With the 2026 World Cup having started in the USA, the brothers welcome Abdullah Al-Arian, Chair of History at Georgetown University Qatar and editor of Football in the Middle East: State, Society, and the Beautiful Game. We talk about how football shapes Arab identity, including the role of diaspora, and how it is instrumentalized by Arab states. We also talk about the controversies and politics of the World Cup, including the journey of Team Palestine during a genocide, and discrimination against Iran's team and fans from across the global south. We wrap by discussing the question of FIFA Eurocentrism, corruption, and double standards, including FIFA's cowardice in not banning Israel.

For the record, we all try to predict who will win the World Cup!

Date of recording: June 19, 2026

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Music by Hadiiiiii

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In anticipation of the publication of Eyal Weizman's new book, Ungrounding: The Architecture of Genocide, which will be released in the US next month, the brothers hosted a livestream with Eyal to which our Patreon supporters had access, including the opportunity to ask questions of Eyal either via the livestream chat (which we will moderate) or in advance via email.

Watch the livestream edition
https://youtu.be/EInAD1Utpgw

Date of recording: June 16, 2026

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Music by Hadiiiiii

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The brothers discuss the latest developments in the regional war, with a special focus on Lebanon and the nature of Israeli bombardment of civilian homes, which is tied to the destruction of homes on different scales across historical Palestine since 1948. The brothers also discuss co-existence in the Mashriq region and the Zionist challenge to that.

Check out Ussama's article
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/03/opinion/lebanon-israel-iran-war.html

Watch the video edition on our YouTube channel

Date of recording: June 8, 2026

Follow us on our socials:

X: @MakdisiStreet
YouTube: @MakdisiStreet
Insta: @Makdisist
TikTok: @Makdisistreet

Music by Hadiiiiii

Consider supporting the show for access to the first Makdisi Street Reviews livestream!