Football is an activity that stirs intense passions; it has the power to unite and to divide, to bring out the most irrational aspects of our nature, and to evoke great joy as well as great heartache.
Religion is a phenomenon that also stirs up passions, and although Christianity holds that religion cannot be irrational, we can all agree that there is much that is irrational in religion, which can also be used to justify wars and atrocities, as well as to inspire great acts of charity and beauty.
In this project I’ll be bringing the two together. What could possibly go wrong?
In this post, which I will be updating, I will gather information on religious curiosities from the participating countries and follow the World Cup of patron saints.
30. The Angel of Portugal
Before Our Lady appeared to the shepherds at Fátima in 1917, she was preceded by a figure who introduced himself as the Angel of Peace and the Angel of Portugal. The idea that Portugal has a guardian angel, who is also its patron saint, is not new. In the 16th century, King Manuel asked the Pope to establish a feast day dedicated to the Guardian Angel of Portugal, and Julius II agreed. The feast day was included in the liturgical calendar in 1952 on 10 June, Portugal Day.
The Angel of Portugal is therefore one of the country’s patron saints, alongside Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and Saint George.
We often read that Portugal is the only country to have an angel as its patron saint, but this is not true. St Michael is the patron saint of Ukraine and of the German people (which, granted, is slightly different from being the patron saint of Germany) and St Raphael is the patron saint of the Brazilian people (ditto).
Following the disappointing draw with DR Congo, will the Angel of Portugal watch over the team today against Uzbekistan?
29. The Seven Martyrs of Tibhirine
Today sees the first match between two predominantly Muslim nations in this World Cup. During the first round of the tournament Muslim countries secured just one victory – for the Ivory Coast – although they also recorded some creditable draws. The situation has improved, however, with victories for Egypt and Morocco. Later this evening, four more teams from Muslim countries will be in action: Iraq will face a very tough test against France, as will Senegal against Norway, whilst later on Algeria will take on Jordan.
It is therefore a fitting day to speak of the Martyrs of Tibhirine, a group of French Trappist monks who were kidnapped and subsequently murdered in Algeria, allegedly by Islamic fundamentalists.
Despite this, they remain inextricably linked to dialogue with Islam and to the deep love they had for the Muslim people they served, to the extent that they chose to remain in Tibhirine despite being aware of the risks. They loved Algeria and the Algerian people, and would certainly be delighted to see Algeria in the World Cup.
As for Jordan, special mention must be made of the two Christian players in this squad, including captain Ihsan Haddad and forward Odeh Al-Fakhouri.
28. A host of saints in Cape Verde
We have already mentioned Cape Verde’s official patron saint, Our Lady of the Assumption. But the archipelago actually has a small host of saints to look up to.
Cape Verde has ten islands, one of which is uninhabited.
Of the ten, five are named after saints: Santiago (Saint James the Great), Santo Antão (Saint Anthony the Greath), São Nicolau (Saint Nicholas), Santa Luzia (Saint Lucia) and São Vicente (Saint Vincent). The island of Fogo was originally called São Filipe (Saint Phillip), Boa Vista was São Cristóvão (Saint Christopher) and Ilha Brava was São João (Saint John). There is also the islet of Santa Maria (Saint Mary).
All of them, except Santiago and the islet of Santa Maria, were named after the saints in the liturgical calendar corresponding to the day on which they were first sighted.
The Cape Verdean players therefore have a whole host of saints watching over them. Let’s see how their match against Uruguay goes tonight.
27. Will Japan have the Samurai spirit?
Last week I spoke about Saint Paul Miki, a Japanese convert and martyr. But today I’m going to talk about another Japanese man, who isn’t yet a saint, but is a Venerable, and even cooler than that – he’s a samurai.
Yes, Justo Takayama was a Japanese aristocrat, at a time when many Japanese, including some of the high nobility, converted to Catholicism. He was baptised at the age of 12 but later drifted away from the faith, focusing more on gaining a name and fame as a samurai warrior, until, at the age of 20, he decided to commit himself more fully to Christ.
He continued to serve his lord as a soldier, but when a new campaign against the Church began, and all the samurai were ordered to renounce their faith, Justo Takayama was one of the few who refused.
As a result, he lost everything: his title, his wealth, his status and even his homeland. He was exiled to the Philippines, where he was received with honours by the Spanish. But he refused to accept a pension and ended up dying in poverty less than two months later.
Justo – his baptismal name – was beatified by Pope Francis and his canonisation process is currently underway. Will he intercede so that Japan beats Tunisia? We shall see.
