{"id":356909,"date":"2026-06-11T22:45:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T22:45:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/356909\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T22:45:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T22:45:10","slug":"viva-mexico-sacramento-soccer-fans-kickoff-the-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/356909\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a1Viva M\u00e9xico! Sacramento soccer fans kickoff the World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

After years of preparation, a supersized World Cup<\/a> has finally arrived.<\/p>\n

This year’s tournament \u2014 which is hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico \u2014 was expanded to 48 teams<\/a> that will play in 16 stadiums in a record 104 matches over 39 days.<\/p>\n

Two of the stadiums are in California: SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Levi\u2019s Stadium\u2014temporarily renamed San Francisco Bay Area Stadium<\/a>. The latter will host six games<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mexico got the World Cup started today and was a heavy favorite when it hosted South Africa in Mexico City.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fans filled the Garden at the Line beer garden near Sacramento State to watch the Mexico City game.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Josh Carrillo came out with his family to root for his home country Mexico. He loves soccer because of the loyalty and teamwork that\u2019s involved.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something that\u2019s been passed down from my dad and now I passed down to my son,\u201d Carillo said. \u201cIt\u2019s being part of something bigger and you\u2019re always trying to contribute something, whether it\u2019s a team win or a community win.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FanKarina Lopez took the day off work to cheer for Mexico in the opening game of the World Cup at Garden at the Line near Sacramento State.Chris Felts\/CapRadio<\/p>\n

Karina Lopez took the day off work to come cheer Mexico on. \u201cAnd it\u2019s so worth it,\u201d she said, adding she doesn\u2019t mind that the temperatures at the outdoor space were already above 90 degrees. \u201cAs soon as the game starts, that\u2019s the last thing we\u2019re going to be thinking about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lopez is a middle school teacher and soccer coach and said the sport brings people closer together.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt brought me to know a lot of kids that I wouldn’t [have] otherwise known as students,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"JuanJuan Solorio (left) and Pablo Gonzalez (right) rooted for Mexico in the opening World Cup game. They watched the game at Garden at the Line beer garden in Sacramento.Chris Felts\/CapRadio<\/p>\n

Juan Solorio, who was born in Mexico, said his earliest memory was soccer. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was born into it,\u201d Solorio said. \u201cI played it since I was a kid, all the way up to college.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said it\u2019s bittersweet being born in Mexico and raised in the United States. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel like we go over there [Mexico] and we don\u2019t belong,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then here [in the U.S.] sometimes we feel like outsiders.\u201d<\/p>\n

But watching the games, he said he feels something bigger than pride. \u201cIt\u2019s just an unexplainable feeling when you see Mexico play.\u201d<\/p>\n

The second game of the day will be between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara, Mexico. All four teams are part of Group A<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Canada and the United States will host their first games Friday. The Canadians will play Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto while the Americans face Paraguay in Inglewood, California. The first game at Levi\u2019s Stadium is Qatar v. Switzerland on Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Associated Press contributed reporting.<\/p>\n


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