As the World Cup progressed, Israel continued to carry out killings and seize land in the occupied territories of Palestine and Lebanon without hindrance, and also provoked US President Donald Trump to join the war against Iran.
However, the Zionists committing genocide have not gone unnoticed regarding the World Cup. They still managed to tarnish the name of the former Argentine World Cup champion and stain his reputation.
The author recalls being in Lebanon twenty years ago during the 2006 World Cup in Germany. A few days after leaving Beirut, Israelis invaded Lebanon again. The author watched some World Cup matches with Palestinian and Lebanese friends in refugee camps. They left Beirut on July 2nd, and the World Cup ended on July 9th, but by July 12th, Israelis were bombing Lebanon.
Bombarding unarmed people, in the author's opinion, is a national sport for Israelis. Today, in similar circumstances, after the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup, it is time to think about the still beautiful, albeit heavily disgraced, game taking place on a deeply problematic planet.
The appeal of football for many modern thinkers, according to the author, lies in the fact that it provides equal playing conditions in a world otherwise overshadowed by the privileges and aggression of powerful nations. Eduardo Galeano's book 'Football in Sun and Shadow' contains a concise summary of the beautiful game: 'The history of football is a sad journey from beauty to duty. When sport became an industry, the beauty blossoming from the joy of the game was uprooted by that very industry.'
Nevertheless, glimpses of beautiful play are wonderfully visible in the ugly world where it is held. Here, Lionel Messi, one of the most famous footballers of all time and captain of Argentina, is accused of inciting Israeli propaganda. The racist behavior of some Argentine fans, both in and out of stadiums, reflects institutional racism in Israel.
However, the South American country that gifted the world such outstanding footballers as Diego Maradona and Alfredo Di Stéfano, as well as brilliant philosophers like Enrique Dussel and Walter Mignolo, cannot be overshadowed by the shame of its foolish Zionist president Javier Milei. One of the most unusual global shifts in fan sentiment during this World Cup was that the internet turned against Argentina in favor of England.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Palestinian, and other Arab fans demonstrated an example of nobility during difficult times for the Egyptian team. After the scandal caused by Egypt's defeat to Argentina, which led to accusations of bias against the entire FIFA establishment, a sharp contrast emerged between Messi and Egyptian captain Mohamed Salah, showing how the Palestinian issue elevates those who support it and humiliates those who do not.
Manifestations of unwavering humanity were also noticeable among Mexican fans, who gathered near the Iranian team's residence chanting: 'Iran, hermano, ya eres Mexicano' (which translates to 'Iran, brother, you are now Mexican').
When the Iranian team was eliminated in the first round, the author's younger daughter asked him meekly: 'What should we do now?' The author replied: 'Nothing, babaa. We just watch and cheer for other unfortunate people on earth. There are many African and Latin American teams left in the rest of the World Cup.'
The economics of the game and widespread corruption in FIFA, the governing body of football, overshadowed the simple and naive political aspects of national teams. Significant migration from Asia and Africa to Europe has substantially changed the composition of these national teams. Favorite French forward Kylian Mbappé was born in France to parents from Cameroon and Algeria. Many footballers from Latin America, Africa, and Asia are attracted to European football clubs and leagues; Salah, the Egyptian superstar, played for Liverpool for nine years.
Between France and Spain, the author supported Spain because of its more principled stance against genocide in Gaza, as well as for the pure pleasure of watching the young virtuoso Lamine Yamal on the field. This leads to the American team and the obvious fact that 'soccer', as they call it, is not actually an American game and probably never will be.
The explanation for this simple fact lies in the common idiomatic expression: 'soccer mom'. Who is a 'soccer mom'? She is a wealthy suburban mother who drives her SUV, loaded with 11 children and five times as many balls, onto the lush lawn in her neighborhood. Compare this to your childhood when I played football—like millions of other small footballers around the world—when we had to chip in pennies to afford a small plastic ball. We claimed this ball when it was temporarily ours and never let it go unless we passed it to a teammate. The psychology of ball possession is particularly strong because in football, you cannot touch the ball with your hands, let alone hold it (except for the goalkeeper); instead, you can only possess it with your feet, dribbling for a while before passing it to friends. This forces a socialist attitude towards the ball, which is in your temporary and fleeting possession before you have to share it with a friend, because sharing means caring before your opponent takes it from you. Thus, football is inherently a socialist game, which is another reason why Americans are not very good at it. 'American football,' on the contrary, is played entirely with hands; the ball has a shape that welcomes and encourages such possession.
