Why Brazil and Argentina fans are fighting in the streets of Bangladesh as World Cup begins | OneFootball

With a major international sporting event getting underway this week, the streets of Bangladesh are lined with colourful national flags. That might not seem unusual – except these flags exclusively represent foreign nations.

Bangladesh, home to 170 million people, did not qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Yet the South Asian country is nonetheless home to some of the most fervent supporters of footballing giants Brazil and Argentina anywhere in the world.

Football fans have been rushing since May to out-do each other with giant flags of the two rivals, one of the rare occasions when the fiercely patriotic nation embraces foreign colours. Outside residential areas, towering cut-outs of Lionel Messi have appeared, and fans have flocked to sports markets in Dhaka’s upmarket Gulshan neighbourhood to buy replica Argentina and Brazil jerseys priced at around Tk500 (£3).

The country’s affection for the two Latin American nations, despite neither having any particular geographical or political ties to Bangladesh, has been generational and, at times, turned friends into rivals during the weeks the World Cup is played.

File: A Bangladeshi worker sewing flags for the World Cup football playing nations in Narayanganj, on the outskirts of Dhaka, ahead of the 2018 football World Cup (AFP via Getty Images)

Earlier this month, dozens of people suffered injuries in clashes between supporters of Brazil and Argentina following a local football match in Habiganj. Young men in the Shariatpur area have declared they will not get married until Brazil ends its wait for the trophy it last won in 2002.

And though Brazil and Argentina are by far the dominant forces, other World Cup nations do occasionally pique people’s interest. Amjad Hossian, 72, made headlines this week by displaying a 7.5 km-long German flag that he had made after selling a small portion of his land for funds. His dream, the daily Prothom Alo newspaper reported, was that the massive flag would find a place in a museum in Germany.

Norway, which will play in its first World Cup for 28 years, has actively made efforts to tap into Bangladesh's football fever, asking fans to support the Vikings during their games.

In its appeal to fans, the Norwegian embassy highlighted the countries’ deep-rooted relationship, noting that Norway was among the earliest nations to recognise Bangladesh after it gained independence. "So, what do you say, Bangladesh?" the embassy asked in a social media post.

"Time to back the underdogs! Time to dream big together," it added.

This World Cup will be the first to feature 48 teams, expanding the tournament to a record 104 matches, which will be held until 19 July in the US, Mexico, and Canada.

Bangladesh's love for football was acknowledged by Fifa and Argentine players in 2022, who were overwhelmed by the backing they received from a nation almost 17,000km away from home. And at the centre of the love for Argentina is Diego Maradona.

The game of football was introduced to undivided India's then-capital, Calcutta, by its British colonisers in the 19th century. In the 60s and 70s, when Bangladesh, then known as East Pakistan, was undergoing domestic political turmoil, the distraught youth were searching for hope and heroes.

At that time young people found that inspiration in Brazil, the dominant team of their generation. Pele became a national favourite, inspiring generations of footballers in Bangladesh.

The game then gained widespread popularity in the cricket-loving nation in the mid-1980s as television ownership expanded. For many Bangladeshis, the 1986 World Cup was their first glimpse of the tournament in colour. That World Cup, Maradona's iconic goals against England transcended football, resonating as a symbolic victory over a former colonial power.

For young fans, Argentine star Lionel Messi has fulfilled the void left by Maradona, while Brazil supporters have taken a favourite in Neymar.

The fervour and rivalry has turned violent before – and has even proved fatal. A study found that 23 people died in 2022 during the last World Cup due to clashes between rival fan groups.

In 2014, at least three died while hanging flags from electric wiring, Time reported. In 2018, a 12-year-old boy was electrocuted while putting up a Brazil flag, while a man and his son were critically injured in clashes between rival fan processions.