World Cup fever: Big moments unfolding far from the pitch
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The World Cup brings people together.
Fans in the United States, Canada and Mexico have been embracing the spectacle and rooting not only for the host teams but also for teams like Scotland, whose fans made national headlines for how they easily won over Boston residents.
Telemundo’s Spanish-language coverage is attracting record audiences in the United States, including viewers who don’t speak Spanish, National Public Radio reported.
Finally, people are coming together to cheer for previously unknown athletes like Josimar Dias, popularly known as Vozinha, Cabo Verde’s goalie and New Zealand defender Tim Payne, who went from under 100,000 Instagram followers to over one million in just a few days thanks to a campaign by Argentine influencer Valen Scarsini.
Here are some of the scenes summer 2026 SPEL interns have enjoyed over the past few weeks.
– Joaquín Selva
Paraguay vs. Germany
Monday, June 29, as Paraguay prepared to face off against Germany in its now-famous World Cup game at Boston Stadium, the tension was also building a few miles away in Charlestown.
The Anchor is a waterfront gathering space in Charlestown, a Boston neighborhood known for its Revolutionary War landmarks. Its two-story brick, open-air space had a large screen raised by a metal contraption on wheels.
On a typical Monday, the crowd usually comes out for The Anchor’s weekly salsa and bachata dance classes. But the 2026 World Cup has awakened the soccer spirit across Boston, including those among The Anchor’s Monday Latine community.
The watch party was full of jerseys and spirit. As the dance class time approached, a crowd gathered on The Anchor’s fake grass, similar to the field the players competed on. Paraguay was seen as the underdog considering Germany’s acclaim, according to an ESPN interview with Orlando Gill, Paraguay’s goalkeeper.
A couple of people sported Paraguay attire, but it was the cheers that revealed the crowd was rooting for the team. As the sun began to set, the lightbulbs adorning The Anchor’s roof lit up. The sun cast light on the watchers’ backs and the brick wall behind the screen that kept its viewers rapt.
The score was 1-1, and the game went into overtime, overlapping with the dance class. The crowd’s anticipation grew with people leaning slightly toward the screen. An older couple started to dance in front of the screen as the game went into penalties. Many came to dance, but the extended play had them cheering for the underdog in a game they had not anticipated being so enthralled by.
The crowd fell silent as overtime gave way to two rounds of penalties. Everyone looked at the screen, then celebrated. After an unanticipated performance by Paraguay, Germany was defeated. Some hugged, others jumped and all were lively. Then dancing resumed at The Anchor.
– Madi Forrest
(Photo by Amanda Bocanegra)
Mexico vs. England
A blazing sunny day gave way to a cool, breezy evening at Sawyer Park on July 5, when a sports bar in Spring, Texas, within the Greater Houston metropolitan area, brought together an excited crowd. People packed the indoor bar and the outdoor patio, trying to squeeze into a seat before the big game.
The energy was lively as the DJ played music, and many danced. Even shy audience members found themselves moving around in their seats to the beat. You could hear the sound of horns, wooden clappers and people singing along to beloved songs in Spanish.
Fans dressed in green jerseys filled the space, creating a sea of support for Mexico. As people scavenged for a seat, I offered the last of the foldable chairs I had brought along to a pregnant woman who was with her family. She smiled, sat beside me and said “I chose the wrong time to be pregnant” jokingly.
As the game began, the tension started to shift throughout the room. England scored two goals within minutes of each other. It wasn’t looking like a good start for Mexico.
The crowd grew quieter, but the energy quickly shifted when Mexico scored its first point of the night. Fans erupted in cheers, shouting “iSí se puede!” meaning “Yes, they can!”
Each time the players inched closer to the goal, the crowd rose from their seats in anticipation, clinging to each movement on the field. Everyone grew more serious as each score carried more weight.
By the end of the night, while many were disappointed when Mexico lost 2-3, the result didn’t stop Mexican fans from enjoying their beers, wings and music — a reminder that the passion surrounding the game extends beyond the final score; it lives among the community it brings together.
– Amanda Bocanegra
Egypt vs. New Zealand
Egypt vs. New Zealand was never supposed to be a memorable game. When they met on June 21 on a cool Vancouver evening, neither team had won a World Cup game before. No one expected that this unassuming match would be historic.
After a long day of exploring the city, my family decided to watch the game from a streetery outside a local Colombian restaurant on Granville Street. Completely blocked off to traffic for the duration of the World Cup, the road was host to some of the largest watch parties.
(Photo by Benjamin Mack)
As the game neared kickoff, people wearing all types of jerseys began filing into the watching area. When they ran out of places to sit, people stood along the fences or craned their necks to get a view of the game.
Largely rooting for Egypt, the crowd grumbled as New Zealand took an early lead. But late into the first half, when Egypt scored and tied the game, cheers exploded. An Irish fan hugged an Egyptian one. An Algerian fan celebrated with a man wearing a Belgium shirt, and the entire watch party rejoiced.
As the game entered its final stages, more and more people crowded into the area, standing on benches, doing whatever they could to see the game. By the end of the night, the onlookers erupted into cheers twice more as Egyptian legend Mohamed Salah scored, making it 2-1, and Mahmoud Hassan, nicknamed Trézéguet, scoring the last goal of the game for a 3-1 final score.
The energy was palpable. Fans eagerly awaited for the referee to blow the final whistle, signifying the end of the game. When he did, it was pandamonium. Hundreds of Egyptian fans converged in the street, blowing their whistles and singing songs.
Rivers of red jerseys flowed out of the stadium’s exits, pooling onto the road where we continued to celebrate. Kids then began to juggle a ball in the middle of the street while drum circles emerged.
Raised flares sparkled in the dark sky, washing everything in a reddish hue as even more people arrived. Salah, Egypt’s captain and world renowned winger known as “The Egyptian King,” later joined the spectacle — holding a flare above his head while sitting on a jubilant fan’s shoulders.
Vancouver had just borne witness to the spirit of the pharaohs and the energy of the World Cup — a historic day that all who experienced it will long remember.
– Benjamin Mack
Mexico vs. Czechia
Mexico has one of the most passionate fan bases in soccer. Telemundo announced that Mexico’s opening game at this World Cup set the record for most watched, averaging 12.1 million viewers.
On June 24, Mexico was set to play against Czechia in Estadio Azteca, the Aztec Stadium, in Mexico City. I watched the game unfold in Alameda, California at the Almanac Adventureland & Brewery, a family-friendly space with food vendors and entertainment.
I had low expectations for the audience turnout, since Mexico was in a secure position in their overall standings, but the room quickly filled with people up to the walls.
Families sat together, proudly wearing bright green Mexican jerseys while others waved Mexican flags. After the halftime show, viewers launched into a fury of cheers as Mexico began scoring goal after goal.
Mexican defender Mateo Chávez received a pass from the half-field line, ran over the enemy defender, who went for a slide tackle, then, eye to eye with the Czech goalie, shot the ball into the left side of the net. At the watch party, fans cheered with their hands in the air and whistled like sirens. As Mexico made another goal, people would not stop chanting their country’s name while hammering their fists onto tables in chaotic harmony.
With a 2-0 lead, Mexico subbed in Guillermo Ochoa, renowned goalie beloved by fans. Viewers chanted his name from behind the screen. In the final moments of the match, Ochoa nailed an assist that secured Mexico’s final winning goal, electrifying the room..
While standing among Mexican fans, a man wearing a warm expression and the Mexican flag as a cape shook my hand after a goal was scored as everyone around us chanted “viva México.”
– Marvin Juarez
– Copy edited by Channing Matha, Findlay Drabant and Valerie Izquierdo
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