All these reflections may seem whimsical, considering that top players like Messi and Mbappé are multimillionaires. However, their attitude towards the talismanic power of the ball is formed long before they join any European club to receive their lucrative salaries. The final match between Argentina and Spain turned into a confrontation between the glorious Yamal, who proudly displayed the Palestinian flag during the celebration of victory, and Messi, whose name is stained by his connection to Israel and Zionism.
Spain's victory on the field became a victory for every Palestinian, Lebanese, or Iranian child killed by Israel. Argentina's calls for its claims over the Falkland Islands/Malvinas now sound empty and meaningless, given that the country's ruling regime supports the last murderous remnants of British colonialism committing genocide in Palestine. The Spanish squad possessed authority as a representative of one of the most pro-Palestinian European countries, alongside Ireland. This is the country from which the famous Spanish actor Javier Bardem emerged as a defender of the Palestinian cause. Meanwhile, the racist origins of the disgraced Argentine ruling regime were globally exposed.
By the end of the 2026 World Cup, the old lion passed the baton to the young lion cub it once bathed. Spain's victory on the field became a triumph for every Palestinian, Lebanese, or Iranian child killed by Israel—and who never had a chance to see this glorious turn of the beautiful game.
As predictions for the 2026 World Cup final are actively discussed on global sports networks, it has become clear that for many fans, the upcoming match between Spain and Argentina goes beyond just a beautiful game and national pride.
Thanks to discussions on social media, videos, and memes, thousands of viewers worldwide have stated that for them, Sunday's final is a kind of referendum on political solidarity in support of Palestine amid the ongoing genocide of Israel in Gaza. One X user noted that the match represents a confrontation of 'Pro-Palestine versus Pro-Israel.'
Tension had been building before the game, as Argentina faced online opposition from people who consider the reigning world champion linked to Israel due to close political ties between the countries. Argentine President Javier Milei stated that he is 'sincerely proud to be the most Zionist president in the world.'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu openly expressed support for Argentina thanks to Milei last week in a podcast, calling him 'a great friend of Israel.' Meanwhile, Israeli politicians took to social media on Wednesday to mark Argentina's semi-final triumph over England.
On the other hand, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is widely recognized as one of the loudest supporters of Palestine in Europe. Under his leadership, Spain officially recognized the State of Palestine in 2024, imposed an arms embargo on Israel, and constantly demands a ceasefire in Gaza.
Some fans have focused on the players themselves. Several users on social media shared a viral video where Spanish football prodigy Lamine Yamal waved the Palestinian flag during the Barcelona La Liga parade in May. This contrasted with the national symbol of Argentina, Lionel Messi, who has spoken little about Palestine or Israel. Others point out that the football legend made deals with Israeli companies.
Moreover, many fans circulated photos of the Barcelona 'Peace Tour' in 2013 in Israel and Palestine, where Messi, then a Catalan club player, met with Netanyahu and then-Israeli President Shimon Peres and was photographed at the Western Wall. Although these pictures were actively promoted by official Israeli channels, causing negative reactions among Palestine supporters, many fans note that Messi also visited the occupied West Bank and met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during the same trip, arguing that he cannot be blamed for the official team visit.
Palestine often becomes a central theme during World Cup matches. Notably, some Argentine fans showed the Israeli flag to Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan, who celebrated his country's advancement to the World Cup playoffs, while wearing the Palestinian flag on the field.
During Spain's 2-0 victory over France in the semi-final, Spanish actor Oscar Javier Bardem was recorded at the stadium receiving the Palestinian flag from a fan. When he was handed the flag and asked if he had a message to the Palestinian people, Bardem placed his hand on his heart and replied: 'Existence is resistance.' Bardem confirmed that 'Spain supports Palestine' in a separate video during the Spain vs. Portugal round of 16 match.
