{"id":383740,"date":"2026-07-02T16:01:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T16:01:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/383740\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T16:01:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T16:01:36","slug":"us-fans-rejoice-as-team-beats-bosnia-in-bay-area-world-cup-match","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/383740\/","title":{"rendered":"US Fans Rejoice as Team Beats Bosnia in Bay Area World Cup Match"},"content":{"rendered":"

Levi\u2019s, which was temporarily renamed the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium<\/a> for the World Cup, previously hosted group stage matches, largely between teams that don\u2019t garner as much attention on the world stage.<\/p>\n

Fans of the U.S. team were thrilled the Stars and Stripes earned a chance to play at Levi\u2019s and will play Belgium next week in a Round of 16 elimination game.<\/p>\n

In a parking lot near Levi\u2019s ahead of the match, thousands of American Outlaws, an unofficial support group of the team, celebrated, ate burritos, chanted, \u201cUSA, USA,\u201d and sang anthems like John Denver\u2019s \u201cTake Me Home, Country Roads\u201d and Woody Guthrie\u2019s \u201cWhen The Yanks Go Marching In.\u201d The group\u2019s drummers and horn players kept spirits high before much of the crowd headed out for a drumline-led march to the stadium.<\/p>\n

\"\"U.S. national men\u2019s team soccer fans march toward the San Francisco Bay Area stadium for the FIFA World Cup game between the USA and Bosnia-Herzegovina in Santa Clara, California, on July 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge\/KQED)<\/p>\n

Jacob Wong, a 29-year-old San Francisco resident, took the day off to attend the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,\u201d said Wong, who was certain the U.S. would win \u201cby 100.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can feel the energy,\u201d he said. \u201cEveryone is excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels like Christmas morning,\u201d said Joe Duffy, who, along with two friends, each paid $3,000 to sit in nosebleed seats.<\/p>\n

While they were smaller in number, Bosnia fans were equally as excited to see their team take the pitch.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a homeland versus a motherland,\u201d said Lejla Kuhinja, who was born and raised in Bosnia before moving to the U.S. in 1995 at age 16.<\/p>\n

The Gilroy resident had hoped Bosnia would come out ahead. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely amazing to see our little country make it here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Armina Husic said the \u201clove and happiness\u201d of Bosnia\u2019s local appearance in the World Cup was a welcome change of pace. \u201cFor many years, our country was recognized for war and suffering,\u201d she said, referring to the civil war that gripped the country in the early 1990s.<\/p>\n

The women tried to snag last-minute tickets to the game but had backup plans to go to a nearby bar.<\/p>\n

To the north, bars in San Francisco were packed with soccer fans. Revelers at Standard Deviant Brewing in the Mission District cheered after the U.S. clinched their spot in the Round of 16.<\/p>\n

\u201cExciting!\u201d said Quinn Reilly. \u201cWe had a good time!\u201d<\/p>\n

Many attendees making the trek to Santa Clara, heeding warnings about road closures and traffic, took public transportation to the game and local transit authorities said they were prepared for an influx of riders<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"U.S. national men\u2019s team soccer fans march toward the San Francisco Bay Area stadium for the FIFA World Cup game between the USA and Bosnia-Herzegovina in Santa Clara, California, on July 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge\/KQED)<\/p>\n

Caltrain said it saw a 20% increase in ridership on game days and expected even larger crowds for the U.S. match. The agency was running two additional trains before the game and said it was keeping additional trains on standby to accommodate post-game crowds.<\/p>\n

Raj Patel flew into town from Atlanta and rode the train from San Francisco with his college roommate, Sid Balireddy. The pair were luckier than Duffy\u2019s crew. They scored tickets for $800.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t get this kind of thing in Atlanta,\u201d Patel said of Caltrain. \u201cA lot of other places could do with something like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"A robot dances in front of the San Francisco Bay Area stadium before the FIFA World Cup game between the USA and Bosnia Herzegovina in Santa Clara, Calif., on July 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge\/KQED)<\/p>\n

Their train, full of boisterous fans, some of them sharing beers with new friends, experienced a brief delay in Menlo Park for what a conductor said was a quick \u201creset,\u201d but continued on its way after a few minutes.<\/p>\n

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, which has a light rail stop near the stadium, said it was expecting a record ridership day and was running supplemental bus service ahead of the game because trains were full. VTA said it had about 80 train cars available for after the game and planned to run them one behind the other to move people as quickly as possible. Trains were crowded after the game but the platform was orderly.<\/p>\n

Outside the stadium wasn\u2019t the only place bursting with fans in the South Bay. Interest in soccer appears to be growing in the Bay Area<\/a>, if the huge crowds gathering for watch parties in places like San Pedro Square in downtown San Jos\u00e9 are any indication, much to the delight of local boosters and businesses.<\/p>\n

\"\"Margrit Muller and her daughter Robin Roettger sit before walking into the San Francisco Bay Area stadium for the FIFA World Cup game between the USA and Bosnia Herzegovina in Santa Clara, California, on July 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge\/KQED)
\n\"\"From left: Tenzin Nima, Tenzin Samten, Deckyi Dolma and Jigme Rapgyal, a family rooting for Team USA, pose for a photo ahead of the World Cup knockout game between USA and Bosnia-Herzegovina at Thrive City in San Francisco on July 1, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)<\/p>\n

Closed streets, massive TV screens and special permission from the city to allow outdoor drinking have drawn in several thousand to tens of thousands of people per match, with some of the most popular games, including Wednesday\u2019s U.S. match, bringing people to the area hours ahead of kickoff to nab spots.<\/p>\n

