‘Everyone I supported lost’: New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani on FIFA World Cup final favorites World News
mayor of new york city Zoran Mamdani He refused to support Spain or Argentina ahead of the 2026 World Cup final, joking that every team he supported during the tournament ended in failure.Speaking to reporters at City Hall, Mamdani was asked which side he would cheer for in Sunday’s final. He didn’t name a favorite player but laughed it off, saying he didn’t want to bring bad luck to any team.“Everyone I support loses. I feel like whoever I say is going to lose now,” he said.Instead, the mayor praised the tournament and said he was looking forward to a fascinating meeting between Spanish teenage star Lamine Yamar and the Argentina captain. Lionel Messi.Mamdani recalled a widely shared photo of Messi bathing Yamal as a baby, admitting he initially thought the image was artificially generated.“I thought the picture of Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamar was artificially intelligent,” he said, adding that he later learned it was a real photo and that just a few years ago, neither player could have imagined meeting on football’s biggest stage.Reflecting on the significance of the moment, Mamdani said it was “very unbelievable” that Messi and Yamal would now meet in the World Cup final.He avoided making any predictions about the outcome, concluding with what he described as a “classic politician’s answer,” saying he was just “excited about a good race.”
