{"id":27200,"date":"2026-06-27T01:31:30","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T20:01:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/from-christian-prayer-circles-to-sujood-religion-is-all-over-the-2026-world-cup\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T01:31:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T20:01:30","slug":"from-christian-prayer-circles-to-sujood-religion-is-all-over-the-2026-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/from-christian-prayer-circles-to-sujood-religion-is-all-over-the-2026-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"From Christian prayer circles to sujood, religion is all over the 2026 World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"


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(RNS) \u2014 When Lamine Yamal, Spain\u2019s teenage star, dropped to his knees after scoring at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, he wasn\u2019t just celebrating a goal. He was performing sujood \u2014 an Islamic public expression of gratitude to God \u2014 in front of millions of viewers who may never have seen the Islamic prayer before.<\/span><\/p>\n

While some have said over and over again that <\/span>soccer (football) is the closest thing<\/span><\/a> that the secular world has to a universal religion, different faith traditions have been showing up during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Here are five recent examples.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a01.<\/strong> <\/span>The pope reminisced about football<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cI was not a great goal-scorer,\u201d Pope Leo XIV said on June 10<\/a>, one day before the FIFA World Cup opened, during a meeting with diocesan charity and welfare organizations at the Church of San Agust\u00edn in Barcelona. He recalled playing American football in his youth before later playing soccer with fellow seminarians in Trujillo, Peru, \u201cas a defender, if you are curious.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The pope also said he later followed local football teams closely while serving there.<\/span><\/p>\n

Using football as a broader lesson, he said: \u201cSoccer also helps us remember something very important: life is not a race to live in isolation; it is a team sport, and we have to learn to work together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Youths stage a soccer match during a meeting with Pope Leo XIV and the diocesan community at the Santiago Bernab\u00e9u stadium in Madrid, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo\/Alessandra Tarantino)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

2. Sujood showed up on football\u2019s biggest stage<\/b><\/p>\n

At this year\u2019s tournament, Yamal drew attention after performing sujood, bowing to God, bringing the islamic prayer gesture into one of the World Cup\u2019s most-watched storylines. But he wasn\u2019t the only Muslim athlete to perform sujood as a personal expression of gratitude to God.<\/span><\/p>\n

Egyptian player Mohamed Salah<\/a> did the same during his match, and Moroccan players have been photographed celebrating with sujood<\/a> during Morocco\u2019s World Cup runs in Qatar in 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Players of Morocco kneel in sujood prayer after their 0-2 loss against France in a World Cup semifinal soccer match at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. (AP Photo\/Natacha Pisarenko)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

3. A Sikh player made World Cup history<\/b><\/p>\n

When New Zealand midfielder Sarpreet Singh made his tournament debut against Iran this year, he became the first Sikh to play in the men\u2019s FIFA World Cup.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters after the match, Singh said, \u201c<\/span>It means a lot to me, it means a lot to my people, <\/span><\/a>my family, my community.\u201d He added he hoped to see \u201cmany more Singhs and Sikhs and Punjabi footballers coming through, and Indian heritage footballers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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New Zealand\u2019s Sarpreet Singh (10) battles for the ball with Iran\u2019s Saeid Ezatolahi (6) during the World Cup Group G soccer match between Iran and New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo\/Andre Penner)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

4. Egypt and Iran challenge Seattle\u2019s Pride Match on religious grounds<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Seattle designated Friday\u2019s June 26 match between Egypt and Iran as a \u201cPride Match\u201d as part of the city\u2019s annual Pride celebrations. Iranian and Egyptian faith and political leaders \u2014 who oppose LGBTQ+ rights on religious grounds \u2014 have been objecting. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Egyptian Football Association <\/span>wrote to FIFA<\/span><\/a> asking it to stop Pride-related activities surrounding the match, saying they \u201cdirectly contradict the cultural, religious and social values\u201d of Egypt. Iran\u2019s football federation also <\/span>petitioned FIFA to prevent LGBTQ+ symbols<\/span><\/a> and festivities from being associated with the match.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a statement issued ahead of the match, FIFA said: \u201cThe FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds.\u201d <\/span>FIFA also said that \u201cgeneral statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026 Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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(Photo by Jose Pablo Garcia\/Unsplash\/Creative Commons)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

5. Players form a Christian prayer circle after the final whistle<\/b><\/p>\n

It was one of the memorable moments<\/a> from Germany\u2019s win over Cura\u00e7ao: German and Cura\u00e7ao players stood together in a prayer circle on the field after the final whistle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The images were shared and reshared, highlighting a tradition that Christian footballers on winning and losing teams have followed after matches. \u201cIn the game we are opponents, but after the game we are all Christians, we are all brothers, and we said a little prayer because we believe Jesus is glorified through the game,\u201d German midfielder Felix Nmecha later explained.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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