Sometimes it takes a visitor or six million to remind folks of treasures in their own backyard.
How else to explain the fascination of World Cup fans from 47 countries besides the United States expressing unabashed delight on social media for destinations and products woven deeply into American life but hardly considered cutting-edge: ranch dressing, Waffle House, Boston lager on tap, Texas barbecue, ubiquitous supermarkets — the list goes on.
Meanwhile, the allure is reciprocal. Americans are captivated by the dizzying displays of group fervor, zany behavior and national pride that accompany nearly every match at each of the 16 venues in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Lessons abound: Humor transcends borders. So does courtesy. And above all, rooting wildly for one’s own country in delightfully idiosyncratic ways is perfectly acceptable.
Fans by the hundreds take over streets and subways and sports bars, expressing generally well-behaved passion for their teams and countries. Watch parties from the legions unable to secure or afford tickets into stadiums create immersive opportunities singular to the World Cup.
Times columnist Mary McNamara said it well a week ago: “At a time when our federal government seems determined to put us at odds with the rest of the world, it’s lovely to be reassured that the world does not hate us, and perhaps more importantly, that we are capable of welcoming that world with open arms….
“This wide-eyed admiration of what we actually look like, on the ground, from sea to shining sea, is a balm on more than one level, and so is the evidence that many Americans are living up to that admiration even when our leaders are not.”
The tournament began June 11 and 104 matches later will conclude with the final July 19 at New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Matches so far are averaging roughly 65,500 fans per match, meaning overall attendance could exceed 6.5 million.
A few noteworthy scenes so far:
— Norwegians by reputation are seafaring sorts, and they have an unusual dry land tradition called rowing to prove it. Ahead of their second group stage match against Senegal on Monday in East Rutherford, N.J., hundreds of Norway fans flooded Times Square to perform the simulated rowing of a Viking ship.
It was only a few days ago that the horde from the fjords was in Boston taking over the subway system before their team’s first match, a 4-1 victory over Iraq. Meanwhile, Norwegian superstar Erling Haaland tucked his signature blond hair beneath a baseball cap to go incognito and visited Katz’s Deli in Manhattan for a pastrami sandwich.
— Bosnia-Herzegovina fans had their viral moment outside SoFi Stadium ahead of their opening match last week. Thousands of blue and yellow-clad supporters blocked a road, waved the country’s flags and chanted “Bosnia” to a drumbeat and coordinated hand claps. Alas, the team lost to Switzerland, 4-1.
— L.A. barber Raul Arias set up a sidewalk stationoutside SoFi Stadium to give free haircuts to fans. The owner of Primos Barbershop, he stood near the stadium entrance Sunday holding a sign that read “Free Cutz, Welcome to LA.” Within minutes, all three chairs were filled with patrons.
“I’ve been giving out haircuts, and now it is giving back to the world,” said Arias, 32. “All these people coming here from different countries and I want to make them feel welcome.”
— A tradition even more welcome than free haircuts has to be that of Japanese fans cleaning stadium seating after matches, filling garbage bags with trash. First noted at a World Cup match 18 years ago in France, the practice is known as “Tatsu tori ato wo nigosazu” — a departing bird does not muddy the water.
Fans stuck around after the Samurai Blue played to a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands and again after a 4-0 victory over Tunisia in Texas. Afterward, they headed to any number of legendary barbecue outposts for brisket and ribs.
One Japanese fan described Terry Black’s Barbecue as “mind-blowing” to the Austin Statesman. “The meat is so juicy, meltingly tender and flaky … it’s way beyond expectations,” they said.
— Cleanup might have been necessary at various Boston pubs and taprooms after suds-sucking Scots drank them dry before, during and after matches. The parent company of Sam Adams said its Boston Taproom ran out of its flagship Boston Lager over the weekend because Scotland fans known as the Tartan Army drank four times as much as the bar usually sells.
“We’ve never seen anything like it,” Billy DeCain of the Sam Adams Boston Taproom told NBC Boston.
Fans are rejoicing because Scotland is playing in the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. What do Scotland fans drink to celebrate?
“Pretty much everything. We ran out of everything,” Paul Morris of the White Bull Tavern in Boston said. “Tennent’s [Lager] being number one.
“The fans have been unbelievable. They’re great — fun, drinking, partying — having a great time.”
— Problems have been rare, although the Los Angeles Police Department issued a citywide tactical alert and deployed riot gear to manage crowds in Koreatown following the Mexico vs. South Korea match on June 19.
Fans of the two teams enjoy a friendship that originated at the 2018 World Cup when South Korea upset Germany to vault Mexico to the round of 16, prompting Mexican fans to chant “¡Coreano hermano, ya eres mexicano!” meaning “Korean brother, you are Mexican now!” every chance they get.
Fans crowded Koreatown and Boyle Heights after Mexico’s 1-0 victory, blocking traffic, setting off fireworks and jumping on cars. One shooting was reported, but the LAPD managed the spirited, festive folks without any other major incidents.
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