{"id":333083,"date":"2026-06-12T03:07:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T03:07:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/333083\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T03:07:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T03:07:41","slug":"el-tri-fans-in-dallas-erupt-as-mexico-wins-world-cup-opener-over-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/333083\/","title":{"rendered":"El Tri fans in Dallas erupt as Mexico wins World Cup opener over South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mexican fans in Dallas rang in the start of the 2026 World Cup<\/a> with explosive, jubilant and deeply emotional celebrations.<\/p>\n

Surrounded by ice\u2011cold buckets of beer, guacamole the same bright green as the Mexican national team<\/a>\u2019s jersey, and carne\u00a0asada tacos giving off a homemade aroma, El Tri supporters reveled in their team\u2019s 2\u20130 victory<\/a> over South Africa.<\/p>\n

\"Mexico<\/p>\n

Mexico fans celebrate following their team\u2019s win against South Africa in the opening game of FIFA World Cup soccer during FIFA Fan Fest at Fair Park on Thursday, June 11, 2026 in Dallas. (Shafkat Anowar\/The Dallas Morning News)<\/p>\n

The World Cup\u2019s opening match was played in Mexico City<\/a>, but inside the Ojos Locos sports bar in Dallas, it felt as if the tournament had arrived in North Texas. The venue became a sanctuary where Mexican fans could unleash the passion and devotion they carry for their national team.<\/p>\n

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Related: No ticket? No problem. Here\u2019s where to watch World Cup matches around D-FW<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cSoccer is the only thing that lets us focus on a common goal: seeing Mexico win,\u201d said Jaime Castro, who showed up wearing a soccer ball as a hat and a green jersey with pride.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe national team unites all Mexicans. For two hours it makes us forget our problems \u2014 economic, political, social. For two hours, the national team becomes the most important thing in our lives,\u201d said the 52\u2011year\u2011old Dallas resident.<\/p>\n

Castro arrived before the bar opened at 11 a.m.<\/p>\n

Within just 30 minutes of the doors opening, the place had reached its maximum capacity of 275 people. The game started at 2\u00a0p.m.<\/p>\n

\"Mexico<\/p>\n

Mexico soccer fans, including Chris Escalera (left) and Johanna Moreno (center) celebrate Juli\u00e1n Qui\u00f1ones opening goal against South Africa during the opening FIFA World Cup game. The watch party was held at Ojos Locos in Dallas, June 11, 2026. (Tom Fox\/The Dallas Morning News)<\/p>\n

Related: What to know about every team playing in Dallas<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u201cI called in sick and didn\u2019t go to work today. I couldn\u2019t miss this moment,\u201d said Jos\u00e9 \u00c1vila, 40, who works in construction.<\/p>\n

\u00c1vila showed up dressed as El Chavo, the beloved Mexican TV character \u2014 the orphaned boy who lived inside a barrel and captured the hearts of viewers across the continent in the 1970s and 80s.<\/p>\n

He wore the character\u2019s iconic plaid cap with the brim flipped up, khaki pants that stopped above his ankles, a single red suspender and a Mexican flag painted on each cheek.<\/p>\n

\u201cEl Chavo represents Mexico all over the world. That\u2019s why I came dressed like this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Related: Dallas World Cup guide: Where to eat, things to do in town<\/a><\/p>\n

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Ojos Locos erupted in the 9th minute, when Juli\u00e1n Qui\u00f1ones scored Mexico\u2019s first goal.<\/p>\n

The Spanish\u2011language announcer\u2019s prolonged \u201cGoooooal!\u201d was immediately swallowed by a thunderous, heartfelt chant of \u201cM\u00e9xico\u2026 M\u00e9xico\u2026 M\u00e9xico!\u201d that made the restaurant tremble.<\/p>\n

Castro punctuated the moment by firing a train horn he had mounted on an air gun \u2014 an ear\u2011splitting blast that sent adrenaline surging through the crowd.<\/p>\n

At one table, Alejandra Chaparro wiped away tears. Not just because of the goal, but because her son had just surprised her with a trip to Mexico City to watch the national team face Czechia in the third match of the group stage.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s something I promised my mom 16 years ago, and today I was finally able to make it happen,\u201d said her son, Javier Sol\u00eds.<\/p>\n

Back in the 2010 World Cup, Mexico also opened against South Africa. Javier was 8 then, and after watching his mother\u2019s passion for the team, he promised he would one day take her to see Mexico play in person. On Thursday, he fulfilled that promise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t expecting this. The national team is something very special for me and for my whole family. It\u2019s something that unites us and gives us strength to keep going,\u201d said the 42\u2011year\u2011old esthetician.<\/p>\n

Related: How Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Guillermo Ochoa will make history at 2026 World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n

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As more than 30 screens flickered with the action, the rush of food and drinks never let up. Beers, margaritas, tequila shots, Mexican plates, wings and burgers \u2014 servers weaved through the crowd at full speed, just as the room exploded again when Ra\u00fal Jim\u00e9nez struck Mexico\u2019s second goal in the 66th minute.<\/p>\n

\"Mexico<\/p>\n

Mexico soccer fans sitting at the Ojos Locos bar celebrate Ra\u00fal Jim\u00e9nez (on screen) second goal against South Africa during the opening FIFA World Cup game. The watch party was held in Dallas, June 11, 2026. (Tom Fox\/The Dallas Morning News)<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to spend more than 500 dollars here today, just by myself,\u201d Castro said.<\/p>\n

Then, he raised his glass as the chants of \u201cM\u00e9xico\u201d faded into a warm buzz that wrapped the room like a blanket.<\/p>\n

The bar smelled of lime, carne asada and nostalgia \u2014 the kind that pulls people back to childhood living rooms, family gatherings and long\u2011ago World Cups.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMexico is worth that, and much more,\u201d he said. And as the crowd swayed together, it was clear he wasn\u2019t talking about money. He was talking about identity, memory and the unbreakable thread that ties a people to their team.<\/p>\n

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Sign up for the Morning Roundup, a free newsletter delivering the latest North Texas news each morning.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mexican fans in Dallas rang in the start of the 2026 World Cup with explosive, jubilant and deeply…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":333084,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[3691,102,104,10504,103,119038,119037,1468,11990,119036,119035,11880],"class_list":["post-333083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-2026-world-cup","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-morning-news","tag-dallas-news","tag-jaime-castro","tag-mexican-national-team","tag-mexico","tag-mexico-city","tag-national-team","tag-ojos-locos","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=333083"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333083\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/333084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}