Palestine are due to play Australia, who they met in 2018, in a World Cup qualifier next month. -AP
Palestine's soccer team has withdrawn from a tournament in Malaysia which was to serve as a warm-up for 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against Australia and Lebanon next month.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
"The withdrawal came due to players being unable to travel because of the events and circumstances that the Palestinian territories are going through," Firas Abu Hilal, secretary-general of the Palestinian Football Association, told Reuters on Tuesday.
Palestine had been scheduled to compete in the Merdeka Cup - an international friendly tournament in Malaysia - from October 13-17 along with India, Tajikistan and Malaysia.
Hilal said the players' plans had been disrupted by the repeated closure of a crossing connecting Jordan to the Palestinian territories, through which they would have travelled to Malaysia.
Palestine are due to play Australia at a venue to be determined on November 21.
Australia, Palestine and Lebanon will be joined in qualifying second round group I by either Bangladesh or the Maldives, who contest their first round tie this week. The top two progress to the 18-team third stage, and also qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup.
8°C