All posts tagged football

Part 3: Songs of Sovereignty:

Geopolitics & International Declarations

Julia Lisco, Researcher at American University’s Center for Latin American & Latino Studies and the Immigration Lab, International Affairs Policy Analysis in Global Migration MA candidate

Image by Julia Lisco of her and her family in Scotland kits with a Scotland flag at the June 6th, 2026, Scotland v Bolivia FIFA World Cup 2026 warm-up game.

Singing and soccer are so deeply intertwined; they exist at the core of sports fandom. Throughout a game, crowds will sing songs, often with altered lyrics, in support of a player or to express their discontent with the actions on the field.

Occasionally, chants are politically informed, particularly at the national-team level, even at the World Cup despite FIFA’s attempts to prohibit political statements. These policies did not stop politically charged chants from ringing out among the fans after kick-off across several matches.

Australian Fans and Current Politics

Australian fans drew international ire with their chant, crafted specifically for this World Cup. Cries of “Aussie boys are on a bender, Donald Trump is a sex offender” echoed in stadiums, pubs, and across America and Canada. The chant is believed to be in reference to the President’s alleged relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and his inclusion in the Epstein Files.

Argentina and Historical Memory

Argentina is infamous for its political and anti-English chants, even when they are not playing England. In The Five-Minute Ritual, I discuss their 2026 semi-final clash, the hostility that permeated the match, and the Falklands context, but the hostility was not contained to these events.

The 1982 Falklands War is frequently referenced in Argentinian songs. One of the most famous Argentinian football chants, regardless of tournament or opponent, is “Y ya lo ve, y ya lo ve, El que no salta, Es un ingles!” (“And now you see, and now you see, whoever doesn’t jump is English!”), which is sung while fans across the stadium jump in unison.

After Argentina beat Switzerland on July 11, 2026, in the quarter-finals, videos were posted online of players singing: “Por Malvinas, por el Diego, por la ultima de Leo” (“For the Malvinas [The Falklands], for Diego [Maradona], for Leo [Messi]’s last one”) from the locker room; and in 2022, while on the hunt for the World Cup trophy, several long chants included call-outs to the war and berating the English.

This animosity is healthily returned by English fans. Enzo Fernandez, a high-profile Argentinian player, has played in England since 2023. Just after the World Cup concluded, the player completed a high-profile, €100 million transfer from FIFA Club World Cup Champions Chelsea to Manchester City, who have won the Premier League six times since the 2017-2018 season. During his debut for the club on September 5, 2026, at home against Coventry City, the crowd rang out with a new custom chant for the player. This is not unusual for new players, but generally songs are focused on the player, and not political commentary. “The Falklands are ours, the Falklands are ours. Enzo Fernandez, the Falklands are ours” was sung so loudly that it was clearly heard over the television broadcast, despite match commentators speaking over the feed.

Scotland and National Identity

Smaller and lower-ranked nations throughout the tournament repeatedly dominated the hearts and minds of fans, regardless of the proportion of fans in the stands. One of these nations, despite not progressing out of the group stage, was Scotland.

Interestingly, Scotland’s participation as an independent nation in international sports is not fully representative of its nuanced legal status. Scotland’s status is legally complex; it is an independent nation with “devolved and reserved powers,” and significant essential infrastructure is controlled by Westminster, including defense, military, border enforcement, and currency (they use British Pounds, but they do have their own Scotland-specific notes which can be used across the UK interchangeably).

Only in the Olympic Games does the United Kingdom compete as the joint entity “Team Great Britain.” Otherwise, the UK member states, including Scotland, compete as independent entities. This is due to specific regulations that grandfather them, and a few other territories, like Puerto Rico, into international competition qualification. When Scotland qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1998, they did so as an equal to England, to whose political authority they’ve been subject for centuries.

Scotland fans were extremely excited to return to the World Cup and support their entire team against Brazil, Haiti, and Morocco. Nowhere was this passion as evident as during the playing of the national anthem. As part of the UK, Scotland does not have its own legal national anthem separate from “God Save the King”; instead, “Flower of Scotland” is the unofficial national anthem, which is sung before every Scotland game, regardless of sport. When Flower of Scotland rings out before a match, a nation with a complex international designation gets two minutes where Scottish national pride is central without the shadow of England.

Scotland never expected to win the tournament, but for those three matches, every Scotland fan around the world reveled in those few minutes. In unison, millions would profess their love for their country and their team, manifesting the love these teams carry for their fans and countrymen around the world in a display that is more than just meaningless ceremony. I did not get to experience Scotland’s World Cup campaign in person, but I did attend their final pre-tournament match against Bolivia on June 6, 2026, and I dare say few nations sing their national anthem as passionately as the “Tartan Army,” particularly one of the song’s final concluding phrases, “But we can still rise now, And be a nation again…”

With the referendum of understanding between Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales signed on September 14, 2026, in which each government’s First Minister confirms they will call votes for independence from Westminster’s authority, this statement may ring true sooner than most Scotland fans may have believed during the tournament.

