Times Square billboard launches #GameOverIsrael World Cup boycott push
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Advocacy groups launch #GameOverIsrael in Times Square, urging a boycott of "Israel" ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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A billboard calling for a boycott of "Israel" in international football as seen on a building in Times Square, New York City, United States, September 17, 2025 (Social media)
A coalition of advocacy organizations and fan groups called on European soccer federations to boycott "Israel" by launching a billboard in New York's Times Square that went live on Tuesday, kicking off their #GameOverIsrael campaign months ahead of the World Cup.
New York is scheduled to host eight matches, including the final, in next year's quadrennial World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico.
The campaign calls on soccer federations in Belgium, England, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Scotland, and Spain to boycott the Israeli team and ban Israeli players from domestic competitions, citing the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
"As the United States prepares to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026, Americans must not allow our stadiums to become platforms for whitewashing war crimes," Abed Ayoub, the Anti-Discrimination Committee National Executive Director, said in a statement. The ADC launched the initiative alongside several European partners.
"We stand with our European counterparts and demand that every football governing body take immediate and decisive action to bar Israel from international competition," Ayoub told Reuters, adding, "The world must tell Israel that the game is over, and there is no room in sports for war criminals."
A United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded on Tuesday that "Israel" is committing a genocide in Gaza, a finding that was immediately rejected by Israeli officials, with "Israel's" ambassador to the United Nations calling the report "scandalous" and "fake", despite the death toll in Gaza surpassing 65,000.
Located near the intersection of Broadway and West 43rd Street, the billboard contains the word "genocide", which the ADC said was only approved by the billboard company after it saw the text of the UN commission’s report.
