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Italy’s 2026 World Cup qualifier with Israel will be prefaced by a major pro-Palestinian demonstration on Tuesday as thousands of people prepare to march through Udine in anger at the hosting of a match they feel should not be played.

The Gaza ceasefire deal signed on Monday and a hostage and prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas has done nothing to dampen the resolve of around 10,000 protestors who will descend on the small city in Italy’s far north-east amid a massive security operation.

Over 1,000 police officers and army personnel have been deployed while helicopters and drones will fly overhead to keep a watch on a march which was to begin at 5:30pm (1530 GMT) and be kept several kilometres away from the Bluenergy Stadium hosting the Group I fixture later.

The security operation has been designed to stop disorder and ensure no-one gets near the stadium or the Israel team.

Udine was quiet in the hours before the demonstration due to a series of restrictions on bars and restaurants.

READ ALSO: Israel Returns 45 Palestinian Bodies To Gaza —Hospital

Checkpoints have been put up in a ring around the ground, with spectators having to pass concrete barriers and metal detectors in order to watch a match which is key to Italy’s bid to ensure they qualify for a World Cup for the first time since 2014.

“We’re obviously happy that the bombing has stopped,” said Carolina from Udine Committee For Palestine, who said she would not give AFP her surname.

The association is one of five — including Palestinian communities in the regions of Veneto and Fruili-Venezia Giulia — that have organised Tuesday’s march and they will welcome more than 340 activist groups from all over Italy.

“Our message isn’t only about what was going on in Gaza but also that we oppose the politics of occupation and apartheid that affects all Palestinians,” she added.

The association asks that football’s world governing body FIFA exclude Israel from international competition, “as already done with Russia”, in response to the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Match overshadowed

Tuesday’s demonstration comes after a smaller one in Oslo on Saturday, when a few hundred people gathered in the Norwegian capital.

Police used tear gas to disperse activists outside the Ullevaal Stadium which was the scene of a 5-0 win for Norway against Israel.

The head of the Football Association of Norway (NFF), Lise Klaveness, recently said Israel should be sanctioned. Italy’s federation, in contrast, has not made such a call.

“The Norwegian FA has begun taking a position against the presence of Israeli teams, there’s a totally different type of behaviour across the board compared to what you see here (in Italy),” said the activist Carolina.

Tuesday’s protest has overshadowed a match which will go a long way to deciding Italy’s World Cup fate.

Italy sit second in their five-team group, six points behind leaders Norway and three ahead of third-placed Israel with a game in hand on both.

A win would secure Italy at least second place and a spot in the play-offs, with only first place giving direct qualification for next year’s finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

However Italy, who have three fixtures left to play, would need Norway to slip up against Estonia next month to have a realistic chance of finishing top, due to the 19-goal gap in goal difference between the two teams.

Cape Verde beat Eswatini 3-0 on Monday to secure a spot at the 2026 World Cup, booking their place in football’s global showpiece for the very first time.

The team from an archipelago off the coast of Senegal with about 550,000 inhabitants becomes the second-least populous nation to reach the World Cup, after Iceland, with just over 350,000, at Russia 2018.

Cape Verde won Group D with 23 points, four more than Cameroon, who hold the African record for World Cup appearances with eight. Cameroon were held 0-0 by Angola in Yaounde.

“Giving this happiness to these people is enormous… it’s a victory for all the Cape Verdean people and, above all, a victory for those who fought for our independence,” coach Pedro Brito told reporters.

“It’s a special moment in this celebration of the 50th anniversary of our independence.”

An emotional Vozinha, the 39-year-old goalkeeper, admitted, “I have been dreaming of this moment since I was a child. It’s time to celebrate.

“We knew we could do better (in the second half), and that’s it… it’s time to celebrate.”

After dominating the first half of the final round qualifier but seldom threatening to score, the Blue Sharks struck twice through Dailon Livramento and Willy Semedo in the first nine minutes after halftime before a 15,000 flag-waving crowd in Praia.

Livramento claimed his fourth goal of the 10-round qualifying campaign on 48 minutes, and Semedo struck six minutes later. Both goals came from close-range tap-ins.

READ ALSO: Kudus’ Goal Sends Ghana To 2026 World Cup

Cape Verde added a third goal in added time when Stopira, a substitute for Joao Paulo, pounced on a loose ball to score.

Cape Verde rely heavily on players born outside the nation to Cape Verdean parents or grandparents. Livramento was born in Rotterdam, and Semedo near Paris.

Eswatini had come to the 10-island archipelago with little attacking ambition, adopting a 5-4-1 formation in front of goalkeeper Khanyakwezwe Shabalala.

But after conceding twice, there was no way back for the team from southern Africa, who lost seven qualifiers and drew the other three.

“It’s too emotional. I embrace all the Cape Verdean people, at home and in our great diaspora,” said scorer Stopira.

