\n<\/p>\n
Algeria fans thank the community of Lawrence, Kansas, where their team’s base camp was located, before a match against Austria in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 27, 2026.<\/span>Charlie Riedel\/AP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Despite the countless<\/span> problematic aspects of the 2026 FIFA Men\u2019s World Cup\u2014power-hungry fascists<\/a> <\/strong>and the wealthy elite<\/a> grabbing every ounce of political and monetary gain they can imagine at the expense of fans<\/a>, national team players and staff<\/a>, workers<\/a>, and more\u2014there are a few inspiring <\/strong>stories that I have been following.\u00a0<\/p>\n Among them: A national team playing in its <\/strong>first World Cup, outplaying established opponents with their spirit and tactics; a friendship between residents of a Kansas town and the national team players training there; and a young player showing the world what his sister always saw in him.\u00a0<\/p>\n As Jules Boykoff, a former US men\u2019s national team and professional soccer player\u2014and current politics professor at Pacific University in Oregon\u2014told me just before the tournament started<\/a>, soccer has the power to spark new connections within our communities and organizing<\/a>. More simply, it can be fun.<\/p>\n Cape Verde, a nation of about 530,000 people (about the same population as Atlanta), qualified for its first World Cup last year<\/a>. This year, they earned draws against their three group stage opponents: Spain, one of the favorites<\/a> to win the whole tournament, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia. Vozinha<\/a>, the goalkeeper, had a star performance against Spain<\/a> with seven saves and gained 14 million followers on Instagram<\/a> as a result, but beyond that, the Verdean team genuinely challenged Spain during the match in ways that they had no answer to<\/a>.<\/p>\n Against Uruguay, Cape Verde scored its first two goals\u2014including Kevin Pina\u2019s stunning, long-distance free kick that punished their opponents\u2019 flimsy defensive wall\u2014and the team created much better chances<\/a> to score than Saudi Arabia.\u00a0<\/p>\n