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Christian players are openly praying and celebrating their faith at the 2026 World Cup — so why do ESPN, Fox Sports, and FIFA seem more interested in covering Islam?

Scores of Christian soccer players are continuing to give sports reporters a so-called “Islamophobic” headache.

There are undeniable Christ-over-culture moments at the centre of this year’s FIFA World Cup, and it’s got legacy media’s neo-tolerant elite on edge about how to acknowledge it.

The double standard standouts include ESPN and Fox Sports.

Their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) departments must have ordered them to downplay FIFA’s Jesus movement, because they’ve dressed up faith and football as a defence of “diversity” instead.

Turning eyes towards Islam and away from the blatant Christian cultural shift, both channels published reports using “inclusivity” to argue against discontent about mass immigration.

Appeasing the DEI propagandists, both Fox and ESPN have focused on Islam being present in traditionally “white” Christian teams such as France, Spain, Sweden and England.

Evidently, mass immigration, multiculturalism, and the “European” Muslim “minority” made the cut. FIFA’s Jesus movement didn’t.

A Tale of Two Faiths

For example, ESPN took the time to explain Spain’s Lamine Yamal’s goal-scoring Islamic gesture both in an article and on Instagram. (See here and here).

They did not mention Felix Nmecha’s viral “crown down” salute thanking God for kicking goals.

Neither did ESPN post images of Christians in Team USA, Croatia, Congo or Curaçao praying, yet they’ve posted an image of Team Morocco on the field bowing to Mecca.

 

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The network also had plenty to say about Djed Spence, England’s “first openly Muslim player.” Nothing to say about underdog “Cool Runnings” Curaçao’s Christian players openly praying before they play.

To summarise: it’s apparent that hi-vis Christianity is being under-emphasised, while Islam is being selectively amplified.

(See more evidence of this from ESPN here and here)

By echoing legacy media’s “diversity is our strength,” even FIFA kicked that bias downwind.

FIFA’s YouTube channel self-evidently follows political diatribes. Especially curated narratives downplaying concerns about multiculturalism and its sycophantic cousin, mass immigration.

Selective Coverage

Put simply, FIFA 2026 is being capitalised on as a defence for mass immigration, Islam and DEI.

The subtle rewiring of the World Cup as proof of “diversity’s” profitability is being used to manipulate an end to monoculturalism’s legitimate discontent.

Magnifying this double standard is FIFA’s loose application of its decade-long campaign asserting that “there’s no place in football for discrimination.”

Faith, family and football are good to print, just as long as these three don’t include Jesus Christ, Christians or Christianity.

FIFA are fine with promoting Moroccan team member Ismael Saibari’s story and faith in a 2-minute YouTube video.

All while ignoring the most visible faith story of the 2026 World Cup: a record number of Christian players publicly bringing their faith onto the field.

Players like the Croatian soccer team.  They gathered for a special Sunday Mass on 14 June.

According to The Catholic Herald, the majority Catholic team attends church “whenever circumstances allow.”

“Players and members of the coaching staff who wish to do so attend Sunday Mass together, entirely by their own choice.”

Talking with ETWN, defensive midfielder Kristijan Jackic said,

“Whenever possible, we try to connect with Croatian priests in the city where we are staying so that Mass can be celebrated in the Croatian language.”

The Christian faith, he said, plays an important role.

Another example of the underreported and overlooked is the Congolese team. They at least managed to turn heads at the Associated Press.

🇨🇩 DR Congo’s players went down on their knees to thank God after their World Cup match.

A powerful reminder that, even on football’s biggest stage, many athletes are not afraid to put their faith first. pic.twitter.com/7i5HLVKEve

— CitizenGO (@CitizenGO) July 2, 2026

Reporting on a photo of the team and staff gathered to pray, AP described the image as “extraordinary.”

AP Chief Photographer Mike Stewart took the photo because he found the men, both black and white, kneeling in prayer together to be significant.

“That happened,” Stewart said, on a “Saturday after Congo’s victory against Uzbekistan.”

“In my almost four decades of photojournalism, it was one of the most unique things I have seen in any professional sport.”

“It’s something that people don’t see every day. For hundreds of millions of people, the power of prayer is powerful.”

It’s a shame ESPN, Fox and FIFA don’t appear to see it the same way.