26. The great Marian derby: the Immaculate Conception v. the Assumption
As I wrote articles on each country’s patron saint, it became clear that the most popular are Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of the Assumption. In some cases, they are not the country’s sole patron saint, so I chose another from among the existing ones to avoid repetition; however, a total of 10 countries participating in the World Cup have one of these invocations of Our Lady as their patron saint.
And who wins the popularity title? That goes to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, with six countries – Portugal, USA, DR Congo, Argentina, Brazil and South Korea – compared to ‘just’ four for Our Lady of the Assumption: France, Cape Verde, South Africa and Uruguay.
Contrary to what many people think, devotion to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception has nothing to do with the virgin birth of Jesus. The conception referred to in the name is that of Our Lady herself, who, according to Catholic belief, was conceived without original sin. This is the meaning of the miracle – the preservation from original sin – which enabled Mary to respond freely when God asked her if she would be the mother of the Messiah.
The Assumption, on the other hand, relates to the fact that she was taken up into Heaven, body and soul, and was not subject to the corruption of death.
We therefore have one invocation concerning the beginning of Mary’s life and another concerning its end. But the two concepts are closely linked, for theologically it is the fact that Our Lady was free from original sin that prevents her from dying, since traditionally natural death is a consequence of sin.
Obviously these are different invocations of the same person, who was the mother of Jesus.
25. Saint Andrew Kim Taegon – South Korea
Now that we’ve highlighted a patron saint for each team taking part in the World Cup, I’m going to stop posting about every match and instead make just one or two posts a day, delving deeper into some interesting facts.
Today I’m going to focus on South Korea, as it is the only team with a predominantly non-Abrahamic population to have won a match so far in the World Cup (the only other is Japan).
South Korea’s principal patron saint, as we saw last week, is Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, but to avoid repetition we have opted for Saint Andrew Kim Taegon, the first Korean priest.
Korea has a unique history within Christianity. It was not converted through foreign missionary work, but rather by Korean intellectuals who discovered books on Christianity translated into Chinese and, upon reading them, converted.
Saint Andrew Kim was ordained at a time when the Church was heavily persecuted in the country, but he was already a second-generation Catholic, although his grandparents eventually converted as well. He was baptised at the age of 15 and attended seminary in Macao. On his return to Korea, he was captured, tortured and executed at the age of 25.
Today, Korea is one of the Asian countries with the highest proportion of Christians and will host World Youth Day in 2027.
24. Sacred Heart of Jesus (Uzbekistan) v. Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquira (Colombia)
Uzbekistan is arguably the World Cup participating nation with the least Christian heritage and connection to Christianity. The population is overwhelmingly Muslim, with very small Christian communities, the majority of whom are Orthodox. Although there had been a significant Christian presence for centuries, this had completely disappeared by around the 15th century. Furthermore, the country suffered under Communist oppression during the Soviet era and today ranks among the participating nations with a negative religious freedom index. The main Catholic cathedral in the capital, Tashkent, is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The patron saint of Colombia is Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquira. Her story begins with the commission of an image of Our Lady of the Rosary, which was painted by a Spanish artist on fabric woven by indigenous people. The image was placed in a damp chapel and became unrecognisably damaged. Years later, a devout Catholic woman placed it in a chapel and, according to tradition, the image restored itself, coming to be regarded as miraculous.
23. Saint Matthew Ayariga (Ghana) v. Saint Mary Antigua (Panama)
Ghana does not have an official patron saint, so I have chosen the only Ghanaian saint officially recognised by the Church. Matthew Ayariga was kidnapped by jihadists, along with 20 Coptic Christians from Egypt. Realising that he was not Coptic, the jihadists gave him the opportunity to convert to Islam and thus save his life, but he replied: “Their God is my God”, and was martyred alongside them.
The Coptic Church canonised the 21 martyrs of Libya collectively and holds the memory and witness of Matthew Ayariga in high esteem. In 2023, the Catholic Church also officially recognised the canonisation.
Devotion to Saint Mary of Antigua began in Seville in the 14th century, with an image that was discovered in the cathedral, in a good state of preservation despite its great age, hence the name. When the Spanish arrived in what is now Panama, they brought this devotion with them and founded Santa María la Antigua del Darién, which would go on to become the first diocese on the American continent.
22. St George (England) v St Joseph (Croatia)
St George is one of the most popular patron saints in the world, although in this World Cup he is represented only by England and Portugal, as far as I can tell. But few countries show as much devotion to St George as England.
St Joseph, who has also appeared here wearing a Canada shirt, was declared the patron saint of Croatia in the 17th century by a parliamentary resolution.
21. Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (Portugal) v. Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (DR Congo)
I considered using St George for Portugal, but I simply couldn’t. You’ll see why.
Although Portugal was consecrated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in 1646, the devotion was already well established amongst the population. And this was several centuries before the official proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, which did not take place until 1854.
One of the greatest examples of this devotion is the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, built in the 16th century. Where? In Mbanza Kongo, the capital of the Kingdom of Kongo, to which the Portuguese had already brought the Catholic faith in the 15th century.
As you can see, Congolese devotion to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is due to the Portuguese, yet it predates her official proclamation as Queen of Portugal. And that is why, despite my hatred for half-and-half scarves, I am making this concession, because I believe that Our Lady’s love is divided between these two teams. Fortunately, she has a lot of love to give!
20. Saint Leopold III (Belgium) v. John the Baptist (Jordan)
Leopold was the Margrave of Austria and lived in the 11th century. He played an important role in the development of the Church in the country, founding several monasteries, and was known as ‘Leopold the Good’.
John the Baptist needs no introduction. As Jesus’ cousin, he preceded him and heralded his coming, baptising people in the River Jordan, so it makes perfect sense that he should be the patron saint of Jordan. Jordan is now predominantly Muslim, but has a significant Christian community, including two members of the national team.
19. Our Lady of Luján (Argentina) v. Our Lady of Africa (Algeria)
Anyone who has been following these posts will have noticed that there is a clear contest for popularity between Our Lady of the Assumption and Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. I’ll write about this another time, but today we have another one for OLIC.
It seems that a carriage was travelling along the banks of the River Luján when the oxen simply stopped and refused to move until a small statue of OL of the Immaculate Conception had been unloaded. From this grew a basilica and a devotion that became a national phenomenon in Argentina.
Our Lady of Africa, meanwhile, is the patron saint of Algeria, where she lends her name to the main cathedral in Algiers, recently visited by the Pope. The devotion originated from an image produced in France. A second image was commissioned by the Bishop of Algiers in 1840, and from then on, its popularity amongst the small Catholic community in Algeria grew.
Algeria has very few Christians, but an immense Christian heritage. Football-wise, we can say that Our Lady of Africa has her work cut out for her today!
18. Saint Thomas (Iraq) v. Saint King Olaf (Norway)
Iraq does not have an official patron saint, but the unofficial one could be considered Saint Thomas the Apostle, who is said to have brought the Christian faith to those parts. Iraq has a long Christian tradition and had a significant Christian minority until 2003, when an exodus began that reduced the population to less than 1%. Even so, the national team has four Christian players, which is very significant.
Norway’s patron saint is King Olav, who lived in the 11th century and, having converted to Christianity, helped spread the faith throughout the Nordic countries. He was canonised a year after his death by the local bishop, and his sainthood was confirmed by the Pope in 1164. He is known as the “Perpetual King of Norway”.
17. Saint Joan of Arc (France) v. Our Lady of Victories (Senegal)
It appears the principal patron saint of France is also Our Lady of the Assumption. That brings the total to four, alongside Cape Verde, Uruguay and South Africa, and she is vying for the title of most popular Patron Saint in this World Cup with Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.
However, Saint Joan of Arc is considered a secondary patron saint of France, so I opted for her. Her story is well known; she was an important military leader – against all the social customs of the time – and deeply devoted to God.
Whilst France has many patron saints, Senegal, a predominantly Muslim country, has no official one, but there is great devotion among local Catholics to Our Lady of Victory, which seems to me very appropriate for a World Cup.
With two saints accustomed to victory, this looks like it could be a great match.
16. St Marutha (Iran) v. St Peter Chanel (New Zealand)
Now here are two saints you don’t hear about every day!
St Marutha lived in the 4th and 5th centuries, in the Persian Empire. He was a bishop and played a major role in establishing the Church in that region, despite severe persecution. At one point, he collected so many relics of victims of the persecutions that his city came to be called Martyropolis. He died around 420.
Saint Peter Chanel was born in France some 1,400 years after Saint Maruta’s death. He went as a missionary to Oceania, more specifically to the island of Futuna. He earned the epithet ‘the man with the kind heart’ and managed to convert the son of a tribal chief. The chief was not pleased, and had him killed in 1841.
