Is the World Cup final turned into a battle between those who support Israel and those who oppose Israel?
The 2026 UEFA World Cup final will be held in the early hours of the 20th day of Beijing time. Argentina will face Spain. In addition to football itself, this match has also sparked intense public discussion due to the different attitudes of the two nations towards Israel.
According to Yediot Acreon, discussions on social media have now portrayed this final match as a 'proxy battlefield for Middle Eastern conflicts'.
According to The Israel Times, Argentina and Spain have different positions on the issue of Israel. Many people see this World Cup final as a symbolic duel. “There are some posts online criticizing Argentine player Messi, which reference anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.”
Even netizens posted, "We're about to welcome a World Cup final between Israel and Palestine."
On the eve of the final, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu voiced his support for the Argentine team. According to the office of the Israeli prime minister, Netanyahu met with Argentina's ambassador to Israel, Vaniš, on the 18th and expressed his wishes for the Argentine team to win.
Israeli Prime Minister’s Office
Vanesh conveyed the greetings of Argentine President Javier Mile to Netanyahu: "You are my friend, and you have always supported us. I'm glad to hear that you support Argentina because of me."
Netanyahu said, “Havillan, you are my friend. A true friend. You are a great friend, and we support you. We support Argentina in many ways, including tomorrow. Good luck!”
In 2007, Messi bathed Yamilur. Xinhua News Agency
Messi and Yamar are the top stars of the Argentine and Spanish teams, respectively. In 2007, the young Messi bathed the then infant Yamar. Later, Yamar became the new representative of Barcelona's team after Messi.
The Jewish Telegraph reports that Messi has rarely commented on politics or been involved in major public controversies. However, he occasionally makes headlines for expressing support for Jewish causes and Israeli businesses.
In August 2013, Messi visited the Rock of Gibraltar with the Barcelona club during a "Peace Tour," drawing attention.
Messi Visits the Wall, Photo. Israel Times
On the other hand, in May of this year, after Barcelona won the Spanish Cup, Yamal waved a Palestinian flag during a street parade.
Yamal waves a Palestinian flag. Photo. Associated Press
Regarding this, Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez publicly supported Yamal. He said, “Those who believe that waving a national flag is ‘inciting hatred’ are either crazy or have their eyes blind by their own shame.” Yamal is simply expressing the Spanish people's support for Palestine.
Since a new round of conflicts erupted between Palestinians and Israelis in October 2023, the Spanish government has repeatedly criticized Israel's military actions in the Palestinian Gaza Strip. In May 2024, the Spanish government officially recognized the State of Palestine.
Since Muelle became president of Argentina, he completely changed the country's foreign policy, making Argentina one of Israel's closest allies.
