Emily Austin, a 25-year-old observant Jew from the United States with deep ties to Israel, has been selected as the sole influencer tasked with covering the FIFA World Cup on behalf of the international soccer body.
Austin, who has emerged as one of the most prominent pro-Israel voices among young influencers, attributes the appointment in part to her close relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino. In an interview published Tuesday in Israel Hayom, she described a revealing personal exchange that captured both the promise and the complexities of bridging divides.
“I told the FIFA president I was from Israel,” Austin recounted. “His wife and daughter said, ‘We are from Lebanon.’”
Infantino, whose wife is of Lebanese origin and who himself received Lebanese citizenship earlier this year, has long positioned soccer as a force for unity. For Austin, the moment illustrated how the world’s most popular sport can foster human connections even amid longstanding regional tensions. Yet her selection also highlights something deeper: a determined young advocate using a high-profile platform to advance Israel’s image at a time when the Jewish state continues to face waves of hostility and attempts at isolation on the international stage.
Born in the United States to Israeli parents and raised in a Modern Orthodox household, Austin has blended a rising career in sports broadcasting with unapologetic advocacy for Israel. She has interviewed major figures, including President Donald Trump, and previously served in communications for Israel’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations. After the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, she became a forceful voice against antisemitism, often at personal and professional cost, while championing Israel’s right to defend itself and its place among nations.