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by clalsstaff on October 21, 2026  •  Permalink
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Posted by clalsstaff on October 21, 2026

https://aulablog.net/2026/10/21/part-3-songs-of-sovereignty/

Part 2: The Five-Minute Ritual

Anthems as Political Battlegrounds

Julia Lisco, Researcher at American University’s Center for Latin American & Latino Studies and the Immigration Lab, International Affairs Policy Analysis in Global Migration MA candidate

Image by Julia Lisco of her and her fellow FIFA World Cup 2026 Pre-Match Ceremonies on the pitch during the playing of the national anthem proceeding the Panama v England game on June 27th, 2026.

In his book, Imagined Communities (1983), Benedict Anderson discusses the power and practice of “unisonance” (p. 145) that emerges when communities sing their national anthems. He elaborates that nations are built on words, and that regardless of the “banality” of national anthems’ lyrics and melodies (p. 145), it is the history and community that these songs create among groups of individuals.

In sports, national pride is not just a consequence of international play but an integral part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Before every match, there is a moment where this national identity is explicitly highlighted: the Pre-Match Ceremony in which the national flags of both teams are presented. Players walk onto the pitch behind their flag, and tens of thousands of people sing their national anthem in unison. This ceremony happened 104 times over the course of the tournament, and despite any outside or historical tensions between teams, and the vitriol that politics has embraced in recent decades, only two matches saw any form of disrespect during this process. For a few minutes, all outside noise was put aside 102 times, and instead stadiums full of people from all over the world gathered and basked in their love and pride for their team. Meanwhile, their opponents respectfully stood by and shared in their excitement for the match to begin.

The two games where this ceremony played out abnormally were Iran’s opening match against New Zealand on June 15, 2026, and England vs Argentina’s semifinal clash on July 15, 2026. These were two very different instances of “unsportsmanlike behavior”

Islamic Republic of Iran v New Zealand

Tensions around the Iranian national team were already high prior to a single ball being kicked due to the conflict between the USA, one of the three host nations, and Iran, preceding the opening ceremonies. Donald Trump threatened to prevent the team’s entry to the U.S. altogether, and ultimately forced the team to move their headquarters from the U.S. to Tijuana, Mexico, and made them leave the country directly after the conclusion of their games; a requirement no other team faced, and which significantly interrupted player recovery processes.

By match day, sentiments surrounding the Iranian team resembled a powder keg. Diaspora groups who, due to immigration bans, made up most of the in-person supporters were divided in their support for the team. This was largely informed by their families’ experience with the Iranian Revolution and the regime that followed. CNN interviewed an Iranian community soccer team in California, where the Iranian team’s World Cup campaign would begin, and they said they did not feel “represented” by the team.

Inside the stadium, strict rules were in place to prevent the presentation of political materials, including the use of pre-revolutionary flags and imagery. It’s extremely common for fans to bring national flags to national team football games, blanketing themselves and the stadium in their country’s colors. Despite guidance suggesting otherwise, several pre-revolutionary flags made their way into the stadium, with some fans reporting it was easy to get them in.

When the national anthem was played and the current regime’s flag was unfurled, it was largely Iranian fans brandishing pre-revolutionary flags who expressed discontent, not the opposing New Zealand fans. Rather than an action of intercultural conflict and disrespect, this was instead a political protest by a disenfranchised section of the diaspora taking the opportunity to make their voice heard globally, and by their homeland’s government.

England v Argentina

Fittingly, two of the most hated teams in international football met in the semi-final. Tensions were high, and not only do they share a soccer rivalry, but they also share a tense geopolitical history. When the national anthems were projected into the stadium prior to kick-off, boos and other acts of disrespect were littered amongst the prideful singing of both national anthems, and echoes of the Falklands War (a brief conflict in 1982 between the two nations over the long-contested sovereignty of the archipelago 300 miles off the eastern coast of Argentina, that took the lives of about 650 Argentinians and 255 British military personnel) and a decades-long sporting rivalry hung over the match.

Despite FIFA’s prohibition of political flags or signs from entering the stadiums, some Argentinian fans managed to sneak in a sheet with the words “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” (The Falklands are Argentine) painted on it. After Argentina beat England 2-1, several players paraded around the pitch with the flag, celebrating while pridefully dancing with it on international TV. These actions, combined with the physical altercations following the final a few days later, resulted in a $321,000 fine.

I had the honor of participating in the tournament as an on-field Pre-Match Ceremony volunteer for six matches, playing a critical role in the execution of the flag presentation for the national anthems. The events of these matches are not representative of the whole tournament and the love that filled the pre-match ceremonies of every other game. Soccer is already an emotional sport, so it is only natural that emotions like these seep into these moments of passion. I got to feel this firsthand from the field of play, and there is nothing like it. Sport does not happen in a vacuum, but for 98% of the tournament, national anthems remained a sacred space of love and national pride.