15. Our Lady of Arabia (Saudi Arabia) v. Our Lady of the 33 (Uruguay)
Saudi Arabia is, even more so than Iran, the World Cup participant where Christians enjoy the least freedom. The country’s patron saint is Our Lady of Arabia, based on an image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Our Lady of the 33 is in fact an image of Our Lady of the Assumption (and that makes four competing countries with this patron saint… Cape Verde, South Africa, France and Uruguay). A group of thirty-three independence fighters prayed before the image for the success of their uprising, and the image became associated with the country’s liberation.
14. Saint Joseph (Belgium) v. Saint Mark (Egypt)
This is the second time Saint Joseph has been invoked, having previously appeared in Canada. Interestingly, he was named patron saint in the 17th century at the request of the Spanish, who ruled the territory at the time, but the devotion took hold and became deeply rooted.
Saint Mark was the first bishop of Alexandria and is closely linked to the entire history of Christianity in Egypt. Although the majority of Egyptians are Muslim, there is a significant minority, the Copts, who are Christians and have a deep devotion to Saint Mark.
13. Saint James de Great (Spain) v. Our Lady of the Assumption
The importance of St James to Spain is well known, with the tradition that his remains lie in Compostela, in Galicia.
But St James is also important to the people of Cape Verde, as he is the patron saint of the Diocese of Santiago, one of only two dioceses in the archipelago.
However, the patron saint of Cape Verde is Our Lady of the Assumption, curiously the same as that of South Africa.
Santiago is clearly the favourite in this match, but let us hope that Our Lady can inspire our Cape Verdean brothers!
12. St Eric, King of Sweden (Sweden) v St Cyprian (Tunisia)
Although many believe it to be Saint Brigid, the official patron saint of Sweden is actually King Eric. He reigned in the 12th century and helped to spread and promote the Christian faith in Sweden, and also in Finland, according to tradition. He was martyred in 1160. He was attending Mass when a band of rebels arrived at the church. The King forced them to wait until the end of the service, then went out and was imprisoned and beheaded. Tradition has it that a spring sprang up from the spot where his head fell.
Tunisia does not strictly speaking have an official patron saint, but Saint Cyprian was the patron saint of the African province of the Roman Empire, which corresponds to present-day Tunisia, so it makes sense that it should be him. He was also beheaded, on the orders of Emperor Valerius.
We shouldn’t expect many header goals in this match… And yes, I realise that Cyprian is just pouring his beer over himself, but I almost broke the AI programme to make the image, so I let it be…
11. St Mariana de Jesus de Paredes (Ecuador) v. Our Lady of Peace (Ivory Coast)
Mariana de Jesus de Paredes, known as the ‘Lily of Quito’, was a devout woman. When she was orphaned, she went to live with her elder sister and brother-in-law, but as she expressed a desire to pursue a spiritual life, she was allowed to live in seclusion within their home. She lived in the 17th century and was canonised in 1950.
Although there is no official patron saint, the greatest devotion amongst the Catholic minority in Ivory Coast is to Our Lady of Peace, because of the basilica named after her in Yamoussoukro.
10. Saint Willibrord (Netherlands) v. Saint Paul Miki (Japan)
Due to the division between Calvinists and Catholics, the Netherlands does not have an official patron saint, but among Catholics the most widely recognised is Saint Willibrord, who evangelised the Frisians—in what is now the Netherlands—in the 7th and 8th centuries. He was assisted in his mission by Boniface, the patron saint of Germany.
Japan has more than one patron saint, but the only one who is actually Japanese is Saint Paul Miki, one of many Catholics who were martyred in the early days of the Church in that country.
The clash between these two saints is quite possibly the most interesting match of the first round of the World Cup group stage.
9. Saint Boniface (Germany) v. Saint Anne (Curaçao)
Saint Boniface was an English monk who evangelised what is now Germany in the 8th century. He became known as the ‘Apostle of the Germans’ and there is still great devotion to him in the region today.
Saint Anne was the grandmother of Jesus and the mother of the Virgin Mary. The first church in Curaçao was dedicated to her, and the devotion that grew around it helped to strengthen Catholicism at a time when the Dutch granted the Church little freedom.
If Curaçao manages to avoid defeat, they’ll have Saint Anne and her grandson to thank!
8. St Mary of the Cross McKillop (Australia) v. St Nicholas (Turkey)
Saint Mary of the Cross McKillop is the co-patron saint of Australia, alongside Our Lady Help of Christians. McKillop was the first Australian to be canonised. She worked in education and was a fierce advocate for the children she served. She was even excommunicated for ‘insubordination’ when she reported an abusive priest, but was eventually vindicated by the bishop and the Vatican.
Saint Nicholas, the famous “Father Christmas”, was also known for the way he protected and cared for children, which makes these two patron saints an excellent pair!
