Political commentator and former MSNBC host Joy Reid said on her podcast that she is openly rooting against the United States men's team at the 2026 World Cup, and instead hopes an African nation wins the tournament. The remarks, made in agreement with The Nation sports editor David Zirin, matter because they tie sporting allegiance to opposition to President Donald Trump, whom the pair argued would "exploit" any US success.

Zirin said he wanted the US to lose to Belgium in the round of 16 and wished it were facing a team from the Global South. Reid agreed, adding that she was "rooting for all the African teams" and thought an African victory would be "great for the Global South". The article, published by Fox News's OutKick, frames Reid's comments critically, describing her and similar commentators as anti-American. It also notes surrounding context, including US forward Folarin Balogun scoring twice on his World Cup debut and a FIFA ruling that cleared him to play against Belgium.