After four long years of waiting, FIFA World Cup soccer is finally back — and this time the tournament is being hosted across the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
San Diego and Tijuana connect two of those countries. Naturally there are many fans of both teams in the region.
On Thursday, green, white and red soccer kits with the iconic eagle and snake filled the patio at downtown’s Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego ahead of the inaugural match.
The game took place in Mexico City, but soccer fans from across the region packed the consulate to cheer on Mexico’s men's national soccer team against South Africa.
“We're here because this is the closest we can get to Mexico,” Jaime Guerrero said.
He drove down to the watch party with his wife Yolanda from San Marcos. They're both originally from Mexico.
“To me it's an honor — it's a privilege to be a host city, a host nation — USA, Mexico and Canada. We're just proud of our culture from Mexico and from the United States,” Jaime said.
Watch party celebrations kicked off two hours before game time with music and dancing in the form of baile folklórico.
Magali Castaneda was one of the dancers. She said the World Cup provides a moment of relief from the ramped up immigration enforcement tactics in the U.S.
“It means a lot to me, especially in tough times for the Mexicans, for the race and everyone,” the 21-year-old said. “It is very nice and heartwarming to be able to celebrate, express myself and culture here and start the World Cup.”
Consul General of Mexico in San Diego, Alicia Kerber, hopes the World Cup shows her home country is a welcoming place to people of all backgrounds.
“We hope they can know our culture, traditions, and the way we are hosting this World Cup is in a very (friendly) way,” she said of fans from around the world.
Across North America, the Guerreros said this rendition of the World Cup is bringing people together.
“Today we're all the same, there's no borders. We share something in common, that's soccer — fútbol,” the couple said together.
Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 in their inaugural match. Their next game is June 18 against South Korea.
The U.S. team plays their first game Friday night against Paraguay. World Cup matches will last for over a month with the finals taking place in New Jersey on July 19.
