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‘We’ve made new friends around the globe’
While Kansas City is the smallest of the 16 host cities, it has a history of punching above its weight and – armed with our own compelling soccer history to buoy us – organisers and the community worked hard to ensure that we wowed visitors and viewers alike. Hiccups with shuttle buses and traffic at our first home match were quickly addressed and resolved by our second match. Our watch parties are heartily attended; our official fan fest teems with people from all over the world.
The people in the city wearing soccer jerseys from every country you can imagine have added to a singularly colourful environment that will mark our memories for a very long time. From Algeria getting adopted by the people of Lawrence, to Netherlands fans taking over a bar in Parkville, and the England and Argentinian teams embracing Kansas City barbecue, we made new friends around the globe thanks to this World Cup. Eric Wahl, Kansas City
‘People have fully embraced the atmosphere’
The metro construction projects in Monterrey were not completed before the tournament began but people have largely forgotten about that and fully embraced the World Cup atmosphere, just as I expected – perhaps even more than I imagined. Mexican people have always been very welcoming, but this has taken things to a whole new level. I saw Japanese fans in the city’s old quarter celebrating in complete harmony with the locals. The atmosphere was full of colour, dancing and celebration. The same happened with South Korean and Swedish fans, although to a lesser extent.
In Mexico City, I took two friends from Italy to the Angel of Independence monument, where we witnessed incredible celebrations organised by Colombian fans. Thousands of Colombians had taken over one of the country’s most iconic public monuments and made it their own. It was an incredible sight and it genuinely made me happy. Colombians truly felt at home. Mexico has won the hearts of people from all over the world, and among the three host countries, it has been the place where the tournament has been experienced and celebrated in the best way. José Galindo, Monterrey and Mexico City
‘I’m so happy to have experienced it’
I went to the Netherlands v Japan game here in Dallas. I went to the Orange bus parade and it was a unique experience. It wasn’t only packed with Dutch fans, but plenty of Japanese, American, Mexican and German fans. It was a carnival-like atmosphere, with fans dressed up in all kinds of costumes. It was a multicultural parade that included typical Dutch songs but also American pop music and even Bad Bunny songs. I had a sense of nostalgia when I saw people wearing some of my favourite players’ jerseys: Marco van Basten, Johan Cruyff, Dennis Bergkamp, Ruud van Nistelroy, etc. I have never experienced anything like it and I’m so happy I got to experience a World Cup for the first time in my life.
The atmosphere in the stadium was great, especially the second half. Experiencing the excitement from the Japanese crowd and the despair from the Dutch when the game was levelled, almost at the last minute, showed exactly why I love this game. The Dutch and Japanese have been great visitors. They are a very happy, respectful and enthusiastic crowd. There was a Japanese festival the night before the game – with food, music, fans and history. The Dutch and Japanese definitely know how to party hard and I love it. Gustavo Alvarez, Dallas
‘The city is too big and active’
The World Cup hasn’t affected the city much. New Yorkers went crazy when the Knicks won the NBA Championship. It has been silly-making hot recently, so I have not gone down to midtown, where tourists gather. My local grocery store and pizza place shows World Cup games for the clerks. Otherwise, people are cheering for the Yankees, our near neighbours, and moaning about the annual collapse into chaos of the Mets. If you know where to look, you can find World Cup tourists. Otherwise, the city is too big and too active for World Cup goers to make much difference. John Welch, New York City
‘There’s a special excitement in the air’
We live three blocks from the fan zone in Philadelphia, so our area has seen some impact. The neighbourhood was awash with Ecuador jerseys when they played Côte d’Ivoire, which was fun. I have been to the fan zone three times so far and everybody was having a very good time.
The experience of seeing everyone from all over the world enjoying the matches and the experience has felt like an antidote to much of what’s going on in the country right now. I’ve been enjoying it. Despite our, oh, let’s go with forthright manner, we Philadelphians are very friendly people, and it’s been a lot of fun to have so many guests to our fair city. We are used to tourists, but there’s a special excitement in the air. I hope people enjoy themselves and the city. We often get overlooked, sandwiched as we are between New York to the north and DC to the south. The city is getting very good at hosting large events and we are looked at more and more as a location for these sorts of things. Paul B Krause, Philadelphia
‘The vibes were immaculate’
I dropped my son off at the Canada v Bosnia game in Toronto and the vibes were immaculate. There were so many red jerseys on the train, and so many blue and yellow jerseys parading through the streets. I rode a city bike home and downtown was full of fans from all over the world wearing their colours – it was beautiful. My son was glowing after the game.
