Description
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association, which organizes the World Cup and is widely known as FIFA, didn’t grant KQED any media credentials to cover matches. So we purchased our own upper deck ticket for $400 to experience the game, the stadium and the fandom up close.
The fans did not disappoint.
One, two, three, viva l’Algerie! One, two, three, viva l’Algerie!
The chants were thunderous, with thousands of fans of Algeria’s national soccer team celebrating a 2-1 victory over Jordan at Levi’s Stadium on Monday night.
Long after the World Cup match ended, the throngs of revelers filled the cavernous concourses, and the building shook as they danced, jumped for joy and played drums and horns.
While Algeria’s supporters were the last ones cheering, just about every moment surrounding the match at the temporarily renamed San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara felt like a celebration of sport, unity and togetherness among people hailing from far beyond Algeria, Jordan and the broader Middle East.