The highly anticipated under-19 basketball match between Israel and Jordan, scheduled for Sunday evening in Lausanne, was called off after the Jordanian team announced it would not participate, effectively forfeiting the game. According to tournament rules, Israel will be awarded a 20–0 technical victory.
The matchup had drawn attention for months after Israel and Jordan were drawn into the same group at the FIBA U19 World Cup, alongside hosts Switzerland and the Dominican Republic. Israeli coach Sharon Avrahami’s squad had hoped the game would proceed but the Jordanians made their decision official by midday Sunday.
Under current FIBA regulations, teams are allowed to miss up to two games in group play without immediate disqualification—a loophole Jordan appears to have used. Further disciplinary action may still be imposed by FIBA.
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Chairman of the Israel Basketball Association Amos Frishman responded to the decision. "I regret Jordan’s decision not to play. I had hoped they would take the court to show the world a different way, especially during these times. Sports should be a bridge between cultures—not a political battlefield," he said.
The boycott comes amid heightened political tensions following Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza and the more recent cross-border conflict with Iran. Jordanian media and social platforms had erupted in the lead-up to the game, with prominent figures and activists calling it an unacceptable act of “sports normalization” with what they referred to as “the Zionist entity.”
Hashtags such as “Our team against normalization” trended across Jordanian social media and figures including attorney Hala Ahed condemned the idea of competing against Israel. “What sportsmanship is there in playing a team representing a state committing genocide in Gaza?” she wrote on X.
Al Jazeera previously reported that public and political pressure had intensified on the Jordan Basketball Federation to pull out of the match. The federation has not issued an official statement on the matter.