I am what I like to call a World Cup fan. I don’t really keep up with soccer year-round, but best believe that when the World Cup comes around, women’s or men’s, I am sitting in front of the TV watching as many games as I possibly can. It started during the 2018 World Cup when I somehow ended up watching every single game and quickly picked my favorite teams (and, of course, my least favorites). My favorite player ended up being Croatia’s Luka Modrić, and ever since then, I have loved the excitement, emotions, and sense of community that comes with the tournament.

Coming to Portugal gave me the perfect opportunity to get more into the sport while also experiencing the culture surrounding soccer around the world. My friends and I watched every Portugal game, and each one felt completely different. Sometimes we would watch at a local restaurant surrounded by older Portuguese men who had just gotten off work, passionately yelling at the TV because that is simply part of the culture. Other times, we watched from Campo Pequeno, the famous bullfighting ring in Lisbon, squinting at the screen because we were so far away that we could barely tell what was happening.

My favorite place to watch was definitely the fan stage downtown. There was nothing like being surrounded by people from different countries who were all there to support their teams. The first time we went was for the USA versus Australia game. Somehow, the entire country of Australia decided to stand directly behind us; there were probably close to fifty Australians behind our group of seven American students, and somehow their group kept getting bigger.

We eventually found other fellow US  supporters, but during the national anthem, things got intense. As we proudly sang the Star-Spangled Banner, we were completely drowned out by the Australian cheers and boos behind us. I had also never heard the famous Australian “Oi! Oi! Oi!” chant before, and honestly, it was both terrifying and entertaining at the same time. Every time the US scored, the silence behind us somehow got louder as we celebrated in front of them. The Australian team put up such a disappointing performance, the crowd started cheering whenever the US missed a shot or Australia gained possession. 

We also went to the fan stage for an Argentina and Portugal game, and the atmosphere was completely different. It was so crowded that we were packed together like sardines, but there was something incredible about cheering alongside hundreds of people who were all supporting the same team. People were passing around huge inflatable soccer balls through the crowd, and we got hit in the head more times than I can count. It honestly felt like a giant crowd version of a crab ball just with everyone fighting to see over each other while still celebrating together.

Beyond just watching the big teams, one of my favorite parts of the World Cup was seeing the smaller countries have their moments on the biggest stage. Watching teams like Cape Verde compete and seeing the pride and excitement from their fans was surreal. There was something so special about watching underdog teams come out and stun major powerhouses. 

Of course, the tournament also came with every possible emotion. As someone who has always loved Luka Modrić, watching Croatia lose to Portugal was heartbreaking, but there was something bittersweet about knowing that if Croatia had to lose, at least it happened in the country where I was spending my summer. Watching players like Luka, Neymar, and Messi experience what was be their final World Cups was also emotional. Seeing the tributes for Ronaldo and statues and photos of him everywhere across the city was surreal, especially knowing that he would never play for the country again. 

When we were not watching games outside, our tiny kitchen became our own personal World Cup headquarters. For hours (and honestly, sometimes entire days), people from different friend groups in our program would rotate through while we streamed games on the TV, played cards, and competed in board games. Our personal favorites were slapjack, cameo, and dutch blitz.

Experiencing the World Cup in Portugal was one of my favorite parts of the summer. Being surrounded by people from all over the world, all connected by the same sport, was such a unique experience. Who knows, maybe I will be featured on the Lisboa Fan Stage Instagram page in four years again when the world cup comes to Portugal.