Islamic State Editorial on the 2026 World Cup

Predictably, the Islamic State has used the opportunity of global attention on the 2026 World Cup to release an editorial on the event. Unsurprisingly, the Islamic State is hostile to the event (deemed the ‘scum cup’) given that it features the football teams of nation-states (a concept opposed by the Islamic State) playing against each other. The main points of the editorial are as follows:

(i) While sport is not a problem in terms of improving physical health and combat readiness, it is a a problem when it entails distraction from a Muslim’s obligations (such as prayers and jihad) and deviation from the religion.

(ii) The World Cup is a great danger to Muslims, especially as globally-renowned football players who are not Muslims gain a following among Muslims who imitate these players and come to idolise them and often end up cheering on the football teams of ‘Crusader’ countries whose armies kill Muslims. This contravenes the principle of ‘loyalty and disavowal’ (i.e. loyalty to Islam and Muslims, and hatred and disavowal of disbelief and disbelievers).

(iii) In any case, Muslims should use the opportunity to engage in da‘wa (proselytisation efforts for Islam) and flood the media spaces with Islamic State propaganda and its ‘heritage’ of materials. Lone ‘mujahidin’ should also use the opportunity to launch attacks on gatherings of the disbelievers in the United States in particular in the hope of inflicting maximum damage and terror. More generally lone attackers should keep an eye out for any occasions in the year when disbelievers gather so as to inflict attacks on them and cause maximum casualties.

Below is the editorial fully translated.

The astute believer must program himself in all his circumstances to exploit every opportunity looming for him, so that he can support Islam, spread its call, fight disbelief and repel its aggression, especially amid the fierce Jewish-Crusader attack they are facing, targeting their creed and ethics before their land and abode. And what does the ruin of buildings equate to amid the ruin of faith?

In these days, the Crusaders are holding the scum cup in the abode of Crusader America and her sisters, and the world and media are living through a state of mad, frenzied alertness to cover this occasion that has transcended the boundaries of sport and become a destruction weapon in the hands of the minions of evil, for which they earmark billions for the purpose of achieving more of their goals in the net of the people of our Ummah among those who do not practise the sport except with their eyes while their bodies stay clear of it!

So what are the dangers of this Jahili occasion for the Muslims? Trump has prepared the atmosphere for it and given preference to it over the war with Iran. How can the mujahid seize and exploit this opportunity at the level of jihad, in order to turn the spell back on the sorcerer and turn the scheme of the disbeliever back on him?

To start with, we say: Islam is a religion of force, zeal and exercise of heart and body together. The Shari’a has struck a balance between the requirements of the soul and body and has thus led mankind to the peaks of glory and honour, whereas the Jews and Crusaders have led mankind to the abyss of animalistic behaviour and vileness, and have waged war on its inherent nature, such that they have brought it down to the level of cattle: nay, even more astray.

The problem lies not in sport so long as it is within its well-known Shari’i regulations as defined by the jurists, and the people of Islam were the healthiest of people in physical terms and their mightiest and most determined and most courageous: the people of chivalry, archery, fighting, combat and endurance. And the ones who proceed today on their path must follow their example. For idleness, lack of astuteness, laziness and sluggishness are not among the qualities of the believers, but rather they are misfortunes that impede the believer from fulfilling his obligations, foremost among them jihad. As noted by Ibn al-Qayyim, who taught medicine of the bodies and hearts: ‘Whenever the body is lightened, the soul experiences delight, becomes lightened and seeks its upper abode, and whenever the body becomes heavy and is preoccupied with worldly desires and comfort, the soul becomes heavy and descends from its upper world and becomes a lowly thing of this world.’

Even so, sport is not intended to waste time including prayers, by spending hours in front of screens, and sport is not intended for men and women to mix in cafés and squares and the grave mortal sins that entails, and it is not intended to waste money and set out to the abode of disbelief in order to strengthen their numbers, fill their ranks and make their plans succeed.

In addition, sport is not intended to break the barriers of separation between the Muslims and disbelievers, and sport has stolen their minds and turned them into male and female fans and male and female admirers of players who are the sons of male and female Crusaders and male and female atheists.