Captain and striker Ryan Mendes added, “Honestly, I don’t have the words to describe this moment.” I’m very, very happy.”

Cape Verde spread the national team net wide with three starters based in Portugal and one each in the United States, Republic of Ireland, UAE, Romania, Russia, Netherlands, Turkey and Cyprus.

The remarkable qualification of Cape Verde came after they made a disappointing start to the campaign, drawing 0-0 at home with Angola and slumping to a 4-1 loss in Cameroon.

Those results left the Blue Sharks with four points from a possible nine, having won away to Eswatini in between.

But after the matchday three loss in Yaoundé, Cape Verde won five consecutive qualifiers, including crucial one-goal victories away to Angola and at home to Cameroon.

That left the islanders needing three points from their final two qualifiers this month, and a drama-filled 3-3 in Libya secured one before hosting Eswatini.

Last year, in the midst of the World Cup campaign, Cape Verde fared poorly in 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, winning only one match of six and failing to secure a place at the tournament.

Despite flopping in a group from which Egypt and Botswana advanced, Cape Verdean officials retained faith in long-serving Brito.

After two stints as assistant coach of the national team and spells with five local clubs, the coach popularly known as Bubista took charge of Cape Verde in 2020.

The 55-year-old former centre-back, who represented his country 21 times, guided Cape Verde to successive AFCON tournaments, in Cameroon three years ago and Ivory Coast last year.

They reached the knockout phase each time, making a last-16 exit, then losing a quarter-final against South Africa on penalties after having four spot-kicks saved.

Moise Kean will miss Italy’s key World Cup qualifier against Israel after failing to recover from an ankle injury, the country’s football federation said on Monday.

“Tests carried out this morning showed that the Fiorentina attacker hasn’t fully recovered from the injury suffered to his right ankle during Saturday’s match with Estonia,” the FIGC said.

Kean’s absence is a blow for Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso as the 25-year-old has scored six times in his last four matches for his country, including the opening goal in the 3-1 win over Estonia over the weekend.

READ ALSO: Ancelotti Ready To Make World Cup History With Brazil

Kean netted in the fifth minute of the Group I fixture in Tallinn but had to be replaced by Pio Esposito shortly afterwards due to an awkward fall which caused an ankle sprain.

Italy sit second in the five-team group, six points behind leaders Norway and three ahead of third-placed Israel with a game in hand on both.

A win in Udine on Tuesday will secure Italy at least second place and a spot in the play-offs, with only first giving direct qualification for next year’s finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

However Italy, who have three fixtures left to play, would need Norway to slip up against Estonia next month to have any realistic chance of finishing top, due to the huge gap in goal difference between the Azzurri and Erling Haaland and company.

Italy host Norway in their final group fixture, at the San Siro on November 16.

Tuesday’s match has been overshadowed by the prospect of a pro-Palestinian demonstration, with as many as 10,000 people expected to take part in a march through Udine in protest at the staging of the fixture.

The demonstrations will be in response to Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip, which was sparked by the attack by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023, on nearby Israeli communities.

During massive strike action in support of the Palestinians earlier this month, demonstrators went to the Italian national team’s training centre in Florence to demand the match be called off.

No country has ever won the World Cup with a foreign-born coach but Carlo Ancelotti said Monday that there was “always a first time” as he eyes glory with Brazil.

The Italian became Brazil’s first overseas coach in six decades when he took over in May, and he helped the five-times champions punch their ticket for next summer’s World Cup.

Brazil face Japan in a friendly in Tokyo on Tuesday, fresh from a 5-0 hammering of South Korea in Seoul last week.

Ancelotti said he aims to create history for himself and his team at the World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

“My goal is to give my best for the Brazil national team, to try to get them to perform at their best and to win the World Cup,” he said.

“Of course, no foreign-born coach has ever won the World Cup but there is always a first time in life.”

READ ALSO: Kudus’ Goal Sends Ghana To 2026 World Cup

Brazil made hard work of qualifying, finishing fifth in the South American table.

Ancelotti is their fourth coach since Tite stepped down following the quarter-final loss to Croatia at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Brazil sparkled against South Korea, with 18-year-old starlet Estevao scoring twice and Real Madrid pair Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. also among the goals.

‘Jogo bonito’

Brazilian fans hailed the win as a return to “jogo bonito” but Ancelotti said there was more to his team than that.

“Brazilian players have the quality to play beautiful football but you have to think about what you mean by beautiful football,” he said.

“Brazilian players have individual quality but that is combined with teamwork and movement off the ball, and that’s very important in football.”

Brazil travelled to Asia without forward Neymar, 33, who was ruled out of action until at least November with a thigh injury.

Time is running out for Brazil’s record goalscorer to force his way back into the squad before the World Cup.

Ancelotti said there were no questions over Neymar’s quality.

“If Neymar is in good condition then of course he can fit into the national team,” he said.

“If Neymar is fit then he can play in any team in the world.”

