{"id":57490,"date":"2026-07-19T10:51:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T10:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/57490\/"},"modified":"2026-07-19T10:51:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T10:51:08","slug":"gaza-cheers-for-spain-as-world-cup-final-anticipation-mounts-world-cup-2026-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/57490\/","title":{"rendered":"Gaza cheers for Spain as World Cup final anticipation mounts | World Cup 2026 News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gaza City, Gaza Strip \u2013 Ahmed al-Bozm knows exactly which team he will support in the World Cup final.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m completely behind Spain because they stood up for Palestine,\u201d the 33-year-old Palestinian said before La Roja\u2019s showdown against Argentina<\/a> on Sunday.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s a view held by many people in the Gaza Strip, driven partly<\/a> by the Spanish government\u2019s positions<\/a> during Israel\u2019s genocidal war against Palestinians and the public expressions of support by Spanish sporting figures, including Barcelona star Lamine Yamal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love you from Palestine,\u201d al-Bozm said, sending a message to Yamal, who in May waved<\/a> the Palestinian flag during Barcelona\u2019s open-top bus parade after they won the La Liga championship.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe support you wholeheartedly, and we hope you lift the World Cup trophy and raise the Palestinian flag as well,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

As global anticipation mounts before the final, excitement is also sweeping across Gaza, even though following the tournament has become increasingly difficult after more than two years of Israeli attacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople can only watch a match if electricity happens to be available, but generators shut down because fuel is scarce and too expensive,\u201d said Adnan al-Afifi, a former footballer and stadium manager. \u201cOrdinary Palestinians are paying the price.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FormerFormer footballer Adnan al-Afifi manages Palestine Stadium in Gaza City [Abdelhakim Abu Riash\/Al Jazeera]<\/p>\n

To try to revive a sense of sporting life that has largely disappeared during the war, Afifi has been organising World Cup-themed exhibition matches at the Palestine Sports Club in Gaza City, the only football club still operating and accessible to players in the Strip.<\/p>\n

On Thursday and Saturday, the club staged two simulated World Cup matches between teams representing Palestine and Spain.<\/p>\n

The events featured referees and even a symbolic video assistant referee (VAR) system to give players a taste of a professional international match.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe atmosphere was full of passion and positivity, and it was our biggest show of support for the Spanish national team,\u201d said al-Afifi, 37.<\/p>\n

\u2018These gestures mean a lot\u2019<\/p>\n

In May 2024, the Spanish government officially recognised the State of Palestine.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the move was intended to support a two-state solution in the Israel-Palestine conflict and help end Gaza\u2019s humanitarian crisis while he also called for a ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid.<\/p>\n

\"PalestinianPalestinian amputee footballers express their support for Spain before the final on July 19, 2026, against Argentina [Abdelhakim Abu Riash\/Al Jazeera]<\/p>\n

Several athletes and coaches for Spain\u2019s national team have also expressed solidarity with the people in Gaza, including Yamal and former Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola<\/a> \u2013 gestures that have come to symbolise more than football to Palestinians.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe entire Palestinian people hopes Spain wins the World Cup,\u201d said Hatem al-Maghribi, the head coach of Gaza\u2019s amputee football team, Gaza al-Irada, or Gaza Determination.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese players lost their legs and their arms, but they have not lost their words of gratitude, love and appreciation for those who stood with Palestine,\u201d al-Maghribi added while also thanking Egypt coach Hossam Hassan for publicly supporting Palestinians<\/a> during the World Cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese gestures mean a lot to us,\u201d al-Afifi agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey make us feel that someone sees what we are going through.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"HatemHatem al-Maghribi praises teams that have spoken out in support of Palestine and highlighted the suffering in Gaza, including Spain and Egypt [Abdelhakim Abu Riash\/Al Jazeera]<\/p>\n

The former player said football in Gaza is slowly showing signs of recovery despite the devastation of the war but obstacles remain.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of Gaza\u2019s major stadiums are out of service because of displacement and the security situation,\u201d said a-Afifi.<\/p>\n

He recalled playing in Gaza\u2019s major stadiums over the past 25 years, from Rafah in the south to Beit Hanoon in the north, lamenting how many of them have been destroyed or converted into shelters for displaced families.<\/p>\n

For now, football in Gaza has been limited to five-a-side pitches, where the Palestinian Football Association organises small local tournaments to keep players connected to the game.<\/p>\n

Despite war, destruction and a deepening humanitarian crisis, football has remained an important part of daily life in Gaza throughout the World Cup, offering a rare opportunity to escape the realities of war, even if only for 90 minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone wants to watch the big matches, especially the final,\u201d said al-Afifi, expressing hope that local organisations and community initiatives will organise public screenings for Sunday\u2019s match across Gaza.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpain stood with the Palestinian cause and raised awareness internationally. We hope they will be rewarded by winning the World Cup,\u201d Afifi added.<\/p>\n

Despite his heart beating for Spain, al-Afifi stressed that this should not be interpreted as hostility towards Argentina despite expressions of support for Israel by Argentinian President Javier Milei and comments that have drawn criticism among Palestinians.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe respect every national team, regardless of where they come from,\u201d said al-Afifi. \u201cArgentina is a great footballing nation and a school of football in terms of talent and performance. Supporting Spain does not mean we are enemies of the Argentinian team. We wish them well too.\u201d<\/p>\n

For his part, al-Maghribi expects a tough final.<\/p>\n

\u201cArgentina may have the better chances because of Lionel Messi,\u201d he said, referring to the captain of the reigning world champions.<\/p>\n

But al-Bozm was more bullish about Spain\u2019s chances.<\/p>\n

\u201cI expect Spain to win 3-1 after extra time,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it will finish 1-1 in normal time before Spain scores twice in extra time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AhmedAhmed al-Bozm predicts Spain will defeat Argentina [Abdelhakim Abu Riash\/Al Jazeera]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gaza City, Gaza Strip \u2013 Ahmed al-Bozm knows exactly which team he will support in the World Cup…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":57491,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[313,398,274,202,273,275,17,314,3003],"class_list":["post-57490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-spain","tag-football","tag-gaza","tag-israel-palestine-conflict","tag-middle-east","tag-news","tag-palestine","tag-spain","tag-sport","tag-world-cup-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57490"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57490\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}