In front of a sell out crowd at Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium on June 19, the match between Paraguay and Türkiye was filled with plenty of action despite the 1-0 final score. The two teams combined for 37 shot attempts, including some near misses as Türkiye tried to tie the game in stoppage time.

One thing was certain, whether it was local fans or fans from farther afield, the trip to the Bay Area was certainly well worth it.

It was an exciting win for Colombian Juan Oliveria, who predicted a two-nil score in favor of Paraguay before the game.

“He’s from Colombia. We’re just supporting another South American team,” said Grace Doudos of San Jose, who was there with him. “It’s huge. I mean, I’ve been a soccer fan my whole life, so it’s just such an exciting experience.”

For Ege, who was born and raised in Türkiye, but has lived in America for the last 12 years, most recently in San Francisco, attending the World Cup match is a bit of a homecoming.

“It’s kind of surreal seeing people rocking like Turkish second league jerseys and stuff,” said Ege. “It’s not something you see every day in the U.S.”

Others traveled from further away to see their home countries play. 10-year-old Beren and 15-year-old Ozan traveled from New Jersey with their Turkish parents to be there.

“Because we love soccer,” said Beren.

“It’s fun. I’m hyped,” said Ozan.

Then there were the international fans.

Adrian and Florencia came from Vancouver. Their family traveled from Asunción, Paraguay, for the game. Florencia felt a similar experience to Ege’s.

“We live in Vancouver, so we are not around a lot of Paraguayans every day. It’s like being home,” said Florencia.

All the fans were optimistic that their team would win.

“We want Paraguay to win; to go through to the next stage,” said Adrian.

“I think we’re gonna win today. We’re respectful, and we think we can do it … I feel very good, very confident,” said Juan Carlo Lopez, who traveled from Paraguay to watch his team play.

Both teams also drew out social media influencers. Udi Neco, a well-known Turkish football fan, was taking pictures with fans before the game. Known for wearing black makeup to contrast his stark white beard and match the team colors of his home football club Beşikta, Udi Neco was dressed in Türkiye’s red kit this time.

“He was at the European Cup. Like every game you see him at the stadium,” one fan said. “He’s always painted black. Screams crazy. Everyone knows him. He’s at every game. He’s a bit famous.”

Paraguay also had its social media darling. Laurys Dyva entered the stadium followed by a red, white and blue train.

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