MLB World Cup Takeovers Continue in Miami

MIAMI — While visiting South Florida for the England–Norway quarterfinal knockout match on Saturday, England supporters stopped by the Marlins–Guardians game for a night of singing, free drinking, and not really knowing what was going on. 

Throughout the World Cup, visiting soccer fans have flocked to baseball stadiums on off days to take in American culture. Last month, thousands of Tartan Army members went to Fenway Park on Scottish Heritage Night. Many also stopped at Yankee Stadium, before about 8,000 Scottish supporters went to a game in Miami, fueling the Marlins’ best Monday attendance in nine years. On the whole, MLB attendance is up in World Cup host cities during the tournament.

The Marlins told Front Office Sports about 600 England supporters went to the game. Some Norway fans were in attendance wearing jerseys or draped with a flag—and a Marlins bartender took on a second job of banging a drum to encourage the infamous row chant—but the Scandinavian supporters were outnumbered. (They were busy doing the Viking row in Miami Beach.) Both country’s supporters brought life to a lightly attended 3–2 Guardians win. The official attendance was 15,605.

While some England fans said they had been to a handful of baseball games before, many said they didn’t know the rules, asking for clarification at the start of the game for which team was the Marlins. When the Guardians hit a home run in the fourth inning, the crowd began cheering. Then, realizing it was the wrong team, the England fans course-corrected with loud boos.

Many newer fans said they felt the sport didn’t have enough action. “It’s boring as fuck, man!” remarked one England fan to his friend.

Maitya from Leeds, England, said he also went to a Braves game when the Three Lions played in Atlanta. “If I’m honest, I find it very boring, baseball,” Maitya told FOS. “Nothing happens.”

The Marlins hit a home run in the middle of his sentence. “And when something does happen, I’m looking away from it!” Maitya said.

England fans got a free 12-ounce beer with their $20 game ticket. On Fridays, the Marlins also have $5 beers at the outfield bar before first pitch, and many England fans took advantage of the happy hour deal. A large group of England fans spent the game standing, drinking, and singing near the outfield bar, never actually finding their seats.

“I find with American sports it’s very normal just to walk around, buy food, and not really watch what’s going on,” said Ben from Leicester, England. “Whereas with football, you can’t. You feel like you’re missing out. If you go and get a drink, you’re risking missing something really important.”

Another difference is that fans cannot bring alcohol to their seats at soccer matches in England, limiting how much they drink during the competition, which has been a shift in the U.S.

One England supporter told FOS in the fifth inning that they had had four hot dogs and five drinks that night, inadvertently nearly on pace for the American 9-9-9 challenge of nine hot dogs and nine beers in nine innings.

After the game got past the first few innings and England supporters got down their first few beers, the singing began in earnest. The supporters mostly got going on their own, signing about their head coach Thomas Tuchel, mocking the Scottish, and belting “Hey Jude” for midfielder Jude Bellingham. Other times, the Marlins played “Wonderwall” over the indoor stadium’s loudspeakers for the crowd to enjoy.

The young woman running the Marlins Foundation’s 50/50 raffle in the outfield told FOS the England supporters had been quite generous, and she had already done more than 30 sales by the top of the fifth. In the end, the raffle winner took home about $1,000 more than in other recent games.