Politics and football do not always mix well, but every now and then a public figure comes along who is willing to throw caution to the wind and make a proper football prediction. New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani did exactly that when he sat down with the Guardian and worked through their World Cup Bracketology game, ultimately backing an African nation to lift the trophy this summer.
Now, Mamdani himself admitted it was a decision led by the heart rather than the head, which is at least refreshingly honest. Most politicians would waffle their way around a question like that and end up saying something completely noncommittal. Fair play to the man for actually picking a side and sticking with it.
The thing is, backing an African team to win the World Cup is not as outlandish as it might have seemed ten or fifteen years ago. African football has been developing at a serious pace. Morocco reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which genuinely changed how the world viewed the continent's footballing potential. Nations like Senegal, Nigeria and the Ivory Coast all carry genuine quality through their squads, with players performing at the very highest club level week in, week out.
With the 2026 tournament being hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico, there is also a huge African diaspora in America who will be showing up loud and proud. The atmosphere around African games could be something else entirely, and that kind of support does matter.
That said, the realistic football brain has to acknowledge that the traditional heavyweights like France, Brazil, England and Argentina will go into the tournament as stronger favourites. Depth of squad, tournament experience and tactical consistency still count for a lot when you are navigating seven games against the best teams on the planet.
But football has always been better when someone upsets the script. If an African side does go all the way in 2026, Mamdani will look like an absolute genius. And if they do not, well, he will have plenty of other things to worry about running New York City.
Let me know your thoughts.