NEW YORK, USA – Misty-eyed fans began gathering in midtown Manhattan and across the city early Sunday morning ahead of the FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain.
Fans, who beat drums, linked arms and began spontaneous chants, expressed hope and some trepidation that the team would give them a reason to party into the night.
Nicolas Oliver, 21, a Spaniard currently living in Quebec, said before the match, “I feel good.”
“But I really hope we win today,” he said.
“The last time I won was when I was 5 years old,” he said of 2010. “I remember that day perfectly. I really want to experience that same feeling. We all participated, put aside all our differences and lived together without any problems for at least one day.”
“I’m very far from home, and seeing so many Spaniards here makes me feel like I’m home again.”
Mohamed Zidan, a 17-year-old Argentine fan from Hama, Syria, who lives in Springfield, Massachusetts, decided to make a quick trip to New York for the match.
“I just got here six hours ago. It’s my first time in New York. I’m going to walk around and eat. The city is too big!”
“I’m very excited. I’m going to watch the game with the fans and go to Times Square to celebrate,” he said.
Paola Belmonta, 23, from southern Spain, is also experiencing the city for the first time.
“It was really nice, but really stressful,” said Belmonta, who is currently living in Virginia for the summer.
She was confident that her favorite player, 23-year-old midfielder Pedro, would lead her team to victory.
“Spain will take this!” she said.
Alex Roma, a 50-year-old native of Argentina who has lived in Washington, D.C., for 20 years, wasn’t so sure.
“Spain is not an easy team, but Argentina is not an easy team either,” he said.
“We showed a lot of heart in the last few minutes,” Roma said. “We will fight until our last breath and strive for victory.”
Still, he never expected to be here this time.
“I never expected (Argentina’s Lionel Messi) to play at this level,” he said.
“I thought he would just relax and play a few minutes in the second half. But he was great. At 39 years old, he’s showing that he’s the best player in this World Cup. It’s unbelievable.”
“The World Cup belongs to New Yorkers.”
The tournament, which was held across three countries, was also an opportunity for New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani to project his progressive, populist message on an international stage. He seemed to be enjoying the role.
In a city already energized by the New York Knicks’ National Basketball Association championship, New York’s democratic socialist and first Muslim mayor has vowed to host a World Cup that prioritizes accessibility for local residents.
This includes taking advantage of discounted tickets, deals with local restaurants that offer low-cost meals, and holding ubiquitous public watch parties in all five boroughs.
“We said from the beginning that the World Cup belonged to New Yorkers,” Mamdani said. He appeared at watch parties around the city, including at Rikers Island prison, during the Argentina-England semifinal match.
“In the most cosmopolitan city on earth, you didn’t need thousands of dollars to participate in the world games,” Mamdani said.
The emphasis on inclusivity among New York’s surprisingly diverse population, where at least 700 different languages are spoken, provided yet another counterpoint to the sometimes caustic messages of President Donald Trump’s administration.
President Trump’s aggressive immigration policies have made travel difficult or impossible for citizens of some countries. Somali referee Omar Altan was refused entry into the country, and even officials and team support staff were left without relief.
The Trump administration’s restrictions on Iran’s national team, including moving its base camp to Mexico and only allowing it to stay in the U.S. for matches for short periods of time, have also angered some fans.
Trump arrived in New York City on Friday and appeared at Trump Tower in Manhattan with FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Both he and Mamdani were scheduled to play in Sunday’s final at New York-New Jersey Stadium, renamed from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, near New York.
