Country Banned From World Cup Could Exploit Loophole Israel Helped Set

One country banned from playing in the World Cup could potentially exploit a loophole to enter the competition in the future.

So far, two countries have been banned from playing in the 2026 World Cup, which is set to be held across Mexico, the United States and Canada.

Eritrea is one of the two banned countries, having not played a competitive international match since 2020. Meanwhile, Congo pulled out of qualifying after its federation, FECOFOOT, was suspended by FIFA in February. The suspension was later lifted but it was too late to re-enter qualifying.

In June, another country saw their hopes of playing in World Cups in the future go up in smoke.

The world's largest island, Greenland, has never played a competitive match in international football.

Although Greenland is a sovereign territory of Denmark, it is geographically part of North America.

Due to not being a recognised country by the United Nations, Greenland's passage to become a member of UEFA was automatically blocked.

Greenland was also rejected by CONCACAF, which governs North and Central America and the Caribbean.

A statement read: "Based on a thorough assessment conducted by the Concacaf administration and Council, and in accordance with the Concacaf Statutes, the Member Associations reviewed the membership application submitted by the Greenlandic Football Association and unanimously rejected it."

The FIFA World Cup trophy. Image: Getty

However, a potential loophole could allow Greenland to enter World Cup qualification in the future via the Oceania route.

Back in 1986 and 1990, Israel entered the OFC (Oceania Football Confederation) World Cup qualifiers due to political reasons, despite not being located in the Pacific Basin.

Taking to social media, The Sweeper Podcast stated that Greenland joining the OFC would be a possible, but improbable solution.

They wrote: "With both UEFA & CONCACAF rejecting Greenland as a member, one possible - but improbable - option would be to join OFC, Oceania's confederation.

"While it might sound ludicrous given its geographical location, it is not without precedent: Israel was a member between 1974 & 1992."