Brazil have kept four clean sheets in their five games since Ancelotti took over, having been porous at the back before then.

“He’s Italian, so he likes his team to defend well,” said their Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.

“Especially at the World Cup, the teams that don’t concede goals win the title, so it’s essential that we defend well.”

Japan were the first team to book their place at next year’s tournament after cruising through Asian qualifying.

They have never beaten Brazil in 13 attempts and are without several injured players including Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma and Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo.

Coach Hajime Moriyasu said defeating Brazil would give them the confidence to make an impact in North America.

“We want to win and to grow as a team and give everything for this challenge,” he said.

“Brazil are one of the top teams in the world and we respect them, but we have players who are playing in Europe and getting experience there.”

Mohammed Kudus scored as Ghana beat Comoros 1-0 in Accra on Sunday to win Group I and become the fifth African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup after Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.

Cheered on by a capacity 40,000 crowd, Ghana dominated first half possession and territory, but slow, predictable attacks meant Comoros goalkeeper Adel Anzimati-Aboudou was seldom troubled.

However, the home side wasted little time after the interval in taking the lead as Tottenham midfielder Kudus struck on 47 minutes.

Comoros only partially cleared a goalmouth scramble and when the ball was crossed low into the six-yard box, Kudus tapped it into the net from point-blank range.

Success against Comoros was particularly sweet as the Indian Ocean islanders shocked Ghana at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and beat them again in the second round of World Cup qualifying two years ago.

Ghana top the group with 25 points from 10 matches. Madagascar finished second with 19 points despite a 4-1 loss to third-placed Mali in Bamako.

It will be the fifth appearance by the Black Stars in the global showpiece. Their best performance was in 2010 in South Africa, where they lost to Uruguay after a quarter-finals penalty shootout.

Qualification for the expanded 48-nation 2026 tournament, which the United States, Canada and Mexico will co-host, justified the faith of Ghanaian officials in coach Otto Addo, who was under fire last year.

There were persistent demands from the public and media in the west African country for Addo to be sacked after a disastrous 2025 AFCON qualifying campaign.

Ghana, winners of the competition four times between 1963 and 1982, did not win any of six AFCON qualifiers and finished a humiliating last behind Angola, Sudan and Niger with just three points.

The other four automatic African qualifiers for the World Cup will be decided on Monday and Tuesday with Benin, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast and Senegal the group leaders.

 Egypt win without Salah

Egypt rested Liverpool star Mohamed Salah for their final match at home to Guinea-Bissau, and an early goal from Mohamed Hamdy delivered a 1-0 Group A victory in Cairo.

Niger upset Zambia 1-0 in Ndola to finish second in Group E behind Morocco, and currently lie third in the mini-leagues runners-up table behind Gabon and Burkina Faso.

The four best-ranked second-placed teams after the final qualifiers on Tuesday advance to play-offs in Morocco during November.

Whoever wins the mini-tournament, featuring single-match semi-finals and a final, qualifies for six-nation inter-continental play-offs next March with two World Cup places up for grabs.

Niger striker Daniel Sosah scored in his third straight qualifier, firing a rebound into the net on 56 minutes after goalkeeper Lawrence Mulenga failed to hold a Victorien Adebayor shot.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian squad, coaches, technical staff and officials arrived safely in southeastern city Uyo on Sunday.

Returning home after a Group C win over Lesotho in South Africa last Friday, the jet carrying the Super Eagles had to make an emergency landing in Angola due to a cracked windscreen.

The team media officer, Promise Efoghe, said a replacement aircraft was sent to Luanda and the journey to Nigeria was safely completed.

Nigeria, the pre-qualifying favourites to win Group C, are third entering the final round on Tuesday, three points behind Benin and one below South Africa.

However, the Super Eagles could finish first if they defeat shock leaders Benin in Uyo and South Africa do not win at home to Rwanda.

South Sudan coach Nicolas Dupuis has reportedly been suspended for 15 days and told to stay away from the national squad after a 5-0 home loss to Group B leaders Senegal on Friday.

Zinedine Zidane confirmed Sunday he would one day like to coach the France national team, but did not say if he was hoping to take over from outgoing boss Didier Deschamps.

Zidane, who scored twice in France’s 1998 World Cup final win over Brazil, led Real Madrid to three Champions League titles in his only previous senior head coaching role.

“I’m sure I’ll get back into coaching,” Zidane said at an event organised by Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport.

READ ALSO: Super Eagles Land In Uyo After Mid-Air Scare

“I’m not saying it’s going to happen now, what I want one day is to coach the national team.”

The 53-year-old is the favourite to take over from Deschamps when the 2018 World Cup-winning coach steps down after next year’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“The most important thing is to have a passion for football and to want to pass on something to your players, what you have in you, deep within you,” added Zidane, whose second spell in charge of Real Madrid ended in 2021.

“A coach has an important role in the success of his team. In my opinion his energy and desire are 80 percent of whether things go well.”