For Lyari, World Cup is Eid as Karachi neighbourhood paints streets in flag colours
Before the first ball is kicked, the streets of Lyari already look like a carnival. Murals of football stars stretch across building walls, bunting in World Cup colours flutters above narrow alleyways, and children dribble balls through lanes painted with the flags of nations thousands of miles away.
This coastal neighbourhood of Karachi, long known as the cradle of Pakistani football, has begun transforming into a sprawling fan zone ahead of the World Cup. Locals have taken it upon themselves to decorate their streets with flags of every participating country and hand-painted portraits of players. By night, neighbours gather to practise dance routines and sing football chants, building an atmosphere closer to a religious festival than a sporting event.
The World Cup does not begin for several days, but in Lyari, the celebration has already started.
For Kashif Ali, a Lyari resident, the tournament means more than just matches. Eid had just passed for him and his neighbours, but no one in the area had prepared for Eid. He explained that they actually consider the FIFA World Cup to mean Eid. It comes after four years, and they are celebrating it like Eid because it runs for one and a half months. Every day, he said, they put up a screen and celebrate the matches, they rejoice.
Colourful murals of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar now compete for space on Lyari's walls alongside portraits of local football heroes. Shopkeepers have draped their stalls in flags of Brazil, Argentina, France, and Morocco. Children can be seen kicking footballs past makeshift goalposts painted in the colours of Portugal and Germany.
Community organisers said they plan to set up large viewing screens in multiple public squares, with some locals volunteering to provide free tea and snacks to crowds expected to gather late into the night.