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  "path": "/video/gzero-world-clips/why-national-teams-spark-culture-wars-at-the-world-cup",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-16T14:16:01.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gzeromedia.com",
  "tags": [
    "Gzero world",
    "Mbappe",
    "France",
    "Soccer",
    "Football",
    "World cup"
  ],
  "textContent": "\nWho gets to represent a nation? In this clip from GZERO World with **Ian Bremmer** , Financial Times columnist **Simon Kuper** explains why national soccer teams have become flashpoints for debates over immigration, race, and national identity.\n\n* * *\n\nAs teams across the world have become more diverse, political battles have increasingly spilled onto the pitch. In France, far-right politicians question whether players with immigrant backgrounds are \"really\" French. In England, debates over race and patriotism erupted when players took a knee before matches. And in Brazil, former President **Jair Bolsonaro** transformed the national team's iconic yellow jersey into a partisan political symbol.\n\n\"The national team is a picture of who belongs in the country,\" Kuper says. As politics become more polarized, even the teams meant to unite nations are becoming part of the culture wars.",
  "title": "Why national teams spark culture wars at the World Cup"
}