November 21, (THEWILL) – In a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match played on Tuesday, at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City, Australia defeated Palestine 1-0, thanks to a goal from centre-back Harry Souttar. A vocal crowd of thousands of Palestinians and their supporters were on hand for the match, Palestine’s first in front of fans since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
Souttar scored the match’s only goal in the 18th minute, ducking his head to redirect a Craig Goodwin corner kick past the outstretched hands of Palestine goalkeeper Rami Hamadi. Before the match, the Australian team donated a portion of their fees to humanitarian causes in Gaza through charities like Oxfam, via the Professional Footballers Australia’s Footballers’ Trust.
The win sees Australia top Group I with two victories and a perfect six points from their first two qualifiers. In their opening match, they cruised past Bangladesh 7-0.
However, they found the going much tougher against a determined Palestine side that limited them to just a handful of chances. Socceroos winger Brandon Borrello forced a good save from Hamadi in the 64th minute, but otherwise Australia struggled to create opportunities.
Palestine can hold their heads high after a gritty performance that suggests they have the quality to compete against some of Asia’s top sides. But Australia will be happy to come away with three vital points as they bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