7. Our Lady of the Perpetual Help (Haiti) v. Saint Andrew (Scotland)
St Andrew is Scotland’s greatest symbol. The Scottish flag bears an X-shaped St Andrew’s Cross, as the apostle was crucified in that manner.
Haiti has venerated Our Lady of Perpetual Help since 1882, when the people attributed the end of a pandemic to an image of Our Lady under this title. Haiti is going through a very difficult period of its history, and the country needs all the help it can get at the moment.
6. Our Lady of Aparecida (Brazil) v. Saint Charles de Foucauld (Morocco)
Our Lady of Aparecida is widely known, but it is only now that I have realised her full title is Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of Aparecida, which makes Brazil one of five countries that have Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception as their patron saint, alongside the USA, South Korea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Portugal.
Morocco does not actually have an official patron saint, at least as far as I could find, so I took the liberty of invoking Saint Charles de Foucauld, a former French soldier who devoted himself body and soul to serving the people in the Moroccan desert, up to the point of giving his life.
5. Saint Isaac of Niniveh (Qatar) v. St Nicholas of Flue (Switzerland)
Today we have two rather unusual saints. Saint Nicholas of Flüe was a farmer, then a soldier; he later married and had ten children. But he never lost his desire to devote himself to God. With his family’s permission, he became a hermit and at one point spent 20 years living on the Eucharist alone. He was born in the 15th century in Switzerland and was named patron saint in 1947, when he was canonised. He is also the patron saint of the Swiss Guard.
Saint Isaac of Nineveh, or ‘the Syrian’, was a 7th-century bishop who was born in what is now Qatar. He was a great theologian and wrote several texts on the ascetic life. Today, Qatar’s Christian population consists almost exclusively of immigrants.
4. Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (USA) v. St. Blaise (Paraguai)
The United States is one of four participating countries that have Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception as their patron saint or co-patron saint. The others are, of course, Portugal, South Korea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This title of Our Lady was chosen by the American bishops in 1846 and confirmed the following year by Pius IX.
In Paraguay, the most popular saint is actually Our Lady of Caacupé, but the official patron saint is Saint Blaise, who is said to have protected the first Spanish settlers in a time of need. Saint Blaise, as is well known, is the patron saint of throat ailments, so who better to protect little Paraguay against the ever-vocal USA.
Our Lady is on home turf and, however much we like to make fun of them, the American team usually puts in a good performance at the World Cup.
3. Saint Joseph v. Elijah
Although there is a long-standing devotion to Saint Anne in Canada, the country’s patron saint is Saint Joseph, the father of Jesus. Devotion to Saint Joseph began among the first missionaries and was confirmed by Pope Gregory XVI in 1834.
Bosnia, meanwhile, has the only patron saint from the Old Testament in this World Cup. The reason for this choice is quite interesting, and has to do with the fact that Elijah is venerated by Catholics and Orthodox Christians alike, but also by Muslims. As is well known, although Bosnia includes Serbian Orthodox and Croatian Catholic communities, those who identify most strongly with the country and the national team are Muslims, even though the squad also includes Christians.
In this match, St Joseph’s are playing at home, but Canada have never won a World Cup match, so Elijah seems to have the edge in the predictions.
2. Saint Andrew Kim (South Korea) v. Saint Wenceslaus (Czech Republic)
Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is also Patroness of South Korea, but Saint Andrew Kim was the first Korean priest.
He followed his vocation despite tremendous social obstacles and was eventually martyred.
The Czech Republic also has several patron saints, but why not choose one whose name includes the word ‘Vence’? It seemed obvious to me.
1. Guadalupe (México) v. Assumption (South Africa)
Today we begin with the contest between Our Lady of Guadalupe, playing at home, and Our Lady of the Assumption.
The Virgin of Guadalupe is the patron saint of Mexico. Devotion to her is based on her apparitions to the indigenous man Juan Diego in 1531. She would later become a symbol of the struggle for Mexican independence. Her image is said to have been imprinted on Juan Diego’s cloak.
On the opposing side is Our Lady of the Assumption, patron saint of South Africa since 1952, just two years after the Dogma of the Assumption was proclaimed. According to some sources, the notion that Our Lady ascended to Heaven in body and soul reinforces the idea of the ontological dignity of the human body, which was particularly prophetic for a country like South Africa during the apartheid era.
Forecast: Guadalupe is playing at home, so she has the advantage. Age might be a factor, but given the theory that Our Lady, having no original sin, did not age, this becomes irrelevant in this case. The fact that they are two invocations of the same person also helps to even out the differences.
