MSNBC host Joy Reid has publicly stated that she is rooting for African teams to win the World Cup and is hoping for an African nation to secure the championship. Reid shared her sentiment during a discussion on her podcast with The Nation's sports editor, David Zirin.
Zirin expressed his wish for the United States to lose to Belgium in the World Cup so that President Donald Trump could not "exploit" a potential victory. Reid agreed with this sentiment, adding that she would have even more fervor if the United States were playing a team from the Global South, to see them "get knocked down a peg."
Reid clarified that her support extends beyond simply wishing for the US team to lose. She stated, "I'm rooting for all the African teams. I'm being very open about it. I'm rooting for the African teams. I want one of them to win. I think it would be so great for the Global South for an African team to take home the big prize."
As of Monday, two African teams remained in the tournament: Morocco and Egypt. The article notes that Egypt has odds of +2500 to win the Cup, while both Team USA and Morocco are around +2900. France is listed as a notable favorite at +180.
This stance by Reid has drawn commentary, with some critics suggesting it is unusual for someone who has achieved professional success in the United States to openly root against the national team in a major international competition.