USA vs Paraguay: World Cup fever grips Los Angeles despite Trump policies

Published 12 June 2026 · sports

Fans in FIFA World Cup host city Los Angeles criticise the organisers and travel policies but are eager for the action. Los Angeles, California

Fans in FIFA World Cup host city Los Angeles criticise the organisers and travel policies but are eager for the action. Los Angeles, California — Juan Cortes has hung the flags of the United States and Mexico outside his mechanic shop in Los Angeles as he celebrates the return of the FIFA World Cup to Southern California after 32 years. Despite his love of the game and the tournament, Cortes will not attend a single World Cup fixture in the football-mad metropolis, which is hosting eight matches – including USA’s opener against Paraguay on Friday – a few kilometres from his business. Exorbitant ticket prices have pushed World Cup games out of reach for die-hard fans like Cortes, who will instead settle for watching the action on the screen. “I wish they would help us out – so people like us, who are into the game and have the passion for their teams, were able to go see our idols play,” Cortes told Al Jazeera as he stood with the two flags behind him and cars whizzing past on the busy road in front of him. “It’s not every day I get to see a World Cup in my country.” Tickets for the home team’s opening game were still available on resale platforms less than 12 hours from kickoff. Despite the heartache, the Mexican-American fan is ecstatic about being incredibly close to the action and was thrilled to have seen the Paraguay team bus drive past his shop earlier.

“Every four years, I get excited. I know my Mexico can make it further than the World Cup before, and if they don’t make it far, I know my US [is] right behind them,” he said. As World Cup fever grips Los Angeles, excitement for the tournament has slowly overcome the controversies surrounding it, including the travel and immigration policies implemented by US President Donald Trump’s administration. Reminders of the World Cup are everywhere in America’s second-largest city. Local businesses, ranging from bars to skateboard shops and tattoo parlours, are proudly flying the flags of the teams. ‘A class thing’ Late on Thursday, cheering could be heard across Venice Beach in western Los Angeles as South Korea and the Czech Republic faced off in the tournament’s second game in Mexico, with fans flooding bars to catch the action late into the night. When Mexico beat South Africa in the tournament’s opening game in Mexico City earlier in the day, dozens of proud fans walked around in Mexico’s distinctive green football shirts. Among them was Francisco Aguilar, a football fan from Texas, who is visiting LA but cannot get tickets for any games. Aguilar said it was sad that the tournament’s organisers had prioritised profits instead of making the games accessible for the most passionate fans. “It’s just sad that you can’t go; it’s a class thing,” he told Al Jazeera. The disappointment hasn’t dampened Aguilar’s anticipation for the tournament and magical on-field action, especially as he wants to see Spain’s young superstar Lamine Yamal play his first World Cup.