What We Saw Traveling the U.S. for the World Cup Group Stage

PHILADELPHIA — The World Cup is at roughly its midway point.

Its buildup was largely marked by chaos and high costs from bureaucrats and politicians; the first two weeks of soccer have been magic on the pitch and a multicultural spectacle off it.

Saturday is the final day of the group stage, with no rest before the knockout rounds begin Sunday.

In the past two weeks, I’ve covered matches in five different World Cup cities for Front Office Sports. I caught the U.S. men’s national team’s opener in Los Angeles, Lionel Messi’s hat trick in Kansas City, the Dutch march on Houston, a stormy night in New Jersey, and a Philadelphian embrace of Les Elephants.

There are uniformities. FIFA uses a similar stadium playlist that includes “Espresso” and “Texas Hold ’Em.” Mexico and Messi jerseys are everywhere. Foreign media is often cheering in the press box. Fans dash to the bathroom during the new hydration breaks. And shelter-in-place warnings are common.

But there have also been some differences. Obviously, the languages and accents and flavor of the crowds can and do vary wildly. In L.A., New Jersey, and Philadelphia, the media food was both lackluster and not free, while Kansas City offered the press hot dogs, and a sponsor covered a buffet with everything from breakfast bacon and eggs to tiramisu in Houston.

As of Friday morning, 60 matches have been played and 44 remain, with six more kicking off Friday. Here are my takeaways from visiting nearly half of the U.S. hosts so far.

1. The security perimeters are enormous.

At most stadiums I visited, FIFA built a wide security perimeter of high fencing that expands out into the parking lot. I found myself circling said parking lots in L.A., Houston, and New Jersey while trying to get to my destination.

One of the most noticeable things on the ground is the parking lots, huge swaths of empty pavement where fans trickle into the stadium in a sort of massive pedestrian walkway. It’s nice not to worry about cars, but some of those spots could’ve easily gone to fan parking. And for all the enjoyment foreign tourists have gotten out of American food and booze, one thing they’re largely missing out on is the proper American tailgating experience. It’s not clear why FIFA feels it needs a more expansive security perimeter at stadiums that host NFL games—including Super Bowls in some cases—and major concerts. 

The one exception to this experience was in Philadelphia, which still had some scattered tailgating near the stadium.

2. The matches have mostly been full—but man, they’re expensive.

A big question coming into the tournament was turnout. Would stadiums be full? Were people willing to pay FIFA’s outrageous-seeming prices?

The answer, so far, has been a resounding yes, even with a median get-in price on secondary markets of more than $900 for matches played, according to TicketData.

Some matches on TV have more empty seats, and I definitely saw a few open patches in Kansas City, seats that probably would have been filled if the cheapest pair of resale tickets before the match weren’t $2,510 each, citing TicketData. (FIFA defended announcing high attendances despite open seats, saying its figures represent the number of “tickets scanned and spectators present.”) But largely, the matches I’ve attended and watched on TV have tracked with FIFA’s claim that the seats have been 99% filled.

Several fans told FOS about paying more than $1,000 for a game ticket, while others got lucky through the lottery or federation. The other costs quickly add up, too, whether it’s thousands of dollars on an Airbnb, $800 for a last-minute flight, a $98 train ride to the game in New Jersey, $31 for chicken tenders and fries in Kansas City, or $12 for a hot dog in Philadelphia.

Most fans say, though, that it’s all worth it. Real supporters are showing up, not just corporate types who could afford the seats or children who got last-second giveaways. Many of the well-heeled fans who have shown up have brought their full families. It’s made the atmosphere at many of these games electric—though not always evenly split between fan bases.

3. There are huge gulfs in stadium commutes.

The experience of getting to and inside the stadium—a major topic before the tournament, given the U.S.’s uneven public transit—has wildly differed from city to city.

