Some Thoughts about Football And the World Cup Fans - by Horst Cerni

I have been following the FIFA World Cup matches for five weeks, and can’t help but be amazed how twenty two players fighting over a ball can generate so much excitement. Stadiums were filled with 60 to 90 thousand fans for each of the 104 matches. It was the largest World Cup ever and quite spectacular.

Football - or Soccer, as it is called in Australia, the US and some other countries, dictated the daily schedules in Canada, Mexico and the USA, which were the three organizing countries. Fans created a joyous party atmosphere throughout the cities and especially in the stadiums, The fans caused each match to be a spectacle and very entertaining. Fans painted their faces, wore their national colors, and in some cases the entire stadium seemed to be orange, yellow or red. They beat drums, blew trumpets, shouted, were waving flags and banners, jumping up and down and sideways, singing and chanting encouragement and applauding.

It’s difficult to judge how effective these "performances" were in stimulating their teams, but most spectators remember especially the atmosphere. Why else would they spend hundreds of dollars for a ticket, when the TV transmissions offer a better view?

The fan excitement was not limited to the stadiums, but extended into the neighborhoods where street festivals took place. The Dutch orange color and singing dominated whichever city the team played at, and similarly the excitement of the Norwegians’ rowing, and the performances of the Scottish “Tartan Army”. The Scottish team played twice in Boston and the Tartans visited all the bars. ABC-TV GMA reported that the Tartans took over Miami, when they played against Brazil.

 
One Scottish FB “fan” wrote (- it might have come from our Scottish colleague Beatriz King): “I had no interest in the World Cup. Nothing was taking place near my home. But for a solid week I would open Facebook and saw the Tartan Army entertaining you and I laughed so hard I cried! I loved all the sing alongs. For a week you all  were living your best lives, those of us that were sitting back enjoyed watching.  You made the bad go away and nothing but happiness came across our feeds!”

The Tartan Army has been supporting the Scottish national team since 1970, and is also known for raising money for disadvantaged children, This time, according to media reports, it gave 10,000 Pounds to the cancer unit of the Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, and another $ 15,000 to help disadvantaged students in Massachusets.

Big fan zones and street festivals took place in all participating countries to watch and cheer on their national team. When a team loses, It is disappointing, but it is expected, and many fans switch their allegiance to another team and continue enjoying the spectacle of football. In the case of Cabo Verde, which was a first time WC participant and the smallest country ever to reach the knock-out stage, the country celebrated their national team like heroes when they returned to the island.

The Iranian team had no fans allowed into the US due to visa and war restrictions. The team had to relocate from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico for training and fly to Los Angeles and Seattle for their three games. They had to hope that local fans in Southern California would cheer them on, rather than protest the regime. Despite all the difficulties and lack of fan support, the Iranian team didn’t lose any match, but tied against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt, - not enough, though, to advance to the knock-out stage. A team has to win. I didn’t see any report about fan celebrations inside Iran, but I assume there were.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup was truly international, and brought 48 national teams together. People celebrated together, and in the US, it contributed significantly to the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.

And it will be an intercontinental Final with Spain facing Argentina. Which team will have the most effective supporters and loudest fans? We’ll find out on Sunday, July 19.