Soccer Provides Refuge for Palestinian-American Youth Amid Turmoil

On a hot Saturday evening in Passaic County, Northern New Jersey, around 60 young soccer players gathered on the field. For these athletes, the sport offers an escape and a channel for their dreams and emotions.

Taim Nadin, during a brief water break, expressed his passion: “Without soccer, the world has no meaning. If I didn’t play soccer, I’d be nothing.” Taim, 13, is originally from Qatar and is part of the Palestino Soccer Academy, which brings together children from various backgrounds, especially those from the Palestinian-American community in New Jersey.

The coach, Omar Abdulaziz, recounted the club’s journey. It began three years ago, aiming to teach soccer in the context of Palestinian culture and to address the emotional impact of the Gaza conflict on the kids. “We could hear their frustrations,” Abdulaziz said, referencing his own experiences moving from the West Bank to Puerto Rico as a teenager. He believes soccer offers a brief escape from harsh realities.

The Palestinian national team will not appear in the 2026 World Cup. In Gaza, training is nearly impossible. NPR reports that 90% of Gaza’s sports facilities have been destroyed, and 450 individuals connected to soccer have perished in Israeli attacks.

In New Jersey, these kids find inspiration in international players, such as Lamine Yamal from Spain. Obaida Al Amleh, 14, admires Yamal not just for his skills but for standing against anti-Muslim prejudices in Spanish soccer and waving the Palestinian flag during FC Barcelona’s victory parade.

For Obaida, soccer is a way to process grief. After learning of the loss of family friends in an airstrike, Obaida spent hours on the field, saying, “You can ball in the pitch, or you can bawl at home.”