Saturday evening, the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum is hosting a friendly match between Mexico’s and Japan’s Men’s National soccer teams. That means international exposure, pumped-up crowds, and opportunity for the Town.

Friday, both Mexico’s and Japan’s teams were at the Coliseum and practicing on the field. Soccer officials said tickets for Saturday’s match were nearly sold out.

At a press conference on Friday, Ivar Sisniega, executive president of Federación Mexicana de Fútbol, noted the warm welcome Mexico’s team has received in Oakland.

“For Mexico, this is like a second home. We have a large group of fans who are going to be supporting us here,” Sisniega said.

Both Sisniega and Masakuni Yamamoto, the National Team Director for Japan, expressed gratitude to Oakland for hosting this match.

Yamamoto added that he thought this match would also help to get a glimpse of what’s ahead at the 2026 World Cup.

Oakland leaders said this match is a sign that sports are gaining momentum once again in Oakland, after the Town lost the Raiders, the Warriors, and the A’s in recent years.

At Friday’s press conference, Oakland’s Mayor Barbara Lee pointed out that the Oakland Roots USL team, which made the Coliseum its home earlier this year, made it possible to have this international match at the venue.

“They installed this beautiful new field at the Coliseum this year, so we can host these big games in Oakland now and in the future,” Lee noted.

Around 70,000 people are expected at the venue over the course of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In addition to the Japan-Mexico match, the Oakland Roots have a match on Sunday at the Coliseum, and the Monster Jam truck show is happening next door at the Oakland Arena all weekend.

While there was a lot of excitement in Oakland this week leading up to the friendly match, there was also a little disappointment.

Earlier this week, thieves broke into the Mexican National team’s truck in downtown Oakland, stealing some equipment.

Oakland City Council Member Ken Houston, who represents District 7, where the Coliseum is located, said that while this theft shouldn’t have happened, he also thinks this incident doesn’t reflect all of Oakland.

“This is a safe city, I see it changing, I see things turning around,” Houston said.

In honor of Saturday’s soccer match, Houston had a cherry blossom tree and a cactus planted at the Coliseum.