Many fans ask: How are players eligible for Team Israel if they weren’t born in Israel or don’t currently hold Israeli passports?

On Team Israel in 2026, several players qualify under Israel’s Law of Return through their family connections:

Matt Bowman — Wife is Jewish Tommy Kahnle — Wife is Jewish Jordan Geber — Paternal grandfather is Jewish Harrison Bader — Father is Jewish Cole Carrigg — Father is Jewish Troy Johnston — Father is Jewish Eli Morgan (was slated to play before insurance issues) — Father is Jewish

The answer lies in the precise wording of the WBC’s eligibility rules and Israel’s Law of Return.

Under WBC eligibility rules, a player may represent a Federation Team if certain criteria are met. One of the most important provisions states:

The player presents documentary evidence satisfactory to WBCI that, even if he has not been granted citizenship or been issued a passport, the player would be granted citizenship or a passport in due course under the laws of the Federation Team’s country or territory had the player applied for such citizenship or passport.

The player presents documentary evidence satisfactory to WBCI that, even if he has not been granted citizenship or been issued a passport, the player would be granted citizenship or a passport in due course under the laws of the Federation Team’s country or territory had the player applied for such citizenship or passport.

This clause is critical. It means a player does not have to already hold citizenship — it is enough that he would be granted citizenship under that country’s laws.

For Israel, that law is the Law of Return.

What Israel’s Law of Return Says

Israel’s Law of Return states:

Every Jew has the right to come to this country as an oleh.

Every Jew has the right to come to this country as an oleh.

It further extends those rights to:

A child and a grandchild of a Jew, the spouse of a Jew, the spouse of a child of a Jew and the spouse of a grandchild of a Jew.

A child and a grandchild of a Jew, the spouse of a Jew, the spouse of a child of a Jew and the spouse of a grandchild of a Jew.

The law also defines “Jew” as:

A person who was born of a Jewish mother or has become converted to Judaism and who is not a member of another religion.

A person who was born of a Jewish mother or has become converted to Judaism and who is not a member of another religion.

In practical terms, this means Israeli citizenship is available not only to Jews themselves, but also to their children, grandchildren, and spouses.

How This Translates to WBC Eligibility

When you put the WBC rule together with Israel’s Law of Return, the pathway becomes clear.

Because Israeli law provides that:

A grandchild of a Jew

is entitled to citizenship, those individuals satisfy the WBC requirement that they:

would be granted citizenship or a passport in due course under the laws of the Federation Team’s country or territory had the player applied for such citizenship or passport.

would be granted citizenship or a passport in due course under the laws of the Federation Team’s country or territory had the player applied for such citizenship or passport.

So even if a player has never lived in Israel and has never applied for citizenship, he is eligible to represent Team Israel if he qualifies under the Law of Return.

It’s not a loophole. It’s not an exception. It’s a direct application of the WBC’s own eligibility language combined with Israeli law.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)