On June 13, at Qatar’s World Cup match in Santa Clara, California, Dr. Nas Mohamed — a physician and the first openly gay Qatari to seek asylum in the U.S. after fleeing state persecution –– stood in the stands alongside California State Sen. Scott Wiener. That day, the two posted a joint statement to Instagram, calling on FIFA and sponsors to “stop looking away” from the persecution of LGBTQ…
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Thousands of soccer fans gathered in my hometown of Pasadena, California, on June 24, 2026, to watch Mexico’s World Cup win against the Czech Republic. City officials erected a large TV screen outside the Civic Auditorium in the heart of the commercial district. Fans wore green jerseys, the signature color of Mexico’s men’s soccer team. Several people waved Mexican flags and danced and hugged when…
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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Tuesday that it’s lifting its three-year suspension of Russia, paving the way for Russian athletes to compete in future Olympic Games despite the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The group said in a press release that the decision was made after a “thorough analysis” by its legal arm concluded that the Russian Olympic Committee…
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FIFA, the international soccer organization that governs the World Cup, lifted a red card suspension for U.S. star player Folarin Balogun on Sunday after President Donald Trump intervened through an intense lobbying effort. Balogun’s red card penalty against Bosnia and Herzegovina last week was itself questionable, with some commentators stating that the infraction he was called for did not…
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As the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off across North America, millions of soccer fans around the world are gathering in stadiums, homes, and cafés to watch the tournament. In Gaza, however, where war and its aftermath continue to shape daily life, the World Cup feels distant for many residents. Some are unable to watch matches due to electricity and internet outages, while others have lost the…
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FIFA has proposed a match between Israel and Palestine as the opener for a youth tournament set to begin in the U.S. in September in the international body’s latest reactionary move. The tournament will be for soccer players aged 15 and under, and is open to all of FIFA’s member states. This includes Russia, which has been banned from FIFA tournaments since the start of its invasion of…
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