Mexico wins 2-0 against South Africa!
Mexico
Los Angeles, USA, June 11 (EFE).- By Mónica Rubalcava
Ruby Ayala pulled her son out of summer school; Ángel Cerritos took the day off work, and Martín had to come alone because his wife couldn’t get time off.
None of them secured tickets to the World Cup, but that didn’t stop them from celebrating the Mexican national team’s victory alongside hundreds of fans who transformed Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Placita Olvera, and the city of Los Angeles into a tricolor celebration.
“We Mexicans always have hope. Hope of doing more, of being able to win. We suffer together or we win together, and that feels great,” Cerritos, a primary school teacher in Los Angeles of Mexican descent, told EFE.
Like him, dozens of soccer fans gathered on Tuesday for the launch of activities of Casa México Los Angeles 2026, organized by the Mexican Embassy, to follow El Tri’s victory against South Africa in their World Cup debut.
Mexico won 2-0 in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup, with goals from Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez, sending the crowd into roars of excitement.
Before Quiñones opened the scoring within the first 10 minutes, the crowd waiting in the scant shade under 84°F (29°C) heat was already predicting a Mexican victory.
“I think it will end 2-1 for Mexico,” said Sebastian, 33, wearing a special edition jersey inspired by the colors and designs of legendary former Mexican goalkeeper Jorge Campos.
Rejection of FIFA
The embassy event is one of the free alternatives organized in Los Angeles for fans to watch the World Cup matches, ahead of the city hosting the first game on American soil on Friday between Paraguay and the United States.
Ángel and his brother Luis, 34, came to this space to reject the FIFA Fan Festival, the official mass party organized by FIFA outside the stadiums.
“FIFA wants a lot of money. The Fan Fests used to be free, but now they want to charge 10 dollars. It’s not a lot, but we don’t want to pay on principle, the tickets already cost enough,” Luis told EFE.
Additionally, Ángel feels that LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes and Placita Olvera have a more community-focused atmosphere and are less corporate.
High ticket prices have been a recurring complaint among fans since the start of the World Cup, to which FIFA has argued that they reflect record demand.
Ruby Ayala confessed that she tried to buy tickets in the raffle without success, and when she saw the resale prices: “I was actually scared!” she told EFE.
Migrant resilience
For Martín Rondales, a transportation worker who has lived in the US for over 35 years, the World Cup has also served as an opportunity to gather with other members of the Latino community in a year that has been particularly difficult for many immigrants, primarily due to the policies of the Donald Trump Administration.
“This year has been very hard for immigrants. Personally, we have had a very difficult time with all these laws that have been passed, but despite everything, here we are, there is no other way,” he told EFE.
Among the attendees was Elliot O’Day, a 34-year-old Angeleno who came to a restaurant in Plaza Olvera alone to celebrate.
The American, who has Mexican roots through his grandfather, said he feels disappointed with the political climate in his country during the World Cup.
“It is truly embarrassing as an American to live in a country where politics interferes with an event as beautiful as the World Cup,” he pointed out.
“People should be excited to come to Los Angeles to celebrate the World Cup, the unity. It’s supposed to be about peace, love, and friendly competition. Instead, it has been overshadowed by this fascist nonsense,” he added.
After the success, some dream of Mexico reaching the semifinals, but others believe the “curse of the fifth game” will continue:
“The heart says semifinals, but the head says quarterfinals,” Ángel confessed.
The Mexican national team hasn’t advanced beyond the round of 16 since the 1986 edition, the last time they played on home soil, and in the last edition in Qatar 2022, they were eliminated in the group stage, marking their fastest elimination since 1978. EFE mrl/dmv
