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Tucked in a side street near Fisherman’s Wharf, soccer fans like Nesrine Williams have gathered at a local Algerian restaurant, KAYMA, to watch their team compete in this year’s FIFA World Cup tournament.
“It’s a really big deal, and I feel so proud to be Algerian,” said Williams, who brought her family here to watch the Algeria versus Argentina match. “A lot of people don’t know about Algeria, and oftentimes, the best players for teams like France are actually Algerian.”
From watch parties like that at KAYMA to protests outside stadiums, diaspora communities across the Bay Area are coming together around the World Cup.
For others who were forced to leave their home countries, like physician Nasser Mohamed, the World Cup has also renewed concerns and tensions over global politics and safety.
Experts say ongoing international issues like the U.S. war in Iran and President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement campaign have contributed to the lower-than-expected World Cup turnout from international travelers.
While travel from abroad has dipped, the matches have nonetheless drawn local demonstrators out to protest the political backdrop to the World Cup.
For more information, head to kqed.org/news
✍️: Sydney Johnson
📹: Anna Vignet
🎬: Darren Tu