‘Palestine vs Israel’: How Spain vs Argentina became a symbolic World Cup final
An Iranian fan waves a Palestinian flag ahead of Iran’s match against New Zealand in Inglewood, California, on 15 June 2026
Sarah Khalil reports in The New Arab on 20 July 2026:
Spain’s World Cup victory over Argentina was celebrated by Palestinians and pro-Palestine supporters after a Sunday final that had become a symbolic contest over the war in Gaza.
Spain defeated the defending champions 1-0 after extra time at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with Ferran Torres scoring the winning goal in the 106th minute to secure the country’s second World Cup title.
In the build-up to the final, social media users increasingly declared their support for one of the teams according to each country’s position towards Israel and Palestine, turning football’s showpiece event into a broader political debate.
Spain won widespread support among Palestinians over Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s criticism of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and Madrid’s recognition of the State of Palestine in May 2024.
Argentina, meanwhile, has strengthened relations with Israel under President Javier Milei, who has emerged as one of the Israeli government’s closest international allies since taking office in December 2023. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu openly endorsed Argentina before the final after receiving an official national team shirt from Argentina’s ambassador to Israel, Rabbi Shimon Axel Wahnish. In a video released on Saturday, Wahnish also played Netanyahu an audio message from Milei thanking the Israeli leader for his support.