World celebrates, but Gaza watches the World Cup from a distance

Gaza City, the Gaza Strip – In what remains of the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, Ali Tafesh chases the ball while leaning on his crutches, exchanging passes with his teammates from Gaza Al-Irada – the will of Gaza – a football club made up of amputee players.

The stadium is far removed from the grandiose arenas that will host the World Cup 2026 in North America beginning on Thursday. But for Ali and his teammates, it is one of the last usable sports spaces available in Gaza as a result of Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed nearly 73,000 Palestinians.

The players hold on to football as a means of survival more than a sport. They are trying to reclaim fragments of their former lives despite months of loss, injuries, and widespread destruction.

Just four years ago, Ali, 24, was watching the World Cup in Qatar with friends in a cafe in Gaza, surrounded by festive scenes he still remembers clearly.

Today, however, the world is preparing for a new edition of the tournament, while he finds himself among thousands of survivors of the war who have lost limbs, including hundreds of athletes.

“[In 2022] Everyone supported a team, and the atmosphere was beautiful,” Ali tells Al Jazeera. “Today, the situation in Gaza is extremely difficult. We are exposed to bombardment and death at any moment.”

Ali Tafesh, whose leg was amputated during the war on Gaza after he was injured while playing in a local football match with his team, trains during a practice session [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/ Al Jazeera] — Ali Tafesh, whose leg was amputated during the war on Gaza after he was injured while playing in a local football match with his team, trains during a practice session [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]

In February 2024, a few months after Israel’s war began, his family home in the Zeitoun neighborhood in eastern Gaza City was struck, killing his mother and brother, while doctors were forced to amputate one of his legs.

After months of painful treatment and adjustment to his disability, Ali found out about Gaza Al-Irada through friends who had previously undergone amputations. Having previously been a sprinter, participating in local championships, the law graduate was looking for another sporting avenue.

“After my leg was amputated, I lost hope in life. I was a champion. I had medals… My friends playing with Gaza Al-Irada came to visit me. I asked if I could join them, and they welcomed me,” says Ali, who began playing about six months ago.

Now, as the rest of the world’s focus shifts to watching the world’s best footballers compete in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, Ali feels that Gaza exists in a parallel world – cut off not only by war but also by the absence of basic sporting needs and infrastructure.

“There is no transportation. I have to walk for more than two hours on my crutches to reach the field. There are no crutches, no sports shoes, and many essential safety items are unavailable,” he adds.

“We play with the very little available and try to rebuild football with our simple means.”

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