Getting your
Trinity Audioplayer ready...The World Cup in the Bay Area has begun, with three days of watch parties across the region and the first of six games at Levi’s Stadium over the next three weeks.
There has been a chorus of complaints about the lack of marquee teams descending on Santa Clara and the price of tickets. But the world’s game has a way of washing away all those concerns when the first whistle is blown.
That sound came this week when Mexico took on South Africa in Mexico City, with thousands of fans cheering at designated watch parties in the Bay Area to kick off the biggest-ever World Cup, with 48 teams and 104 games spread across North America.
Between Thursday’s party in San Jose, Friday’s event at Oakland’s Raimondi Field for the United States’ opening game and Saturday’s game at the 49ers’ home stadium, there were chants, cheers and plenty of vibes. But with FIFA’s desire to wring the most out of its signature event – we asked fans: Was your experience worth it?
El Tri takes over San Pedro Square
Under the hot San Jose sun on Thursday, thousands of eyes gazed intently at a giant screen showing a Mexican soccer player stealing the ball from the South African defender mere yards from the goal, placing it right onto the feet of forward Julián Quiñones. They watched as Quiñones, with a deft touch and a flash-quick kick, slid the ball low and hard past the defenders and through the legs of the goalkeeper for the first goal of the 2026 World Cup.
The crowd at San Pedro Square Market exploded, jumping up and flinging beer and water through the air; they rained down onto a sea of green Mexico jerseys and waving Mexican flags in dramatic arcs. The screams of joy and blasts of horns and vuvuzelas reverberated off the walls, mixing with chants of “Mé-xi-co! Mé-xi-co! Mé-xi-co!”
On San Pedro Street, two massive screens showed the game – one with the English language broadcast and the other in Spanish – with an astroturf “lawn” and booths set up by the San Jose Earthquakes stretching in between.
An intergenerational crowd of thousands gathered there – nearly all wearing green Mexico jerseys, some in luchador masks. Fans even took to the nearby parking garage for improvised stadium seating, crowding along the railings overlooking the big screen.
Angelina Langarica of San Jose came hours early to snag a spot right in front of the big screen, bedecked with red, white and green facepaint, glasses, earrings and a wig. “Everything’s been fantastic: The setup is great, the screen is huge, and the people have been lovely,” she said in Spanish.
To kick off the event, the hosts brought out a live Mariachi band, which had the crowd dancing and crooning along to “Cielito Lindo.”
Inside San Pedro Square Market – which was at capacity – drinks flowed freely as long lines snaked among dense crowds.
Organizers said they received more than 20,000 RSVPs for Thursday afternoon at the open-air square, where every match through the July 19 title game will be shown.
While almost all at the scene noted their delight at the atmosphere, several had concerns about organizers’ messaging around the event. Questions remained about whether they were allowed to bring seating, or why there was metered traffic into San Pedro Square, or – given the sweltering 90-degree temperatures – the lack of shade. “The setup is good, the crowd is awesome. I just wanted more organization,” said Raúl Arriaga of San Jose, wearing a sombrero emblazoned with Mexico’s colors.
Juan Yañez, 51, said that regardless of where you celebrate the match, it’s about more than just soccer.
“The energy is amazing – It’s giving what I wanted and more,” said Yañez. “This occasion is bringing everybody together. Especially with everything going on in the world, we need that.”
Red, white and blue at relaxed Raimondi Park
Twenty-eight hours later, some fans at Oakland’s Raimondi Park let loose a chorus of boos when TV cameras cut to Gianni Infantino, the polarizing FIFA president who attended the opening U.S. game at Los Angeles (nee: SoFi) Stadium.
It was the only tinge of animosity noticeable at the intimate West Oakland ballpark.
Most fans who arrived at the laid-back, family-friendly watch party spread out across the outfield grass with blankets, as if it were a folk music festival, and saw the Americans earn a convincing 4-1 win over Paraguay on the large outfield scoreboard.
Oakland resident Nishat Anjum likened Friday’s atmosphere on a comfortable sunny East Bay evening to being in “someone’s backyard.”
Fellow Oakland resident Melissa Hernandez attended a Super Bowl watch party in February and said, “I feel like the football energy is completely different from soccer energy.”
Although they might not have all been used, the 3,000 tickets for the Oakland watch party were quickly snapped up, as were the 750 field-access wristbands given away to fans as they entered the stadium.
The outfield grass was the place to be, not only for those watching the game but also for the host of energetic kids playing soccer in center and left fields. Other fans watched from the right-field stands, which offered a good view of the game.
Some fans had to exercise a bit of patience in line for food and drink at the lone open concession stand, where prices were lower than at Giants games at Oracle Park. Others said they didn’t have to wait long at all.
“Honestly, I thought it was the perfect amount of people,” said Oakland resident Jeff Horn, who came with his young son. “There’s no line yet to get in. When we showed up, they were ready to read our tickets, so we got right in really quick.”
Although fans were not allowed into the stadium until 5 p.m., roughly an hour before the start of the match, some began to line up around 4:30 p.m. Limited street parking was available, but Castro Valley’s Allison Truscott said she and her brother, after circling the park a couple of times, forked over $20 to park in a lot across the street.
Still, if the park hosts another World Cup watch party, Truscott would recommend the experience: “I would definitely bring my friends here.”
As of now, Friday’s watch party was the only one scheduled for Raimondi Park, home of the Pioneer League’s Oakland Ballers, whose schedule has conflicts with Team USA’s two remaining group-stage games.
In lieu of another watch party, Oakland Sports Group, which organized Friday’s event, designed the East Bay Soccer Trail, an online guide to local establishments that cater to fans of specific, if not all, participating countries.
First kick at 49ers’ home
Back down in the South Bay late Saturday morning, Fabian Hanselmawn held a $23 Michelob beer waiting for his fellow Swiss fans to arrive before making his way to his $450 seats in the lower bowl of Levi’s Stadium.
Having already made a pricey 12-hour flight from Zurich to San Francisco, the high cost did not lessen the excitement he felt before watching his nation play against Qatar on Saturday afternoon in the Bay Area’s World Cup opener. A stunning late goal from Qatar meant the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
“I’m pretty excited,” Hanselmawn, wearing a Switzerland jersey, said before he made his way to his seats. “The cost is worth it.”
Swiss fans outnumbered the Qataris, with the Europeans easy to spot in their red jerseys and Green Bay Packers-style cheesehead hats.
There were also a healthy number of onlookers wearing Mexico and U.S. jerseys waiting in lines to buy $18 burritos and $7 tacos.
Not every fan had to navigate the terrors of parking around Levi’s Stadium. Khalid Abdulla al Binali led a procession of Qataris, most decked in a traditional white thobe and gutra, into the gates from their state-sponsored buses.
“The government, they gave us all tickets and accommodation, and they said, OK, we are supporting our teams,” said Abdulla, a Qatari ambassador for tourism.
Abdulla’s crew was among the lucky few. Most fans could only shrug their shoulders at paying hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for the privilege of watching a World Cup game.
Mohammed Al Kahawlani is from Yemen but resides in San Francisco, and begrudgingly saw the fees as the cost of having a good time with friends and rooting for a Middle Eastern country.
“It’s too expensive,” Al Kahwlani said after dropping $140 for parking, before adding, “But it’s worth it.”