In NYC's Little Senegal, World Cup excitement meets exclusion and economic strain Submitted by Azad Essa on Mon, 06/15/2026 - 01:51 The Senegalese will take on France on Tuesday, but many locals will be excluded from the match taking place just 30 minutes away Saliou Gueye, a sports science student, outside the Senegalese Association of America (Azad Essa/MEE) Off In the barber shops and cafes of Little Senegal, the West African enclave stretching along 116th Street in New York City's Harlem, big screens glow with football matches, flags drape from walls, and nearly every conversation finds its way back to the upcoming clash between France and Senegal. Every third or fourth storefront displays Senegal's green-and-white football shirts, hanging prominently in windows and doorways. Along the avenue, passersby stroll in bucket hats striped red, yellow and green - the colours of the Senegalese flag. But there is also an unmistakable despondency in the air.  The stark inequities surrounding the tournament - from travel restrictions to exclusionary ticket prices - have dulled enthusiasm and prompted even avowed football fans within the community to ask tough questions about priorities in a tough economic climate.