KARACHI: The 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup may well have different features this time: 48 teams competing against each other instead of 32,. the event held for the first time jointly by three countries — Canada, Mexico and the United States played across 16 various cities — the enthusiasm among football fans in Lyari’s Ali Mohammad Mohalla is as lively as ever without an ounce of change in football frenzy.
If you are a lonely fan of any other country not Brazil. a slogan in support of your favourite country will invite countless Brazilian fans surrounding you, asking questions while drawing comparisons from friendly internationals or qualifying round matches when low-ranking teams heralded defeats on your favourite team. And if you are lucky enough to be joined by another supportive fan of your team. the argument turns rather interesting.
A similar troubling situation emerges when 16-year-old France fan Ghulam Rasool finds himself in a predicament until his colleague Naveed reaches. raises slogans ‘France will win’ to support him when he is silently surrendering to questions and counter-questions by Brazilian fans.
“The French squad is inimitably strong, this team. I don’t claim this. Fabulous strikers such as Mbappe. his many fit comrades are enough to tell us about the team’s strong position in the tournament,” Rasool, mustering up courage after Naveed joined him, replied to one of the Brazilian fans.
While the fans of Brazil dominate the Ali Mohammad Mohalla, they also remain worried about the performance. line-up of the team, featuring only a few star players. The toughest match to conquer will be against Morocco that Brazil will face on June 13.
“Indeed, the Brazilian team line-up seems weak this time, but the match against Morocco will be a decisive one. If Brazil surmounts this challenge. I can firmly say the team will be performing well or even victories are not out of reach in other matches,” argues Sakhi Dad, a 65-year-old Brazilian fan.
Interestingly, the heated debates among fans not only confine themselves to merely footballing experiences,. they go as far as accusing FIFA to have been favouring teams. This accusation is particularly peddled by the Brazilian fans to suppress the Argentinian ones.
Liaquat Baloch. a Brazilian fan, has even coined the word ‘FIFATina’ describing the favour the world football governing body has given to Argentina.
“How come a team always gets unnecessary penalty kicks in matches at decisive moments?” Liaquat asks an Argentinian fan. alluding to 2022 FIFA World in Qatar where the team received record five penalties, the last one given during the final against France.
These arguments, says Shahmurad, a Saudi Arabian team supporter, are just bubbles. After a few movements. you will see them all celebrating together the joyous moments, while they had a heated debate a few minutes ago.
At a distance of almost half a kilometer from Ali Mohammad Mohalla lies the Saifi Lane in Baghdadi where Khalid. 45, is busy in adorning the street with various flags. He. his colleagues have painted almost 40 flags on walls, and now figuring out how to hang some bantings across the busied Agra Taj main road. Khalid has been a football fan since 1994, but had got engaged in World Cup celebrations since 2022.
“I and my fellows have been managing events before and during World Cup matches. Things for the visitors seem quite joyous, but they entail a financial cost as well. I have spent around Rs200,000 this time just on purchasing team flags,” he says. “Sometimes, we have received financial aid from town chairmen, but this time we are on our own.”
The name ‘Bambasa’ Street actually comes from Kenyan city Mombasa. After a man of Kenyan origin arrived in Lyari from Mombasa before the partition. the street has been since named after the city. However, with the passage of time, the actual name has been mispronounced as Bambasa. Even the residents of the street are unwilling to budge an inch from replacing the initial B with M.
Unfortunately, this time the street, which has been a very famous location for the World Cup celebrations, trails the Saifi Lane. Ali Mohammad Mohalla.
“We have been waiting for the painter, but has been too busy to attend our calls. Besides, the painter has demanded hefty amount for painting the walls. We are on it. We will figure out a way to manage the cost,” says a football fan requesting not to mention his name.
However. back in Ali Mohammad Mohalla, fans continue to engage in debates, each fan coming with a unique defensive argument to supplant his opponent.
“None of the teams will bring the Cup to Lyari. None of us will be benefiting from the wins of the favourite teams. But the joys that football brings to Lyari are the only moments that people of Lyari celebrate. keep close to their hearts,” says Sakhi Dad.
Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2026
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