Barcelona star Lamine Yamal waves Palestinian flag during title parade

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona star Lamine Yamal waved a Palestinian flag during an open top bus parade as the team celebrated winning the Spanish title.

The 18-year-old winger, who is already widely regarded as one of the best soccer players in the world, held the flag as the team bus drove through the streets of Barcelona on Monday. Yamal, who is Muslim, also posted pictures of him holding the flag on his Instagram account.

Nearly 750,000 people are estimated to have taken to the streets to celebrate Barcelona's La Liga title parade.

There has been a global backlash against Israel over the humanitarian toll of the war in Gaza, which has spread to sport and culture. Protests have been seen in soccer, cycling and basketball. Spain is one of five countries boycotting this year’s Eurovision song contest to protest Israel’s inclusion.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said Yamal, whose father is Moroccan, is old enough to make his own decisions.

During a news conference on Tuesday, Flick was questioned about the teenager's decision to wave the flag.

“This I don’t normally like," he said. “I spoke with him. I said if he wants this, it is his decision. He is old enough. He’s 18 years old."

Flick said celebrations with fans after back-to-back titles was his priority.

“We are playing football and you can see what the people expect from us," he said. "We are playing football to make the people happy. This is for me the first thing we have to do.”

Spain international Yamal is one of the leading contenders to take over from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as soccer's biggest star.

He is expected to be one of the stars at the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico held in June and July.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Barcelona's Gavi and Lamine Yamal celebrate after winning the Spanish La Liga soccer match against Real Madrid to clinch the Spanish league title in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

FC Barcelona players Lamine Yamal, left, and Raphinha celebrate atop a bus after winning the Spanish La Liga title in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

FC Barcelona player Lamine Yamal holds a Palestinian flag as he celebrates with his team atop a bus after winning the Spanish La Liga title in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo)

FC Barcelona player Lamine Yamal holds a Palestinian flag as he celebrates with his team atop a bus after winning the Spanish La Liga title in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. is ready to face Paraguay on Friday night to open its first home World Cup in 32 years.

A jubilant Southern California crowd arrived early to cheer on an American team with high hopes heading into the final home opener for this tournament's three co-hosting nations. Led by midfielder Christian Pulisic and a core of his experienced contemporaries, the U.S. has reached No. 17 in FIFA's rankings with realistic ambitions of winning its group and then advancing from a knockout match for just the second time in its World Cup history.

The Americans’ first World Cup match under coach Mauricio Pochettino is at SoFi Stadium, the multibillion-dollar edifice opened in 2020 as the home of the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. The avant-garde arena normally has an artificial turf field that is not well-liked by American football players, but real grass has been installed for the world's summer soccer showcase.

Fans began to fill up the stadium and its surrounding campus several hours before kickoff. Amid thousands of supporters wearing U.S. shirts and chanting their players' names, many more fans wore elaborate costumes, dressing as everything from the Statue of Liberty to the Founding Fathers.

The U.S. last hosted the men's World Cup in 1994, when the Americans won just one of their four matches in a tournament won by Brazil. Soccer has steadily proliferated in popularity stateside since then, with youth participation booming while the domestic Major League Soccer, which began play in 1996, grew into a solid professional circuit.

The largest World Cup in tournament history kicked off Thursday with a 2-0 victory for co-host Mexico over South Africa. Co-host Canada rallied for a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina in its opener earlier Friday in Toronto.

The Americans will play two of their three group-stage matches in Inglewood, with a trip to Seattle next week sandwiched in between.

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino smiles during a press conference ahead of his FIFA World Cup match against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

United States fans cheer prior to the World Cup Group D soccer match between the United States and Paraguay in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

A United States fan cheers prior to the World Cup Group D soccer match between the United States and Paraguay in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)