The one who considers the reality of ‘fans’ realises that they have passed from the stage of admiration of sport to admiration of the ‘player’ and attachment to him, imitating and resembling him in his appearance, shaving style, walking style and even frivolity! They have even come to feel joy over his path, adopt his name, adopt his dress style, and feel anger when he is angry and feel joy when he is joyful. And they have adopted him as a model and example and called him a ‘king and hero’, while following his news, moments and minutes of his life, far-removed from the stadiums and matched, and they have known more about him than they do about the male and female Companions of the Prophet! And so these scum have become examples for our children, whom they waste away for and whom they defend!

All this threatens what remains of the bonds of love and hatred for the sake of God—which are threatened away—in the Muslims’ life, and if the hearts of these people were to be filled with loyalty and disavowal it would be hard for them to support the teams of Crusader states whose armies have not been satiated with the blood of the Muslims, and were loyalty and disavowal to be properly established within these people, they would refuse to clap, sing for, feel joy for and bless the victory of these people in the scum cup. So, oh Muslims, make your children away, and protect yourselves and your families from Hellfire.

Then know, oh Muslims, that the soundest path in the issue of loyalty and disavowal is firmness and decisiveness, and warding off things that sow corruption, and cutting off the pretexts and openings, for the opening in other doors may be closed, but how can the opening in the door of loyalty and disavowal be shut if it is opened? Rather, it will grow wider and wider until it is opened at the hinges and becomes difficult to shut, and here the calamity comes about, and all calamities are easy except the calamity in religion. What then would you expect it to be if it pertains to the religion’s essence and its firmest bonds?! For God’s sake, think of loyalty and disavowal, for the Muslims have not been given a door like it! It is their door to recover their glory and correct their path, when all doors besides it are shut. And those who fall short in it are many. And the winners in it are few, a sect, a group, a division, but it is the saved sect per God Almighty’s promise.

In the field of da’wa and media, this season represents an active media field to attack the global brands and use the opportunity to support Tawhid and jihad, via intensification of the media campaigns and intensification of the da’wa efforts that aim to spread the Islamic State’s heritage, and disseminate its methodology- the Prophetic methodology- that has become a burden for the Islamists and a proof argument against the jihadists, and a sword on the necks of the disbelievers and hypocrites. So strive to achieve that with all your force and spare no effort in that regard, and be an aid and help for your brothers in this intense war between the propaganda machine for the forces of global disbelief, and the media of your state that they wage war on and whose knights they pursue in the east and west of the world.

As for the matter of jihad in the field, on the offensive and not defensive field, this season is a golden opportunity for the lone mujahid to revive and renew the loan attacks, especially in the depth of the abode of Crusader America, which is hosting the matches in 11 cities. In front of you, oh mujahid, is an entire month to observe the gatherings and launch the attacks, for the flowing groups of disbelief fill the roads with noise, and the steps teem with them, for wherever you strike, you will inflict pain, and wherever you plunge your knife, you will cause bloodshed, and wherever you crash your car, you will break and shatter things. Imagine if you succeed in starting a fire on the steps and thus cause a huge stampede in which hundreds of people from the nation of the Trinity and atheism die? It is an idea worth implementing.

The lone mujahid must keep a copy of the map of the word and calendar on the ceiling of his office or wall of his room, so that he can follow the festivities of disbelief and life opportunities in order to seize them and score his goals in the net of his enemy and inflict damage and havoc in their ranks, for the world is filled with many of these Jahili occasions that the mujahid can convert into bloody festivities through which he realises his jihad and attains vengeance for his religion.

This festivity is still in its beginning, and the gatherings of the Crusaders continue to flock to its temples. So what great success there will be for the one who takes the initiative to seize this opportunity in the depth of America’s abode and causes the hearts of its citizens to bleed, and sheds their blood and makes them drink from the cup of death in various forms.

This is an open call to all the lone mujahidin to participate in this event in your own way. Do not let the opportunity slip you, for this is the true tournament. So prepare, get ready, and roll up your sleeves earnestly to win the title, and be crowned on the day of Mazid.[i]

[i] The day of gathering in Heaven.

Published originally on June 18, 2026.