Palestine: The Lost Team

A forgotten battle over football, identity and recognition – how a Jewish team competed as Palestine in the 1930s and beyond. In 1934, a team called Palestine entered the qualifying rounds of the football World Cup in Mussolini’s fascist Italy. But it did not include any Palestinian players. It was drawn largely from the Jewish sporting movement under the British Mandate, at a time when football reflected the changing face of Palestine. This documentary uncovers the forgotten history of Mandate-era football – how British rule, Zionist organisation and Palestinian exclusion shaped the makeup of the first team to compete internationally as Palestine.