The Shifting Loyalties of the World Cup: When Patriotism Collides with Principle
by Lucas Fernandez,World-Today-News.com
DOHA, Qatar – The beautiful game is supposed to transcend politics. But at the World Cup, and increasingly in our globally interconnected world, simple allegiances are becoming a thing of the past. The easy calculus of rooting against customary “imperialist” powers feels… outdated. The teams themselves have changed, becoming vibrant mosaics of heritage and experience that challenge our preconceived notions of national identity.
Consider the stars gracing the pitch this year. Kylian Mbappé, the Parisian phenomenon, carries the lineage of Cameroon and Algeria. Alphonso Davies, a Canadian standout, was born in a Ghanaian refugee camp. And the US Men’s National Team? A remarkable twelve of its twenty-six players are Black – equaling the combined total from the 1994, 1998, and 2002 squads.
This diversity was vividly illustrated during Tuesday’s US-Iran match.A header from Sergiño Dest, born in the Netherlands to a Dutch mother and an American father with Surinamese roots, found Christian Pulisic – a white American widely considered the team’s best – for the winning goal. The eruption of “U-S-A!” chants felt deeply personal, a moment of pride for a nation built by immigrants like my own Filipino elders.
Yet, amidst the celebratory fervor, a quiet dissonance emerged. As I scanned the crowded bar, I realized I was one of only three people of color. That number grew to five with the arrival of Bassel Heiba elfeky and Billy Strickland, NYU graduate students attending a physics conference. It soon became clear, however, that their loyalties didn’t align with the dominant mood. Elfeky was firmly in Iran’s corner.
His support wasn’t boisterous, but grew in intensity as the game wore on, a quiet rebellion against the collective enthusiasm. While the bar lamented a penalty call against the US, Elfeky pumped his fist. He explained his reluctance to support the American side with a nuanced viewpoint.
“Going for the US doesn’t feel right,” Elfeky, who grew up in Egypt, confessed. “They have a lot of money. And the men make way more than the women, even tho the women are so much better. Then you have Iran, who is a complete underdog.”
Strickland, of Japanese descent and raised in Los Angeles, echoed a similar sentiment, stating he’d support Japan over the US if the
