(ANALYSIS) Memorable goals are generally linked to the players who scored them. Few can be recalled without mention of the individual — or even the team — involved. Yet, two goals in one game 40 years ago have attained that status. One is known universally as the “Hand of God,” and the other is widely acknowledged as the “Goal of the Century.” Both were scored by Diego Maradona.
Read MoreWhen the North American FIFA World Cup starts Thursday, the story will largely be told through the familiar lenses of Lionel Messi, the geography of the 48 participants and three hosts, and — because 75% of the games will be played there — the continuing rise of soccer in the United States. But there is another, less familiar story woven through the tournament: The long, strange and often overlooked history of Jews in North American soccer.
Read More(ANALYSIS) This World Cup held in the United States, Canada and Mexico — with its unprecedented global outreach — offers a unique opportunity to observe the values, beliefs and relationships that soccer players choose to display on their bodies. In some ways, tattoos can be seen as a small window into the players’ souls.
Read MoreArgentine soccer icon Diego Maradona’s magic goal in the June 22, 1986, quarterfinal match against England in Mexico, which he attributed to the “Hand of God” as it was secured by his fist, has been the subject of intense debate whenever and wherever soccer fans are gathered.
Read MoreSoccer’s global reach and emotional intensity have long invited comparisons to religion. Both scholars and fans testify that the analogy is more than just a metaphor. From local club loyalties to the sweeping unity of the World Cup, the game functions in ways that closely resemble systems of shared belief, ritual and identity.
Read MorePaulo Silas Pereira se está preparando para la próxima Copa Mundial como comentarista deportivo. Al hacerlo, su enfoque ha pasado de los goles y las tácticas a algo mucho más personal: contar la historia de su vida y de su fe cristiana.
Read MorePaulo Silas Pereira is preparing for the upcoming World Cup as a broadcaster. In doing so, his focus has shifted from goals and tactics to something far more personal: Telling the story of his life and Christian faith.
Read MoreThe Dallas Cup, America’s oldest and best-known international youth soccer tournament, has been held each Easter week since 1980. And for 33 of those years, the DBA has hosted an outreach to minister to players and their families.
Read More(ANALYSIS) What should have been a routine game for Spain’s national soccer team at home against Egypt on March 31 instead became a revealing and deeply uncomfortable moment — one that placed superstar striker Lamine Yamal at the center of a broader conversation about identity, faith and belonging.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The execution of 19-year-old wrestler Saleh Mohammadi by Iran’s tyrannical regime is not just another macabre hanging in the theocracy’s escalating use of capital punishment, but a revealing incident in how the state confronts ongoing dissent.
Read MoreThe most-striking element of the London event was knowing that faith remains a big part of some players’ lives: Arsenal players praying together, Crystal Palace’s Bible study groups and the rise of social media accounts like “BallersinGod” suggest a generational shift. Younger players are more willing to publicly integrate belief into their lives.
Read MoreIn just under seven months, the new pontiff has curated a jersey collection worthy of a sports museum or a Windy City man cave. Each of these jerseys, often delivered by dignitaries or guests from the U.S., reveals something about Leo XIV’s identity as both a clergyman and a fan.
Read MoreTwo soccer teams — each comprised of eight Muslims and eight Christians — faced off as a mixed crowd cheered. Only months earlier, 52 people were killed in yet another religious massacre nearby. Some of the players on the field had lost relatives in that attack. Yet, they chose sports over revenge.
Read MoreThe competition — called “FIFA Unites: Women’s Series 2025” — had been originally scheduled to be played in Dubai with teams from Chad, Libya and the host nation UAE. FIFA confirmed that the tournament would instead be be played in Morocco, starting on Sunday, with a revised lineup that includes the Afghan refugee squad, Chad, Tunisia and Libya.
Read MoreWhen fans of the soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv were assaulted in the streets of Amsterdam after a game last November, the violence drew comparisons to pogroms. It even prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to dispatch rescue planes to evacuate Israeli citizens. Once again there are fears of a repeat outbreak of violence, this time over a match in Birmingham, England.
Read MoreThe upcoming “FIFA Unites: Women’s Series” marks the convergence of sports, politics, religion and human rights. For the Afghan refugee players, it’s a real chance to reclaim their place in the game. For FIFA, it’s a test of whether its commitment to women’s soccer extends beyond symbolic support — and whether it is willing to confront the contradictions within its own global family.
Read MoreChurches of Christ in Albania sponsor their own basketball league, Rebound. The Tirana team is about half Roma. They named themselves “Wings of Eagles” after Isaiah 40:31. Fushë Krujë also has a team, though some of its members joined before learning to dribble. They dubbed themselves “The Sons of Thunder,” the nicknames of apostles James and John in Mark 3:17.
Read MoreCristiano Ronaldo’s engagement in Riyadh highlights Saudi Arabia’s evolving — but still inconsistent— social norms. Once governed by strict Islamic law, the kingdom has relaxed restrictions under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s reforms. Ronaldo and partner Georgina Rodríguez live openly as an unmarried couple — something that remains risky for ordinary Saudis, especially women.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Although he remains little known beyond the country of his birth, Rinus Israël, who died July 1 in the Netherlands at age 83, was one of history’s great Jewish soccer players. In 1970, as captain of Feyenoord, Israël was the first Dutchman — and the first Jew — to lift the European Cup (the equivalent of today’s Champions League trophy).
Read MoreThe link between the papacy and the sporting world looks set to continue under Pope Leo XIV. With a new pope installed as Francis’ successor, that sporting theme could continue in the Vatican, though the center of gravity may migrate from soccer to baseball. As befitting a U.S. pope, Leo is known to be a fan of the national pastime, in particular the Chicago White Sox.
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