World Cup squads showcase faith and unity amid deep social divisions at home
Players across several squads are openly expressing faith as teams reflect religious diversity and national tensions over immigration and identity.
- Players at the ongoing World Cup are openly displaying religious faith, with athletes from diverse Christian and Muslim backgrounds integrating personal beliefs into their performance on the field.
- Sweden's Yasin Ayari, 18, prostrated himself to thank God after scoring against Tunisia on Sunday; Spain's Lamine Yamal, a practicing Muslim, similarly expresses his faith during matches.
- United States forward Christian Pulisic wears a cross necklace, while Croatia's Luka Modri displays shin guards depicting Jesus and England's Marc defies Football Association rules on religious messages.
- Interfaith America president Eboo Patel notes these gestures are symbolic and substantive, explaining, "My identity really matters to me and it makes me a better soccer player."
- Iraq's World Cup squad features Kurds, Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims, and Christians, notable given the country's Christian population fell from 1.5 million in 2003 to about 150,000, reflecting broader demographic shifts across Europe.
35 Articles
35 Articles
Los Angeles Times
Independent EspañolWhile many of the nations competing in the World Cup are shaken by social divisions, some of their teams offer surprisingly positive examples of how players from different religious backgrounds and creeds can cooperate closely in the pursuit of a common goal.
Associated Press News
World Cup squads showcase faith and unity amid deep social divisions at home
While many of the World Cup’s competing nations are wracked by social divisions, some of the teams offer strikingly positive examples of how players from different backgrounds and religious faiths can cooperate.
The World Cup does not only show which country plays the best football. The tournament also shows how profoundly migration has changed national teams. More and more players are born in one country, trained in a different football system, but represent the country of their parents or grandparents. Others play for their country of birth, but display the flag of their family's home country on their boots.
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