Is the World Cup good news for Christians?
Whether or not you are a football fan, the next few weeks will be dominated by the men’s World Cup. After the strange experience of the last tournament in Qatar in winter 2022, this year’s tournament is back in the summer, hosted by a traditional footballing nation, Mexico, along with its North American neighbours, the USA and Canada. The competition has been widened to include 48 teams, which throws up some intriguing fixtures in the first round. I’m tempted by Curacao v Cote d’Ivoire on Thursday 25 June; who knows, I might work out where both those countries are before the game! Cape Verde v Saudi Arabia will be taxing viewing, as kick-off is at 1am on Saturday 27 June (UK time). DR Congo v Uzbekistan is also a late one, 12.30am on Sunday 28 June. If you don’t like to miss a game, you are in for some late nights.
Why bother with the World Cup? One answer is that sport brings people together. In a world where division is common and life often feels serious, sporting competitions can provide some light relief. Countries with little in common face each other on the pitch and realise that they are not as different as they might imagine. On the big day, anything can happen. Our differences melt away as nations get knocked out, and we end up supporting a new favourite team, whether because of flamboyance or a favourite Premier League player.
England’s Premier League has long been a melting pot for players from all over the world. One of the most well-established multicultural teams is London’s Arsenal, which embraced black players in the 1980s. Today its fanbase takes in men and women from all kinds of backgrounds, as we saw at their north London victory parade when they won the Premier League recently. I went up for the event and it was a terrific day. Football supporters are tribal, loudly trumpeting their love for their team and their hatred for their local rivals. The most common chant at the Arsenal parade was about hating Tottenham! At the World Cup, Scotland fans will be cheering on anyone who is playing against England. Sport is not just about bringing people together; at its worst it can be notoriously violent. South London police will be anticipating the first West Ham v Millwall game in over 15 years later this year with some apprehension, as previous clashes between fans have ended badly.
At a national level, supporters tend to be less tribal. Football fans embrace players who normally they would be cursing, as they play for rival teams. Diaspora communities around the world get behind their national team. North London went bananas in 2004 when Greece unexpectedly won the Euros, as our shopkeepers, grocers and hairdressers celebrated. In the last few years we have seen increased success for English teams. Our women have won the Euros and our men have been finalists. We go into the World Cup with high hopes.
What on earth has any of this to do with the Christian gospel? One obvious answer is that a worldwide event points us forward to the new creation, when people from every tribe, nation and language will be together with God. Today the largest Anglican community is in Nigeria and the country sending the most missionaries overseas is South Korea. The church in China may have as many as 200 million members in spite of intense persecution from the state. The underground church in Iran is thought to be one of the fastest-growing in the world, even when worship is largely banned under the fundamentalist Muslim government. Many Christians are hanging on in North Korea, although they cannot meet together or own a Bible. Against all the odds, Christians are choosing Jesus over corrupt, authoritarian regimes. Statistically, the average Anglican is an African woman in her 20s; something to consider when you next look around your church. If you think Christians are generally from a similar background to you, you need to think bigger.
The World Cup also provides opportunities to discover your local church. Many churches will be opening up to show matches on the big screen. For anyone not wanting to go to a pub late at night, the chance to discover a comfortable, safe, local venue may be very welcome. Research suggests that someone who walks into a church for any event is 80% more likely to come back for something else. Screening matches can help casual visitors to begin to explore faith.
In recent years, several Premier League players have become a lot more confident about talking about their Christian faith. England and Arsenal player Bukayo Saka has been open about his faith in Jesus and his habit of daily Bible reading. Ukraine and Chelsea player Mykhailo Mudrik has a tattoo on his neck reading ‘Only Jesus’. French World Cup winner Olivier Giroud has a tattoo on his arm with a verse from Psalm 23. This goes alongside the so-called ‘Quiet Revival’, which is seeing a resurgence of interest in the Christian faith among younger people, especially men. It cannot hurt to have role models who talk openly about faith and life.
The World Cup points us towards the diversity of the new creation and it provides opportunities to share faith with others. It gives even the smallest countries a hope of victory. If England or Scotland make it past the first round, you can be sure that the excitement level will spill over into everyday life even more than it is at the moment. The tournament gives us many opportunities to reflect on the connections between sport and faith.