Texas’ Take on the World Cup

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the fan culture. With the FIFA World Cup having been in full swing this summer, two Texas cities hosted games, and fans across the state built community around the occasion.

Thousands gathered in eastern downtown Houston for the FIFA Fan Fest on July 5. The festival repeatedly reached its capacity of 7,500 people, but fans continued to line the streets of nearby bars and other watch parties. People come to the Fan Fest for the experience, which is just as important as the sport itself. 

For sisters Alondra Gonzalez, 22, and Dayna Gonzales, 19, the event was an opportunity for sisterly bonding, as well as making connections with other attendees. 

“You feel like you’re friends with everyone that’s next to you,” Alondra said.

The sisters said the high-energy, bustling environment united everyone.

“The whole night, everyone’s sharing everything,” said Danya.“People give each other water. Everyone is so nice.” 

“We are all unified, for 90 minutes at least,” Alondra said.

Despite the 100-degree weather, the atmosphere of the FIFA Fan Festivals encourages soccer fans to come together as a community.

“The environment here … you’re not gonna have that type of feeling at home,” Cindy Laynez, 20, said.

Agustin Flores, 21, agreed. 

“At home, even with friends, yeah, you have fun. Here you have hundreds of people rooting for the same team,” said Flores.

While Houston’s FIFA Fan Festival is an official watch party, the same sense of community extends all the way to Austin. At Victory Lap in West Campus, the USA vs. Belgium game gathered a large crowd.

“It’s a bigger screen, and there’s more people here, so you kind of get that environment going,” said Siddharth Vadlamani, 21, a biochemistry senior. “Whenever we score a goal, everybody’s on their feet, everybody’s cheering.” 

The West Campus sports bar draws University of Texas students, alumni and fans to watch their favorite teams on the big screen. From Saturday Longhorn football games in the fall to “Love Island” watch parties in the summer, the West Campus bar opens its arms to all fans to watch on the big screen together. 

“You build some camaraderie, you just get to hang out with people your own age,” Vadlamani said.

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