The atmosphere has been amazing. Sankofa Square in the middle of Toronto was a giant Ghanaian party the other night. Bosnian fans had a huge parade last week. We have tickets for a game and can’t wait to party it up with everyone. I’m hoping for more parades, more drama and hopefully getting to know some great stories of players, teams and fans from the greatest show on earth. Graham Withers, Toronto
‘Too much fun’
As I was preparing to attend the Ghana v Panama match in Toronto with my daughter and two friends, it became apparent that we had no Ghana kit. My daughter, who works downtown, strode over to the Ghana fan fest downtown to buy shirts. Streets were blocked but everyone was happy and dancing along. The vibe has been terrific – shirts and flags everywhere, fans of opposing teams mingling happily. The general consensus is: love the World Cup, hate Fifa. The match was held on a damp, cold evening. Not a typical Toronto June. I cycled down along the city’s bike paths and, as I got closer to the stadium, there was an audible buzz: singing, chanting and laughing.
Entrance to the ground was easy, with happy, helpful volunteers. I’m so glad we had our Ghana shirts as we were welcomed by hoards of dancing, bouncing fans from both teams. We walked into the stadium and I was blown away. We were surrounded by Ghana fans, including mums with babies. The rain and cold didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits and we all lustily booed the “hydration break”. “Hydration break?!” Mate, it was 14 degrees and raining! The place went berserk when Ghana scored in extra time, unleashing a torrent of hi-fives, hugs, screaming and other delightful nonsense. Who knew we could party with the Ghanaians? Too much fun. Toby Lennox, Toronto
‘Everyone is in a good mood’
Vancouver is in the grips of World Cup fever. The only two “football” teams I know anything about are Wrexham (Welcome to Wrexham) and Richmond AFC (Ted Lasso). Yes, I know Richmond AFC is fictional. But that shows I do not follow European football. I dreaded the World Cup coming to Vancouver but, now it’s here and I see how joyous the festivities are, I’m embracing it. I initially resented that the World Cup held so much sway in a city that has other things going on. Streets are closed and I hear driving is a nightmare – leave your car at home and take the bus, I say! Bars are having the best sales of their lives, with one or two almost running out of beer despite bringing in massive quantities. Apparently those Aussies really know how to make endless barrels of beer disappear like nobody imagined. There have been no, or very few incidents, requiring police attention. Everyone is in a good mood and having fun.
I thought I would dread it but seeing videos of the celebrations downtown makes me smile. I am glad that people from all over the world can come here, let loose and have the time of their lives, unthreatened and free to carry on cheering for their teams. I like that everyone appears to get along no matter where they are from or what team they support. I hope bars, restaurants and shops are doing booming sales and making loads of money. Granville Street has been through a rough time and those businesses that are brave enough to open down there deserve to thrive. In a city that rains so much of the year, we’ve had nothing but brilliant sunny days and I hope that keeps up. I am so glad to see all these visitors enjoying the beauty of Vancouver in the sun. There are thousands of them. It’s also good to see cops joining in the fun instead of being harsh and arresting people. Kate, Vancouver
‘This game is big in the US’
Miami has woken up to the idea of the World Cup. I went to a small local bar here in Coconut Grove for a couple of games. I was shocked at the amount of support for the US: a massive turnout, with an awesome atmosphere. Beer was flowing, people were singing. A DJ was playing booming classics. As the tournament progresses this will get crazier by the game. People think this game is not big in the US. Think again. Geoff Willerton, Miami
‘Mexicans are showing we are great hosts’
Fifa made sure prices were out of reach for 90% of Mexicans so I didn’t even try to get tickets. Even if I had the money, which I don’t, I would have refused to pay those prices. Paying just empowers Fifa to keep abusing fans. Regular fans have lost the World Cup for ever. However, the atmosphere is great at fan fests. Once again Mexicans are showing we are great hosts and that we receive everyone with open arms.
I have seen videos of Koreans, Tunisians and Swedish people having a great time. From what I’ve seen, things are much more fun here than in the US or Canada. Fans from countries that didn’t have the luck to play in Mexico are also watching the matches in fan fests and we are celebrating everyone and making a party out of everything.
This atmosphere is especially important in a tournament marred by the Trump administration and the discrimination against certain countries. At least here in Mexico we made Iran feel welcome – as we would have done with all the fans from the rest of the countries facing the unfair Trump policies that Gianni Infantino allowed. Francisco Fontano Patán, Mexico City
