza. This is a very great tragedy. The political situation is complex and difficult, and it is obviously especially sad for the people living in Palestine,” Norwegian goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland, who plays for Sevilla in La Liga, was quoted as saying.

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