In New York’s ‘Little Palestine’, fans cheer for Spain in World Cup final

New York, United States – Zein Rimawi says he’s not overmuch of a shot fan, but erstwhile asked for his prime for the FIFA World Cup final, Rimawi blurted: “Spain.”

“You don’t request to decorativeness the question,” the 72-year-old told Al Jazeera.

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Sitting successful his bureau successful the Bay Ridge neighbourhood of New York with a Palestinian emblem down him, Rimawi said shot cannot beryllium separated from politics.

“I enactment countries that enactment our causes, particularly the Palestinian cause,” added Rimawi, who serves arsenic the seat of the Arab American Federation nonprofit.

His enactment for Spain, who volition face disconnected against Argentina for football’s astir prized trophy connected Sunday, echoes the sentiments of galore among the ample Arab American community.

Here, Palestinian emblems – graffiti, keffiyeh patterns, tatreez embroidery and watermelons – look astir everywhere.

The neighbourhood is nicknamed Little Palestine, but successful reality, it is simply a melting cookware of Arab-American and different migrant communities from crossed the world.

With the last taking spot successful neighbouring New Jersey, World Cup fever is raging successful Bay Ridge.

Palestinian restaurants, Yemeni cafes, Lebanese market stores and country shops each person the flags of the participating teams displayed.

While the tourney has been a festival of football, Rimawi called it a “political summit”.

So Spain, which recognised the State of Palestine successful 2024 and has been a vocal professional of Israel’s genocidal warfare connected Gaza, is simply a earthy prime for Arab fans, helium argued.

“I didn’t cognize who Hossam Hassan was,” helium said, referring to Egypt’s caput coach.

“But erstwhile helium raised the Palestinian flag, I instantly became a fan.”

Zein Rimawi speaks to Al Jazeera successful Brooklyn, New York, connected July 17, 2026 [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera]

‘We’re for Spain with each our hearts’

Across 5th Avenue astatine Al Reef Bakery, Talal Abdraboh had a akin take.

He said Spain’s enactment for Palestinians and the Arabs’ beingness successful Andalusia for centuries marque the squad endearing to fans successful the community.

“It’s not astir bias against Argentina. If immoderate squad that’s not Arab were facing Spain, we would enactment Spain,” helium said.

“We’re for Spain with each our hearts.”

The bakery has a ample mural of the Dome of the Rock successful Jerusalem and different featuring a Palestinian pistillate baking with the words of Palestinian writer Mahmoud Darwish, “I agelong for the breadstuff of my mother.”

“The Arab assemblage was immersed successful this World Cup, particularly erstwhile Arab teams were playing,” Abdraboh told Al Jazeera arsenic helium chopped a loaf of breadstuff into vertical strips.

“All the Arab fans were raising the Palestinian flag. So, erstwhile immoderate Arab squad was playing, we were cheering for them arsenic Palestinians.”

A grounds 8 Arab teams participated successful the 2026 tournament, with Morocco going the farthest earlier losing to France successful the quarterfinals.

Egypt made it to the circular of 16, but they crashed retired aft squandering a two-goal pb against Argentina amid a bid of arguable refereeing decisions that included ruling retired an Egyptian extremity for a brushed foul successful the build-up aft a VAR review.

Palestinian American concern proprietor Mahmoud Kasem astatine his edifice successful Brooklyn, New York, July 17 [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera]

Arab unity

For galore Arab New Yorkers, the tourney showcased the community’s unity.

Mahmoud Kasem, the proprietor of Al-Aqsa Bakery, installed a ample TV surface extracurricular his edifice and gave retired escaped falafel for large Arab teams’ matches, attracting radical from crossed Bay Ridge.

“Not everything is astir business. I emotion soccer. Across the Arab world, we are infatuated with the game. I wanted to make a beauteous ambiance arsenic we bash successful Palestine. Put a TV extracurricular and archer people, ‘Come and watch,'” Kasem told Al Jazeera.

“The quality of it is seeing the Palestinians, the Lebanese, the Moroccans, the Jordanians, everyone get together. I emotion unity. I emotion assemblage and being each together.”

He added that helium wishes Arab leaders would travel the illustration of radical successful the diaspora and destruct borders and disputes.

Kasem said helium convinced constabulary officers who complained astir his amusement partially closing down the thoroughfare to driblet their grievances, invoking the celebrations that took spot crossed the metropolis erstwhile the New York Knicks won the NBA championship.

Like galore radical successful Bay Ridge, Kasem is hoping for a Spanish triumph connected Sunday. He highlighted Arab and Spanish cultural, linguistic and philharmonic similarities and lauded the positions of the authorities successful Madrid.

“When Palestine was bombed, they took a stance. When Lebanon was bombed, they took a stance,” helium told Al Jazeera. “They basal with humanity. They basal with freedom.”

Kasem added that galore Palestinians enactment Real Madrid and Barcelona successful nine football.

Beyond the Spanish government, galore Spanish celebrities and footballers person expressed solidarity with Palestine.

Last year, the Basque broadside Athletic Club – location to Spain’s goalkeeper Unai Simon and winger Nico Williams – officially called for an extremity to the genocide successful Gaza.

Kasem said authorities should enactment retired of football, but it was FIFA that politicised the athletics aft handing US President Donald Trump its inaugural Peace Prize and suspending Russia implicit the penetration of Ukraine portion refusing to prohibition Israel for the genocide successful Gaza.

Pro-Palestine graffiti successful the Bay Ridge neighbourhood of Brooklyn, New York, July 17 [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera]

Argentina-Israel vibes

Some fans person linked the Argentinian squad to Israel due to the fact that of the pro-Israel policies of the authorities of President Javier Melei.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has besides expressed enactment for Argentina. Israeli flags were besides spotted during Argentina’s lucifer with Egypt.

But the Argentinian squad and players person not taken a presumption connected the conflict.

In 2018, Argentina cancelled a affable lucifer with Israel successful Jerusalem aft unit from Palestinian rights activists.

So immoderate Arab Americans are inactive backing Argentina, arguing that the magic that Lionel Messi produces transcends politics.

Karim Bouzeraa, a 24-year-old barber successful Bay Ridge, said the Israeli flags bash not correspond Argentinian football.

“Messi is simply a legend,” helium told Al Jazeera. “Twenty years of contention is not thing easy. We’ve seen different legends, but nary 1 with the aforesaid longevity.”

Bouzeraa said careless of who’s cheering for whom successful the final, it was heartwarming to spot Arab fans get down each of their teams successful the tournament.

“At the extremity of the day, we are each Arabs – 1 blood. Hopefully successful the adjacent World Cup we spot galore Arab teams, truthful we tin enactment them,” helium said.