Do collective experiences that prime sentiments of national unity reduce interethnic tensions and
conflict? We examine this question by looking at the impact of national football teams’ victories in
sub-Saharan Africa. Combining individual survey data with information on official matches played
between 2000 and 2015, we find that individuals interviewed in the days after a victory of their
country’s national team are less likely to report a strong sense of ethnic identity and more likely to
trust people of other ethnicities than those interviewed just before. The effect is sizeable and robust
and is not explained by generic euphoria or optimism. Crucially, national victories do not only affect
attitudes but also reduce violence. Indeed, using plausibly exogenous variation from close
qualifications to the Africa Cup of Nations, we find that countries that (barely) qualified experience
significantly less conflict in the following six months than countries that (barely) did not. Our findings
indicate that, even where ethnic cleavages have deep historical roots, patriotic shocks can reduce
interethnic tensions and have a tangible impact on conflict.
