{"id":373160,"date":"2026-06-24T16:17:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T16:17:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/373160\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T16:17:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T16:17:59","slug":"what-it-was-like-inside-levis-for-the-algeria-vs-jordan-world-cup-match","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/373160\/","title":{"rendered":"What It Was Like Inside Levi\u2019s for the Algeria vs. Jordan World Cup Match"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cRight now it\u2019s a time for the Middle East to kind of unite,\u201d Sandy Kikhia of San Jos\u00e9 said ahead of the match. Kikhia is of Syrian descent and attended her first World Cup game<\/a> with two of her sisters, Masah and Jana, all supporting Jordan\u2019s side in the team\u2019s first-ever World Cup.<\/p>\n

But the sisters said a win for either team was a win for the larger community, especially for fans whose teams are not in this World Cup, such as Syrians, Palestinians and Lebanese people.<\/p>\n

\"\"A child held up on a person\u2019s shoulders waves a Jordanian flag outside Levi\u2019s Stadium, ahead of the World Cup match between Jordan and Algeria, in Santa Clara on Monday, June 22, 2026. (Joseph Geha\/ KQED)<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is nothing that is nicer than having our whole Arab community come together for something that brings everyone joy,\u201d Masah Kikhia said. \u201cSuch a nice feeling to see everyone wearing their cultural clothing, the shemagh, the keffiyeh,\u201d she said, referring to both the black and white checkered scarves with Palestinian origins, and the red and white version most commonly donned by Jordanians.<\/p>\n

The F\u00e9d\u00e9ration Internationale de Football Association, which organizes the World Cup and is widely known as FIFA, didn\u2019t grant KQED any media credentials to cover matches<\/a>. So we purchased our own upper deck ticket for $400 to experience the game, the stadium and the fandom up close.<\/p>\n

The fans did not disappoint.<\/p>\n

Even hours ahead of kickoff, the parking lots outside of the stadium were filled with thousands of people wearing their nation\u2019s colors, dancing on cement railings, greeting each other with big hugs and waving huge flags.<\/p>\n

Groups of people huddled around news reporters, anxiously awaiting the chance to be broadcast live on Algerian and Jordanian news networks.<\/p>\n

No tailgating is allowed at World Cup matches, but some generous folks handed out snacks and sweets, like dates and baklava, and others posed for pictures with bags of pistachios.<\/p>\n

Amine Tigha, an Algerian who lives in New York City, traveled to the Bay Area for this match, also his first World Cup game, and said he loves the weather here.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important thing,\u201d he said ahead of kickoff, is that Algeria wins the game, but he said the vibes were more of a friendly rivalry with Jordan.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, we both are Arab, we share a lot of things. We share the religion, the language and everything. It\u2019s like a derby. We play like neighbors,\u201d he said with a big laugh.<\/p>\n

Nazim Bellahsene is originally from Algeria and has lived in the U.S. for 15 years. He lives in Santa Clara and came to the match with his wife, Wisam, and his two young kids, Emma and Nolan.<\/p>\n

\"\"Supporters of Jordan\u2019s men\u2019s soccer team party outside of Levi\u2019s Stadium, ahead of the World Cup match between Jordan and Algeria, in Santa Clara on Monday, June 22, 2026. (Joseph Geha\/KQED)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s super exciting. We\u2019re loving it. It\u2019s really unexpected that it\u2019s here at home, near home. So, you know, we can\u2019t miss it,\u201d he said of the match. Monday was his first time ever seeing the Algerian national team on the pitch in person.<\/p>\n

Decked out in an Algerian jersey and draped with the country\u2019s flag, Bellahsene was confident in his side.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to a win, for sure,\u201d he said. \u201cBut you know, at the same time, enjoying and having a great family time with everybody here in a very festive environment. So it\u2019s going to be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Fans take a selfie from the concourse of Levi\u2019s Stadium during the World Cup match between Algeria and Jordan in Santa Clara on Monday, June 22, 2026. (Joseph Geha\/KQED)<\/p>\n

The stadium was filled with people from seemingly all backgrounds, from babies to elders, and several fans said they loved the diversity of the Bay Area and the international draw of the sport.<\/p>\n

