Tens of thousands of soccer fans are expected to gather in San Pedro Square for the Türkiye-Paraguay World Cup match watch party, and organizers said they are keeping safety a top priority.
Organizers celebrated the big turnout in downtown San Jose after more than 30,000 fans came through for Thursday’s Mexico-South Korea matchup. Organizers expect as many as 25,000 people to pass through downtown for Friday’s Türkiye-Paraguay World Cup match watch party.
With large crowds, city leaders say public safety is just as important as the celebration.
“It’s focusing on the public safety and how do we create a fun family environment at the same time,” Executive Director of San Jose Sports Authority John Poch said.
To help do that, organizers have significantly increased security throughout downtown San Jose.
“There are over 50 police officers here, let alone the 40 to 50 private security that we have mainly for crowd control and traffic control,” Poch said.
The goal: keeping the watch parties family-friendly while making sure fans can enjoy safely.
“I feel like it’s pretty safe and we brought the kids and it feels fun so, happy to be here!” Aaron Scholl, a fan, said.
And the excitement continues to draw visitors from around the world.
“The atmosphere is just pretty amazing right now, so I’m just excited to be here and represent Australia,” said Tom Prak, a fan visiting from Melbourne, Australia.
As attendance continues to grow, organizers are reminding fans to arrive early, expect delays and have backup plans in place.
“It’s really patience. Come here for the atmosphere, come here for the cultural celebration, but come early and have a Plan B,” Poch said.
Organizers said they’re continuing to monitor crowd sizes throughout the day and will adjust staffing as needed.