Kevin and Sandro Arnold, brothers from Switzerland, traveled to North America for the 2026 World Cup on their own dime. They flew into San Francisco, paid for their own lodging and bought tickets for each of Switzerland\u2019s first three matches scattered along the West Coast.<\/p>\n
The Arnold brothers have gone to every major international soccer tournament involving Switzerland since 2016. That meant two trips to Russia, one to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup and stops in France and Germany. This tournament marked their first time traveling across the Atlantic to support their country \u2014 they quickly realized the experience was going to be a bit pricier than past ones.<\/p>\n
They spent $140 on tickets for Saturday\u2019s match at Levi\u2019s Stadium against Qatar \u2014 not bad, all things considered. For Switzerland\u2019s June 24 match in Vancouver, British Columbia, against one of the host countries, Canada, they paid about $700. Then there\u2019s the car they rented to drive to Los Angeles for Switzerland\u2019s second match on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s damn expensive here in the USA, in California,\u201d Kevin Arnold said. \u201cBut our country told us you have to go, you have to support Switzerland.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Qatar Football Association secured government funding for 1,000 fans to travel to North America with all expenses covered \u2014 including charter flights, hotels and transportation \u2014\u00a0 according to a Qatar News Agency report.<\/a><\/p>\n Mohamed Al-Hajri was one of the fans who received a free ticket. He piled into one of Qatar\u2019s three designated sections behind their net at Levi\u2019s Stadium on Saturday. Aj-Hajri flew 16 hours Wednesday from Qatar to San Francisco, and he\u2019ll be following the team to its next two matches in Vancouver and Seattle before returning to Qatar in two weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a long trip, but we had to be here to support our team,\u201d Al-Hajri said.<\/p>\n Fans like Al-Hajri cheered, waved mini Qatar flags and remained in their seats long after the final whistle when centerback Boualem Khoukhi netted the shocking equalizer in extra time. Qatar players shared a special moment with the fans after the match ended, running over to their sections in a show of support.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the fans make the game,\u201d said Qatar goalie Mahmoud Abunada, who won man of the match.\u00a0<\/p>\n While a great moment on the surface, it\u2019s unclear how genuine that support truly is.\u00a0<\/p>\n Qatar, a nation known for committing human rights violations and its severe restrictions on free speech, required fans staying in San Francisco to attend a prematch march on Friday afternoon, SFGate reported.<\/a> (SFGate and the Chronicle are both owned by Hearst but operate independently.)<\/p>\n