Besides concerns about Palestine, Argentina also faced criticism for alleged FIFA bias in its favor. This international wave of indignation prompted some Argentinians to take to social media to emphasize broad public solidarity with Palestine and clarify that the president's stance does not reflect the opinion of the people. Other Argentine fans objected to the simplified view of the final, providing information that long before Spain, in 2010, Argentina, under President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, recognized Palestine as a 'free and independent state.' Diab Abu Jajja, president of the Hind Rajab Foundation, wrote on Wednesday: 'Sport has always been intertwined with politics, and always will be. But reality is more complex.' He added: 'Argentina is not Israel. Argentina is not Zionist. It cannot be reduced to any ideological camp... On Sunday, I will still support Spain, thanks to the sincere gratitude for this clear solidarity. But I will not approach the match as a fanatic or an ideologue. If Argentina plays as brilliantly as today, they deserve to win.'
3Recent discussions surrounding the football match between Argentina and Egypt in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup primarily focused on the sporting event itself, especially in light of accusations of biased refereeing in favor of Argentina from FIFA.
However, public sentiment in the Arab world reflected local political realities. While social media serves as a plausible, albeit unscientific, barometer of public opinion, it indicates overwhelming support for the Egyptian team, even among those who oppose the poor human rights situation under the regime.
Like fans worldwide, many Arab supporters are divided into camps: proponents of Argentine captain Lionel Messi and Portuguese captain Cristiano Ronaldo. These fan groups have acquired an almost cult-like character, supporting either Messi or Ronaldo regardless of the tournament or team.
Nevertheless, the Egypt versus Argentina match became a rare instance where these individual allegiances took a backseat, and Arab fans united.
This is significant because over the last decade, the Arab world has faced growing attempts to undermine regional unity. Many regimes have sought to create national narratives that isolate their people from the wider region, thereby concealing their own failures.
But the solidarity and sympathy shown by fans across the region for Egypt—from Mauritania to Oman—demonstrated the failure of these efforts to dismantle the region's historical, cultural, linguistic, and religious ties.
Even before the controversial match against Argentina, the Egyptian team attracted significant attention and support throughout the Arab world, and this was not solely due to impressive play in the previous round.
Egypt's coach Hossam Hassan displayed the Palestinian flag on the field after his team's victory over Australia and advancement to the Round of 16. He received praise from many Arab commentators for dedicating his team's victory to the Egyptian and Palestinian peoples. He did not back down when some critics criticized him for including Palestinians instead of focusing only on the Egyptian people.
Despite years of political division, Arabs across the region maintain a shared identity and common goals.
In a subsequent press conference before the match with Argentina, Hassan called on the world to support the Palestinian people and end their suffering, drawing new global attention to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
Palestinians in Gaza celebrated Hassan's gesture, gathering near the ruins of their homes to watch the Egypt versus Argentina match on large screens. Highlighting the ongoing tragedy, Israeli forces killed Mohammed Al-Wahidi, a Palestinian assistant who organized the screenings, just moments before the match began.
These events highlighted the special bond between Egyptians and Palestinians from Gaza, as well as the central role of the Palestinian cause for all Arabs.
Some social media observers noted that Hassan's decision to dedicate the victory to the Palestinian people and raise the Palestinian flag was more important than the outcome of the Egypt-Argentina match.
Beyond putting pan-Arab unity at the forefront, Egypt's final match in the World Cup and the sense of injustice felt by the Egyptian team and its fans highlighted another injustice—on the domestic front.
Former political prisoners in Egypt and the families of current detainees expressed sympathy for the national team but also used the opportunity to remind Egyptians of the problems they face at home.
While fans expressed outrage over the results of the Egypt-Argentina game, Gamal Eid, one of Egypt's most prominent human rights lawyers, posted on Facebook, questioning why the same level of public indignation could not be directed at the ongoing injustice in the country's prisons.
At the same time, Egyptians in exile questioned why they were denied the right to celebrate the national team's participation in the World Cup within Egypt.
Many Western commentators argue that sport should remain separate from politics. However, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, European teams and sports organizations used the 2022 World Cup and other tournaments to express solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
For many Arabs, sport has always been closely intertwined with politics. The 2026 World Cup provided an opportunity for the public expression of 'Arabness,' demonstrating that despite years of political fragmentation, Arabs across the region still share a common identity and common goals: primarily Palestine.
