Saturday was historic for the Bay Area, as the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara hosted its first match of the 2026 World Cup.
At the stadium, people were cheering. there were some here who supported Qatar, others Switzerland but many who were there for the World Cup experience.
“It was amazing, I mean, being at the World Cup, it’s a once in a lifetime experience, we’re just so happy to be here. It was so lively, so amazing,” said Isable of Tucson, Arizona.
Isabel, like many, came to experience their first ever World Cup game – and it was right here in the Bay Area.
“It’s been a dream since ‘94, been watching it since then, first time to actually get a chance, I’m here with my brother, my son and my wife,” said Jonathan of San Diego.
And there were people from all over the Bay Area, country and world.
Switzerland and Qatar gave fans an exciting, tense match, with Qatar scoring in the last minute to tie the game.
“Incredible, we were in the Qatar section, people were going crazy and the drums were, was an incredible experience,” said Darius from Tucson, Arizona.
There was a large police presence outside of the stadium and there were also road closures, but for most fans – the overall experience was a smooth one.
But not everyone had a great time. A couple outside the stadium, who came from Sacramento, said they bought tickets through StubHub but never got them.
“Personally, it’s very disappointing, I’ve been waiting 40 years,” Mike Cano said. “I’m pretty bummed out.”
The couple was pretty upset about the situation because they got a hotel in the area too and were looking forward to the game.
NBC Bay Area reached out to StubHub to see if there was a problem during World Cup matches, and they replied saying there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for this game, but that there has been transfer issues with the World Cup that affects all secondary market platforms not just StubHub.