Palestinians to play first World Cup qualifier at home

The Palestinian national football team are due to play its first World Cup qualifier on home soil.

The team are playing against Afghanistan in the second leg of a qualifying match for the Brazil World Cup in 2014.

Thousands are expected to pack the al-Ram stadium in Ramallah to witness a piece of Palestinian football history.

In the past, the team has had to play its home games in Jordan because of security concerns in the West Bank.

g>First leg victory

Palestinians do not have a state but they do have a football team.

They won the first leg 2-0 so barring a collapse should advance to the next stage.

The first match had to be played in Tajikistan because of security concerns in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

It is a problem the Palestinians can relate to.

Political leaders say the fact that a World Cup game can at last be played on home soil is a sign how much security has improved in the West Bank.

But the road to Brazil 2014 will be long - the Palestinian team are ranked 167th in the football world rankings and have never qualified for the World Cup finals.

By Jon Donnison

BBC News, Ramallah