Faith in the World Cup

Football has a way of reminding us that the world is bigger than our borders. For a few weeks, the World Cup asks us to cheer for countries we may have never visited, to celebrate cultures different from our own, and to recognize ourselves in strangers. It is the spirit of One World, One Game - But that spirit feels increasingly at odds with the divisions shaping so much of our political moment.

In Brooklyn, Pastor Juan Carlos Ruiz has spent decades living that idea every day. Through his sanctuary church, he has welcomed thousands of newly arrived immigrants, creating a place where faith becomes community, strangers become neighbors, and hope becomes something tangible. Whether or not you share his religious beliefs, Juan Carlos's words reach beyond faith. They remind us that compassion is a practice, that hospitality is an act of courage, and that another way of living together is possible. Sometimes football helps us imagine that world. People like Juan Carlos help us build it.

Directed & Produced by Michael Premo, Rachel Falcone, Jean-Michel Dissard

Cinematography by Oliver Zapata Ramirez, Lorena Nicole Vicente, Michael Premo

Sound by Rachel Falcone

Editing by Edgar Andrade

Produced by Nate Birnbaum

Associate producer Jasmine Garcia Delossantos

A Storyline series.

We are Public Artists in Residence for New York City’s celebration of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The residency is coordinated through the NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs in partnership with NYC Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani.