As the World Cup kicks off, community members gather for the beloved game

Last Thursday afternoon, over 100 people sat in Plaza Las Americas, their eyes fixated on the giant screen in front of them. They’d come to the Lilburn shopping mall to watch the first match of the World Cup: Mexico vs. South Africa. Above them, brightly colored papel picado, a colorful Oaxacan paper decoration that the Plaza had ordered “straight from Mexico,” covered the ceiling.

The watch party was one of many around the metro region; well into the second week of matches, more are planned at restaurants, community centers, and parks. Already, this year’s games, being played in cities across North America, have been marked with frustration over prices and barriers to entering the U.S. for fans and World Cup staff alike. The games have also held surprises: The biggest so far, here in Atlanta, has been tiny Cabo Verde’s ability to hold off global powerhouse Spain with a heroic, gritty, and determined defensive display. Wherever they’re watching from, local fans have been rapt—and we’ve been catching up with them as the drama unfolds. 

At Plaza Las Americas, aside from the occasional explosion of cheers as the Mexican team scored a goal (twice) or blocked a goal, and jeers at suspected foul play, fans sat mesmerized. At halftime, some wandered around the mall while the TV screens showed commercials for Modelo (“La cerveza de fútbol”), and the emcee encouraged people to grab a snack or a drink from the vendors surrounding the seating area. 

One man wore a Mexico World Cup jersey and a large sombrero while selling slices of pizza, chips, and duritos, a pinwheel-shaped fried-wheat snack popular at soccer matches. “Me siento contento porque esta jugando la selección de Mexico,” the vendor said. I’m feeling happy today because the Mexican national team is playing. Originally from Mexico, he told 285 South he’s been living in Atlanta for over 25 years. He likes it here, he said, because both “la naturaleza,” the nature, and “el trabajo,” the work, are good. When he has free time, he plays fútbol, his favorite sport. 

Plaza Las Americas plans to show all matches being played between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. “The more people we drive to the plaza, the more they get to see our businesses,” said a spokesperson from Plaza Las Americas management team.

Fatima, another food vendor who’s also from Mexico, said she grew up watching soccer back home. Now her son plays soccer here in Atlanta. She’s already seen a small boost in sales with the World Cup, and hopes that’ll continue, she said. A second later, cheers drowned out her voice: Mexico scored its first goal. 

Two days later on the opposite side of Atlanta, fans wearing yellow and green jerseys gathered at Minas Grill, a Marietta hot spot for the local Brazilian community, to watch their team play Morocco.

With owner Rosana Lima directing fans to different tables and introducing strangers to one another, there were no empty seats by the time the match began. Speaking a mix of Portuguese, Spanish, and English, people piled their plates with the Brazilian staples—like picanha and coxinhas, a teardrop-shaped bread filled with shredded chicken and creamy cheese—that the restaurant specializes in. Leny Flaury, a Smyrna resident originally from the state of Minas Gerais (the restaurant’s namesake), had come to the party with her husband, three children, and two American friends. A regular customer, she’s been watching World Cup matches at Minas Grill, since 2018. “I just love the atmosphere here and how it feels,” she said. “It’s such a home for me.” 

As Brazil tried to score, she screamed in both Portuguese and English: “Vai Bazil!” “Let’s go!” She plans to watch all the Brazilian matches at Minas. “This community, the atmosphere, it’s not the same when we are home,” she said. 

Pranab Chanda, a Sandy Springs resident who is originally from India, had met Rosana at Costco that morning. After some small talk, she invited him to watch the game from the restaurant, which he did because he wanted to experience it with the famously soccer-loving Brazilian community. “I’ve been a fan since Ronaldinho played in the team,” he said, referring to the soccer legend who played in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. 

Juan Jose Pineda sat in a corner of the restaurant drinking a Guarana, a popular soft drink in Brazil. He’s been watching the World Cup at Minas since 2004. Though he was born in Colombia, his children were born in Brazil, his ex-wife is from the country, and he lived there for years—so he supports the Brazilian team. “Yo vivía en Brasil cuando ganaron el campeonato. Fueron de menos a más y ganaron,” he said. I was living in Brazil when they won the championship. They started slow but improved as they went along, and they won.