World Cup 2026: The true winner was Palestine

As the World Cup was unfolding, Israel was continuing its uninterrupted murder and land theft across occupied Palestine and Lebanon, having also triggered the megalomaniacal US President Donald Trump to join its war on Iran. But the genocidal Zionists were not entirely oblivious to the World Cup. They still managed to poison former world champion Argentina’s name and sully its reputation. Twenty years ago, I was in Lebanon while the 2006 World Cup was under way in Germany. Days after we left Beirut, the Israelis invaded Lebanon yet again. We had watched some of the World Cup games with Palestinian and Lebanese friends in refugee camps. We left Beirut on 2 July, the World Cup ended on 9 July, and by 12 July, the Israelis were bombing Lebanon. Bombing defenceless people is their national sport. Under remarkably similar circumstances today, with the 2026 World Cup now concluded, it’s time for a quick meditation on the still-beautiful, though much-maligned game, which graces a deeply troubled world. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The appeal of football for many contemporary thinkers has to do, I believe, with the fact that it entails a level playing field, in a world otherwise marred by the privilege and thuggery of powerful nations. Eduardo Galeano’s Soccer in Sun and Shadow is now mostly known for its pithy summation of the beautiful game: “The history of soccer is a sad voyage from beauty to duty. When the sport became an industry, the beauty that blossoms from the joy of play got torn out by its very roots.” Beautiful game, ugly world Yet still, glimpses of the beautiful game are gloriously visible in the ugly world where it is staged - where one of the most celebrated footballers of all time, Argentinian captain Lionel Messi, stands accused of fuelling Israeli propaganda. The viciously racist behaviour of some Argentina fans, both in and out of the arena, has mirrored Israeli institutional racism. But the South American nation that has given the world sublime footballers like Diego Maradona and Alfredo Di Stefano, alongside brilliant philosophers like Enrique Dussel and Walter Mignolo - among many others - cannot be overshadowed by the ignominy of its buffoonish Zionist president, Javier Milei. One of the oddest global shifts in fan sentiment during this World Cup was when the internet turned against Argentina in favour of England. Egyptian, Moroccan, Palestinian and other Arab fans were the model of grace during those difficult days for the Egyptian team After the controversy following Egypt’s loss to Argentina, which sparked allegations of bias against the entire Fifa establishment, the sharp contrast between Messi and Egyptian captain Mohamed Salah rose to the forefront, showing how the Palestinian cause ennobles those who embrace it and disgraces those who fail it. Egyptian, Moroccan, Palestinian and other Arab fans were the model of grace during those difficult days for the Egyptian team. Glimpses of unfailing humanity were also evident among the Mexican fans who gathered outside of the Iranian national team’s residence, singing: “Iran, hermano, ya eres Mexicano” (which translates to “Iran, brother, you’re Mexican now”). “So what do we do now?” my younger daughter asked me with resignation, after the Iranian national team was eliminated in the first round. The Iranian team did the best they could, putting up a valiant fight against some mighty teams, including Egypt and Belgium. But they were ultimately stopped by the sheer force of bad luck and inhospitable environments. “Nothing, babaa,” I replied. “We just follow and root for the other wretched of the earth. Plenty of African and Latin American teams are left in the remainder of the World Cup.” Psychology of ball 'possession' The economics of the game and the rampant corruption of Fifa, football’s governing body, have by now overshadowed the easy and naive politics of the national teams. Significant immigration from Asia and Africa into Europe have significantly altered the very composition of these national teams. Beloved French striker Kylian Mbappe was born in France to immigrant Cameroonian and Algerian parents. Many Latin American, African and Asian footballers have been drawn to European football clubs and leagues; Salah, the Egyptian superstar, played with Liverpool FC for nine years. Between France and Spain, we of course rooted for Spain, for its more principled position against the genocide in Gaza - and for the sheer joy of seeing the teenage virtuoso Lamine Yamal dazzle the field. World Cup 2026: For Iran, this is a battle on an unequal field Read More » That brings us to the American team, and the blatant fact that “soccer”, as they call it, is really not an American game - and likely never will be. The explanation for this simple fact begins with a common idiomatic expression: “soccer mom”. What is a soccer mom? She is a wealthy suburban mother who drives her SUV, packed with 11 kids and five times as many balls, to a lush lawn in her neighbourhood. Compare that with my childhood of playing football - similar to millions of other little footballers around the planet - when we had to chip in a penny each in order to afford a small plastic ball. We had a territorial claim over that ball when it was in our temporary possession, and we would never let it go, unless we were passing it to a teammate. The psychology of ball “possession” is particularly powerful, because in football, you cannot touch the ball with your hands, let alone hold it (except for the goalkeeper); rather, you can only possess it with your feet, dribbling awhile before passing it to your buddies. That forces a socialist attitude towards the ball, which is in your temporary and fleeting possession before you have to share it - for sharing is caring - with a friend, before your enemy takes it from you. Football is thus a quintessentially socialist game, which is another reason Americans are not so good at it. “American football”, by contrast, is played entirely with the hands; the ball is shaped in a way that welcomes and encourages that possession. A glorious turn All of these musings might appear whimsical in light of the fact that top players like Messi and Mbappe are multimillionaires. But their attitudes towards the talismanic power of the ball are shaped long before they join any European club to earn their lucrative salaries. The final match between Argentina and Spain became a match between the glorious Yamal, who has proudly waved the Palestinian flag during victory celebrations, and Messi, now stained by his association with Israel and Zionism. Spain's victory on the field was a victory for every Palestinian, Lebanese or Iranian child who was murdered by Israel Argentina’s invocation of its claims on the Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas now sound vacuous and inane, in light of the country’s ruling regime siding with the last murderous vestiges of British colonialism committing genocide in Palestine. The Spanish squad carried the credibility of being from one of the most pro-Palestinian European countries, next to Ireland. It is the nation from which the renowned Spanish actor Javier Bardem emerged as a champion of the Palestinian cause. Meanwhile, the racist pedigree of the disgraced Argentinian ruling regime has been globally exposed. By the end of the 2026 World Cup, the aging lion had passed the baton to the young cub he once bathed. Spain’s victory on the field was a victory for every Palestinian, Lebanese or Iranian child who was murdered by Israel - and who never had the chance to watch this glorious turn of the beautiful game. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.