international
World celebrates, but Gaza watches the World Cup from a distance
Key takeaways
- The stadium is far removed from the grandiose arenas that will host the World Cup 2026 in North America beginning on Thursday.
- The players hold on to football as a means of survival more than a sport.
- Just four years ago, Ali, 24, was watching the World Cup in Qatar with friends in a cafe in Gaza, surrounded by festive scenes he still remembers clearly.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
The stadium is far removed from the grandiose arenas that will host the World Cup 2026 in North America beginning on Thursday. But for Ali and his teammates, it is one of the last usable sports spaces available in Gaza as a result of Israel's genocidal war, which has killed nearly 73,000 Palestinians.
The players hold on to football as a means of survival more than a sport. They are trying to reclaim fragments of their former lives despite months of loss, injuries, and widespread destruction.
Just four years ago, Ali, 24, was watching the World Cup in Qatar with friends in a cafe in Gaza, surrounded by festive scenes he still remembers clearly.
Article preview — originally published by Al Jazeera. Full story at the source.
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