INGLEWOOD, California — Ahead of Friday’s match at SoFi Stadium, FIFA honored California’s Native American tribes during the pregame celebrations. This event marked the first tournament match in the United States.
Native land acknowledgments have become a common practice in North America, especially along the West Coast of the U.S. and in Canada. However, these acknowledgments have also been met with criticism and have been described as the “latest woke ritual,” according to a Wall Street Journal commentary.
A prerecorded video played as fans of the U.S. and Paraguay filled the stadium, recognizing the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, the Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians, and others as “the original inhabitants of Los Angeles County.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has been working to gain support from local political figures across the U.S., which last year included meetings with tribal leaders, as reported by POLITICO.
