The government denies that Spain will withdraw from the 2026 World Cup, but calls for measures against Israel: "The same as with Russia."

The boycott of the final stage of the Vuelta a España cycling race has marked a turning point in the relationship between politics and sport and the Palestinian-Israeli issue. So much so that Spain's participation in the 2026 World Cup was even questioned, especially after the withdrawal of its national bid for Eurovision. However, the Spanish national football team will participate in the World Cup.

Sports Minister Pilar Alegría sought to clarify the matter and confirmed that La Roja will attend the World Cup in a few months on COPE's El Partizado .

"We're talking about different issues, and we can't put forward so many screens because Spain's participation is not in any doubt here," the minister begins.

Alegría also pointed out that it was very difficult for Israel to participate: "I'll also tell you something: qualification for this World Cup is at stake. If people have a bit of a sports archive, which they surely do, they know perfectly well that (Israel) has not participated for more than 25 years because they have never qualified."

However, the minister demanded that measures be taken regarding Israel: "What we are doing is urging the International Olympic Committee and the International Federations to adopt at least the same decision they adopted regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine , in this case removing the Russian teams."