NPR producer Liz Baker noticed something special during their World Cup travels: the detailed, soccer-themed manicures many women wore. This led the team to photograph these unique nail art and fashion choices. In Houston, they even visited nail salons where customers discussed soccer and got elaborate designs.
Women and the Beautiful Game
While World Cup coverage often shows male fans, a highlight of this tournament has been speaking with women who love soccer. One such woman was 22-year-old Zhraa Hamidy, met in Dearborn, Michigan. Hamidy shared how she loved soccer from a young age and played through high school. She even earned a college scholarship for soccer.
However, her father believed soccer was not for women, so she never took the scholarship. This conversation resonated deeply with the reporter, who grew up in Argentina with a soccer-obsessed family. The reporter played soccer as a child, often as the only girl among neighborhood boys. Her father, who had a vast knowledge of players like Diego Maradona and Pelé, would even narrate their games.
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Start Your News DetoxPlaying soccer was a rare way to connect with her father. But at 16, when she secretly tried out for a major soccer club, her father found out. He told her soccer was not for girls and forbade her from playing again. This was a crushing blow, leaving her with grief and anger.
Finding a Way Back to the Pitch
Years later, the reporter found her way back to soccer by writing a podcast about the sport and Argentina's Lionel Messi, and then reporting on the World Cup. Similarly, Zhraa Hamidy is now coaching the Michigan FC girls' team, a dream job for her. The team includes young women of all ages, primarily young Muslim women.
One of Hamidy's star players is 16-year-old Fatima Alzahraa Yazdchi, originally from Kuwait. Yazdchi impressed with her aggressive dribbling and aims to earn a soccer scholarship for college. When asked about her favorite goal, Yazdchi's answer stood out: "Mine."
She described scoring from the 40-yard line after being slide-tackled, kicking the ball straight into the net over the goalie's hand. Despite controversies surrounding the 2026 World Cup, the reporter's personal takeaway is that soccer's true spirit lives in local pitches. It's where girls and boys dream big and celebrate goals as if they were playing on the world stage.
