If you've watched any of the World Cup coverage, you've probably seen it. Players praying after matches. Teams worshipping before games. Opponents gathering in prayer. Athletes speaking openly about Jesus in interviews – and more so than ever before.
For some Christians, these moments are encouraging. For others, they raise questions. What should I make of a player thanking God after scoring? Should Christians pray to win? And what does any of this have to do with my Tuesday night five-a-side or Saturday afternoon match?
The first thing to say is that we shouldn't assume every prayer is about victory. Social media often gives us a few seconds of footage, but not the whole story.
Yes, we've seen Dutch forward Crysencio Summerville pray after scoring. But we've also seen South Africa's squad praying together after defeat. We've seen Germany and Curaçao players praying together after a match despite a seven-goal scoreline. We've seen Curaçao worshipping before travelling to the World Cup and Anthony Elanga taking a Bible with him as part of his preparation.
Taken together, these moments tell a bigger story than simply, "God helped us win."
The Bible never teaches that Christians will win more matches than anyone else. In fact, the New Testament consistently points believers away from measuring God's favour by outward success. The apostle Paul experienced both triumphs and hardships, yet learned to be content in all circumstances because his confidence rested not in his achievements but in Christ (Philippians 4:11–13).
That does not mean winning is unimportant or that Christians should not compete wholeheartedly. Rather, it means that whether we win or lose, succeed or fail, our deepest identity remains secure in Christ. A result may affect our league position, our career prospects or our emotions, but it cannot change who we are before God.
Perhaps that's why so many footballers are speaking publicly about their faith. Manchester City and Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo recently said that representing Ghana is one thing, but representing God is "everything". That sentiment seems to sit beneath many of these World Cup stories.
Christian players are not simply trying to explain a result; they are trying to explain who they are.
That's a helpful lens through which to view these public expressions of faith. What we're seeing isn't primarily a theology of victory. It's a theology of identity.
And perhaps that's why this feels more commonplace today than it did in Kaká's famous "I Belong to Jesus" moment in 2007.
Social media certainly makes these moments more visible, but there also seems to be a growing confidence among Christian athletes to speak openly about Jesus and to do so together. From Bible studies in the USA camp to prayer circles involving players from different nations, faith is increasingly being expressed communally rather than individually.
Hardly any of us will ever play in front of television cameras. Even fewer will score on a World Cup stage. But the question facing Christians in the world of sport—whether athletes, coaches, officials or supporters—is exactly the same:
Is our deepest identity found in our performance, our team and our success, or in Christ?
You do not need a global audience to answer that question.
Whether on a World Cup pitch or a local playing field, the call is the same: to belong to Jesus, to trust him in victory and defeat, and to seek his glory above our own.
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Dr. Graham Daniels
Graham is the General Director of Christians in Sport, he is also a director of Cambridge United FC and an associate staff member at St Andrew the Great church in Cambridge.
