A World Cup without the world?

By Maher MezahiJune 9, 2026

The exclusion of Somali referee Omar Artan hardens the contradiction at the heart of the 2026 World Cup: a global tournament increasingly shaped by the politics of exclusion.

Read article

Comments

No comments yet.

The World Cup Senegal can’t attend

Between the visa bond, the digital surveillance requirements, and the 74 percent rejection rate, the Trump administration has made it nearly impossible for Senegalese fans and journalists to attend the World Cup.

Momar DiengJun 13, 2026

Africa Is a Country

Rock Chalk Algeria

Against a tournament shadowed by visa refusals and bureaucratic hostility, the unexpected love affair between the Algerian national team and the city of Lawrence, Kansas, is a welcome reminder of what the World Cup is actually supposed to be about.

Maher MezahiJun 13, 2026

Africa Is a Country

South African journalists have a choice to make

Across South African radio and television, anti-immigration framing has become the norm.

Lumka OliphantJun 12, 2026

Africa Is a Country

The country they never left

Bosnia’s World Cup squad is built on the descendants of war and displacement, players raised across Europe and North America who are finding their way back through football.

Alex ČizmićJun 11, 2026

Africa Is a Country

The footballing gods

Why are the religious practices of African footballers treated as strange when athletes around the world turn to faith and superstition to navigate the game’s uncertainty?

Buster KirchnerJun 11, 2026

Africa Is a Country

What Bafana Bafana teaches South Africa about itself

For decades, Bafana Bafana embodied the disappointments of the democratic era. As the team recovers, South Africans are once again projecting their political aspirations and fears onto the national side.

Lee NxumaloJun 10, 2026

A World Cup without the world?

Related

The World Cup Senegal can’t attend

Rock Chalk Algeria

South African journalists have a choice to make

The country they never left

The footballing gods

What Bafana Bafana teaches South Africa about itself