The New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, an avid soccer fan, has said he expects Morocco to win the FIFA World Cup this year. Mamdani has made this prediction in an interview with the Guardian newspaper.
Mamdani, who oversees the municipal government of the United States’ largest city, supports sport as both a matter of public policy and cultural force. He attended Eid al-Adha prayers in the Bronx wearing an arsenal-branded Kurta and hosted a watch party at a municipal court for the Africa Cup of Nations final.
According to the British daily, Mamdani’s connection to African football will get even stronger now this year. He offered his prediction of how he sees the summer world Cup will play out. He sees the Atlas Lions beating France in the final.
The Mayor said that he made his pick with his heart (what he wants to see in the tournament) and not with his head (what he thinks is likely). The Guardian says his selection may be extremely unlikely according to most, but Mamdani insists “the heart wants what it wants.”
Should it play out that way, it would be a first-ever World Cup win – and first appearance in the final – for any African country. Four years ago in Qatar, Morocco became the first African team to reach the World Cup semi-finals.
Mamdani, then a New York state assemblyman representing a district in Queens, joined his constituents in Astoria after Morocco beat Portugal in the quarter-finals. He posted videos from celebrations on Steinway Street, a hub for the city’s north African communities.
The Atlas Lions enter this summer’s tournament seventh in Fifa’s men’s global rankings with ambitions high to better their Qatar result. They are drawn in Group C with 5-time champions Brazil, Scotland and Haiti. Their opener against Brazil, set for 13 June at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will be Morocco’s toughest test.