Many of the venues had issues ushering fans in on the first day. In L.A., massive lines formed outside the gates (and fans walked past horse droppings left behind by mounted law enforcement officers). Traffic for Kansas City’s first match between Argentina and Algeria was less than ideal. My nine-mile journey to the stadium took 90 minutes. Some of this was caused by FIFA using only two of the eight entrances at Arrowhead Stadium. (FIFA did it again for its next match and has not answered questions about why.) Plus, the lines for the host committee bus were so bad that fans gave up and called rideshares. Several people told me they arrived five minutes before kickoff.

In New York City, I took the $98 NJ Transit train—marked up from its usual $12.90—to get to the match in New Jersey. There were major storms in the Northeast that night, and the power briefly went out at the Secaucus station where riders have to transfer. Because of the high price, NJT has sold only a little over half of its train tickets at each match. The school buses provided by the host committees have proved more popular, though those have also dealt with traffic, and some of the buses were destroyed amid the Knicks title celebrations.

In Philly, I took SEPTA, the city’s public transit system. Philadelphia is one of the few host cities where the city’s subway goes directly to the stadium without having to transfer to a commuter train. Fans were packed onto train cars, but the $2.90 ride was easy and fast, and the walk from the station to the stadium gates energized fans before the game. Plus, the ride back after the match was free.

4. The Fan Fests are worth it. 

I hit up FIFA Fan Fests in Kansas City and Houston, and was impressed by both.

With tickets as expensive as they are, the Fan Fests are a great place to watch matches with fans from all over the world—they’re a watch party, food festival, state fair, and small concert all in one. Many of the fan activations felt genuinely fun, creative, and specific to the event, with the spotlight more on local restaurants and kid-friendly activities than the sponsors who are paying for them.

5. Weather is a big factor.

Whether I was getting sunburnt, bitten by massive mosquitoes, drenched by the rain, sweating from thick humidity, or bordering on heat exhaustion, I’ve experienced the full range of summer weather. Matches in Houston and New Jersey both had shelter-in-place warnings after the game ended.

The weather has more impacted fans than players, because supporters are the ones traveling outside, attending matches in outdoor stadiums, and going to Fan Fests. Players have hydration breaks twice a game no matter the elements, and only one match has had a weather delay.

While it was funny to laugh with Europeans as they experienced the Texas heat, it’s a good thing that FIFA reversed course on its water bottle policy.

6. Some fan bases are missing.

The Senegal fans against Norway at MetLife Stadium were lively but few. Aside from one small pocket, orange-clad Ivory Coast fans were scattered about Lincoln Financial Field, with no major presence in the usual supporters’ area behind the goal.

Senegal and the Ivory Coast are two of the four nations participating in the World Cup whose fans are banned by the Trump Administration from entering the U.S. Other nations whose residents are not banned but still faced visa issues, like Morocco, are also outnumbered in the stands.

But it’s not just the visa issues. Many travelers couldn’t pay the $15,000 bond, which FIFA did get waived—but only last month, and only for travelers who signed up a month earlier. And also the sky-high ticket prices, plus flights and hotels, and time off from work.

The people who did make it here have made the tournament special; I still have FOMO from the Scottish takeover of Boston. But plenty have been blocked from having that experience—by FIFA, the Trump Administration, or some combination of both.

7. The marquee matches are great, but so are the smaller ones.

The biggest stars of the tournament are showing up and delivering. 

Fans worshipped Messi in Kansas City. Erling Haaland was astonishing in New Jersey. 

But on the opposite end of the spectrum, Curaçao–Ivory Coast was delightful. The expanded 48-team World Cup placed the smallest nation to ever qualify against a squad back in the tournament for the first time in 12 years. The crowd on Thursday afternoon in Philadelphia was largely locals enjoying being at a World Cup match that didn’t cost them thousands of dollars to attend and embracing the teams they got to watch. With the sun and the breeze and Olivia Dean on the loudspeakers, the jolly pre-match atmosphere felt less like a cathedral to any particular dynasty, and more like a Saturday afternoon baseball game with the occasional “E-A-G-L-E-S” chant thrown in.