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by clalsstaff on October 21, 2026  •  Permalink
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Posted by clalsstaff on October 21, 2026

https://aulablog.net/2026/10/21/part-2-the-five-minute-ritual/

Part 1: The Diaspora Stadium

Visas, Belonging, Unaffiliated fans, and the 2026 World Cup

Julia Lisco, Researcher at American University’s Center for Latin American & Latino Studies and the Immigration Lab, International Affairs Policy Analysis in Global Migration MA candidate

Image by Julia Lisco of the June 14th, 2026, Ecuador v Côte d’Ivoire FIFA World Cup 2026 game, with a Team USA jersey visible in the crowd.

With exorbitant prices required to attend the matches due to dynamic pricing and the extensive immigration bans instituted by the US, many fans were unable to make the expensive pilgrimage to witness their national team compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Of the 48 participating countries, only a handful had a 100% success rate for fan visa applications, disproportionately excluding smaller and poorer nations. Canada was also extremely strict when issuing visas for both players and fans. While soccer may not be the most popular sport in the U.S., it does have something that made it uniquely equipped to welcome the world: vast and diverse diaspora communities. In fact, it was largely diaspora communities that filled the stands and made up the heart of the tournament.

Many diaspora communities have complex relationships with their homeland; often separated by generations, political ostracism, or forced relocation, bringing with it a host of complex emotions. As Daniel Alarcón discussed on The Athletic’s “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast in June 2026, supporting one’s national team is often a less emotionally complicated way for diaspora members to connect with their homeland without the socio-political baggage that comes with other attachments and the history they carry.

The homeland relationship is complicated, but diasporas overwhelmingly brought their hearts to the tournament and made every team feel like they had a bit of home with them. But it wasn’t just diaspora members and local fans filling the stands.

As was the nature of ticket sales for this tournament, many fans, eager to pay the cheapest rate, committed to matches not knowing who would be playing, only the time and location of the match. This led to significant portions of every stadium being made up of observers who held no particular affinity or affiliation with either nation. Some would select a side to support for the day, letting themselves get wrapped up in the energy, while others, refusing to wear a jersey for any other nation, would wear their team’s shirt to the match, despite them not playing.

Ecuador v Côte d’Ivoire

I was one of the many fans who secured tickets to a match without knowing who would play. That game ended up being the June 14th, 2026, Ecuador v Côte d’Ivoire game. I didn’t have any loyalty toward either team, and, not wanting to spend a small fortune on a jersey for either, I wore the Scottish Women’s new alternative shirt to the game. Once in my seat, directly in front of me was a group of men in various USA jerseys. Throughout the stadium, I also noticed many people wearing Colombia jerseys, which look extremely similar to the Ecuador shirts, both sharing a similar solid yellow base. Once I saw one, I saw many, and I was nowhere near the only person in a non-represented team’s jersey.

On the way to the stadium, which was, by my estimation, roughly 85% (at least) filled with Ecuadorian fans, we were swept up in their songs on the subway. Once in the stadium, during the national anthem (as for all matches), the lyrics are displayed on the jumbotrons, and my family, surrounded by Ecuadorian fans, joined right in in their joyous rendition of Salve, Oh Patria, pulled into the expression of their passion for their country and team.

This is not to say that there weren’t many genuine Ecuadorian fans in the stadium, while Côte d’Ivoire supporters made up a passionate minority. The disparity in the stadium between the number of fans for this match is twofold. The Ecuadorian diaspora is one of the largest in the New York metro area, and Philadelphia Stadium (more commonly known as Lincoln Financial Field when it’s not being rented by FIFA), where the match was played, is an easy day trip for the passionate community, drawing significant numbers of genuine Ecuadorian fans.

The second factor contributing to disproportionate attendance is visa restrictions. At the time of the tournament, Côte d’Ivoire had been subject to a visa ban since December 16, 2025, severely limiting possible entry for fans from the small African nation, even if they were able to secure tickets. Meanwhile, Ecuador has not been subject to any country-specific visa restrictions under the Trump administration.

France v Senegal.

One of the most anticipated matches of the tournament was France v Senegal on June 16, 2026, largely due to their shared long colonial history. Senegal was one of the many countries affected by the immigration restrictions; meanwhile, France was one of the few whose fans faced no specific legal restrictions, yet this could not be felt in the stadium.

Unlike the Ecuador match, I was in the stadium as an on-field Pre-Match Ceremony volunteer, standing along the edge of the Senegalese flag on the pitch while more than 80,000 people passionately sang the French and Senegalese national anthems. The stadium was overwhelmingly decked in blue France jerseys (with most unaffiliated fans backing the 2018 World Cup champions, and large Francophile diasporas in the New York Metro area populating the stadium), but when the national anthems were being sung, that discrepancy completely melted away, with Senegalese fans singing just as loudly as the French fans.

I’ve never seen such expressions of pure joy and excitement as than I did at the matches I got to attend as a fan and as a volunteer. National identity and pride are complicated concepts for many to reconcile within themselves, but when applied to sport, much of the weight of history is lessened, and for a moment people get to embrace the joy, whether it’s for their country or for the love of the game. 

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by clalsstaff on October 21, 2026  •  Permalink
Posted in Ecuador, Uncategorized
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Posted by clalsstaff on October 21, 2026

https://aulablog.net/2026/10/21/part-1-the-diaspora-stadium/