Brian Kurtz, CEO of the San Jos\u00e9 Downtown Association, said watch parties exceeded expectations. He chalked up much of the success to the increasing popularity of soccer and the diversity of the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe World Cup celebrates culture, it celebrates countries, diversity and heritage. And what we\u2019re seeing in downtown, in a city where more than 40% of our population is foreign-born, is that coming to real life,\u201d Kurtz said. \u201cAnd I see this as something that\u2019s only going to grow and grow as the years go on.\u201d<\/p>\n

There have been some tense moments near watch parties, however. One man was killed, and another was critically wounded on Sunday in a shooting<\/a> just blocks from San Pedro Square.<\/p>\n

\"\"A USA men\u2019s national soccer team fan watches the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 match between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina during a watch party at Thrive City in San Francisco on July 1, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)<\/p>\n

In San Francisco, SPARK Social on Wednesday abruptly canceled all of its remaining watch parties \u201cin the interest of protecting the safety of our guests, staff, vendors, and community\u201d after two people were wounded in a shooting in the area<\/a>.<\/p>\n

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie acknowledged the incident but said police responded quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel like our city is incredibly safe and people should feel welcome to come out to our watch parties,\u201d he said during a halftime interview with KQED.<\/p>\n

Lurie, who was attending the game, called the U.S.\u2019s goal in the first half \u201celectric.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just epic,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a culmination of a great first three weeks of the World Cup and to have the U.S. here, we couldn\u2019t have asked for a better wrap-up in terms of hosting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"USA men\u2019s national soccer team fan Patty Lewis, 69, cheers after the United States scored its second goal in the second half of the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina during a watch party at Thrive City in San Francisco on July 1, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)<\/p>\n

Overall, the atmosphere surrounding the game near the stadium and at watch parties across the region has been upbeat and friendly.<\/p>\n

A sea of red, white and blue jerseys took over the Chase Center courtyard in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Visitors hoping to experience some of the excitement happening in the South Bay found what they were looking for, with fans donning face paint, downing beers and, in some cases, dressing as founding fathers.<\/p>\n

Carissa Umanzor traveled across the bay from Martinez to join the party dressed as George Washington and cheered with a drum in hand. She\u2019s been following the tournament closely and went to two earlier matches at Levi\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\"\"James Talcott, 69, rooting for Team USA, poses for a photo at Thrive City, ahead of the World Cup knockout game between USA and Bosnia-Herzegovina, in San Francisco on July 1, Stanford Stadium 2026. Talcott also attended a few games held at Stanford Stadium during the 1994 World Cup. (Gina Castro for KQED)<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is once in a lifetime,\u201d Umanzor said. \u201cI\u2019ve been watching all the videos of people who are coming from other countries and then seeing another perspective of people\u2019s experience in America, and I love that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tenzin Samten, 23, arrived more than two hours early to get a seat in front of the mega screen broadcasting World Cup games at Thrive City outside Chase Center. After picking up food nearby, Samten, who was watching with his parents and sister, eagerly waited for the U.S. kickoff as the Senegal versus Belgium game played. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels more fun to come out and support the team when they\u2019re close by,\u201d the Richmond resident said.<\/p>\n

Dolores LeDesma, 69, sat in a folding chair alongside her son Jarmar, 41, at Chase. The two are major fans of Arsenal FC and have been enjoying seeing the tournament so close to home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a proud Native American Indian of the Navajo tribe, and I can\u2019t believe that there\u2019s so many diverse people and different cultures that are coming together for the World Cup,\u201d LeDesma said.<\/p>\n

James Talcott, 69, also strolled through the Thrive City watch party early on Wednesday to get some food and find a seat before the 5 p.m. kickoff.<\/p>\n

\"\"Bosnia fans watch the FIFA World Cup game between the USA and Bosnia Herzegovina at Clara\u2019s Junction, near the San Francisco Bay Area stadium, in Santa Clara, Calif., on July 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge\/KQED)<\/p>\n

The Tenderloin resident was thrilled to watch the U.S. play and see the Bay Area hosting games. He recalled attending World Cup matches when the tournament took place at Stanford University in 1994<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been great, but I\u2019ll tell you what, I went to the one they had 30 years ago here, at Stanford. And I remember the tickets were free. Now they\u2019re talking about tickets like $3,000,\u201d he said. \u201cI mean, come on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Fans leave the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 match between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on July 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge\/KQED)<\/p>\n

Ticket prices<\/a> weren\u2019t the only thing spiking. Just a five-minute walk from Levi\u2019s is the Hilton Santa Clara, which recently completed a renovation and hosts a \u201cTailG8 Zone\u201d for the public to gather, eat and drink before and after major events at the stadium.<\/p>\n

Sales and marketing director Kunal Khandwala said it had been difficult to predict what bookings would be like for FIFA World Cup matches because so many factors, including inflation, war, politics and travel restrictions, could influence how many fans were attending various games.<\/p>\n

\"\"Naseem Farooqi leaves the FIFA World Cup game between the USA and Bosnia Herzegovina at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on July 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge\/KQED)<\/p>\n

But Khandwala said he saw a lot of demand with the U.S. team playing a match locally.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just picked up a lot more rooms over this past weekend. Once, I guess, the final teams were announced, people got more excited, and they started picking up hotel rooms and last-minute ticket sales at the stadium as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Rooms for Wednesday night at the hotel appeared sold out this week. Rates for a standard room on Tuesday night began around $500 and increased to more than $1,000 for a suite, according to the website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Levi\u2019s, which was temporarily renamed the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium for the World Cup, previously hosted group…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":382849,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[101,103,102,104,106,105],"class_list":["post-383740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383740","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=383740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383740\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/382849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=383740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=383740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=383740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}