Alfred and Veronica Zamora, and their daughter Brianna, are San Jos\u00e9 residents and big fans of Mexico\u2019s national team. Like many other fans on Monday night, they sported their Mexico kits.<\/p>\n

The family has been to 49ers games at Levi\u2019s before, but the vibes around the match on Monday were in \u201ca whole different league,\u201d Alfred said.<\/p>\n

\"\"A view of the temporarily renamed San Francisco Bay Area Stadium filled with fans from an upper deck seat purchased by KQED for the World Cup match between Algeria and Jordan on Monday, June 22, 2026. (Joseph Geha\/KQED)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a different experience altogether, you know. [American] football is great, but this is a world event. I feel like everybody\u2019s here and joined together to watch something good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jasmine and Zayna Alfarah, sisters of Jordanian descent from Los Angeles, drove up to the Bay Area overnight Sunday into Monday with their two friends, Jacqueline Gutierrez and Marilyn Maldonado.<\/p>\n

They arrived at 4 a.m. Monday, but said the lack of sleep and long drive was worthwhile.<\/p>\n

\"\"The flags of Algeria and Jordan are displayed on the pitch at Levi\u2019s Stadium on Monday, June 22, 2026, just before kickoff in the World Cup match between the two nations\u2019 men\u2019s soccer teams. (Joseph Geha\/KQED)<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing Jordan come into the World Cup for the first time is just such a beautiful experience,\u201d Jasmine Alfarah said.<\/p>\n

Gutierrez and Maldonado support Mexico and Honduras\u2019 national teams, respectively, but on Monday, like so many fans do during the World Cup, they adopted new team allegiances.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re making history,\u201d Gutierrez said of Jordan\u2019s squad. \u201cWe\u2019re here to witness this history, and I\u2019m proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Lupita Gonzalez and her dad Sergio Gonzalez, both Oakland residents originally from Mexico, attended their first World Cup game at Levi\u2019s Stadium in Santa Clara on Monday, June 22, 2026. (Joseph Geha\/KQED)<\/p>\n

During the game\u2019s newly mandated hydration breaks, while fans around the globe watching TV are served ads, people in the stadium were treated to a live mariachi performance and light shows that connected cell phone flashlights at halftime.<\/p>\n

For Lupita Gonzalez and her dad Sergio Gonzalez, both Oakland residents originally from Mexico, coming to the game was realizing a dream of his that he had held onto since he was a boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Father\u2019s Day, I wanted to give my dad tickets. My dad is a huge soccer fan, and this is his first World Cup ever. As a kid, he dreamed of going to the World Cup when it was in Mexico in 1970. Unfortunately, he wasn\u2019t able to do it, so I wanted it to make my dad\u2019s dreams come true,\u201d Gonzalez said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Fans of Algeria\u2019s soccer team celebrate a victory over Jordan in the concourses of Levi\u2019s Stadium in Santa Clara on Monday, June 22, 2026. (Joseph Geha\/KQED)<\/p>\n

She and her family root for Mexico\u2019s team<\/a> most days, but on Monday, they were pulling for Jordan. Gonzalez\u2019s great-grandmother immigrated from Lebanon to Mexico, and they wanted to support a nearby country.<\/p>\n

She said she was a bit wary of coming to a World Cup game because of the way the U.S. has treated immigrants and made it harder for some teams and fans to experience the tournament<\/a>, but she said her experience on Monday proved that fans will support one another in the name of soccer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not about the politics. It\u2019s not even about FIFA as an organization. It\u2019s about showing up for the country where you\u2019re from or a country that you want to support. I just love that energy,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re sitting next to folks that are rooting for Algeria, we\u2019re still high-fiving, we\u2019re still enjoying each other\u2019s wins because that\u2019s what the World Cup is about.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cRight now it\u2019s a time for the Middle East to kind of unite,\u201d Sandy Kikhia of San Jos\u00e9…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":373161,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[88,90,89],"class_list":["post-373160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-jose","tag-san-jose","tag-san-jose-headlines","tag-san-jose-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=373160"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373160\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/373161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=373160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=373160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=373160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}