My World Cup Experience!

O Dia Chegou!
(The Day Has Arrived!)

I was fortunate to be able to acquire a WC ticket for Costa Rica vs England! The match was played relatively close to where I'm living in Brazil. The USA's group games were in the north of Brazil, a long way away, and by the time I began the search for tickets, most if not all of the USA's matches were already sold-out. The match was held in Belo Horizonte, the capital city of Minas Gerais. It was not my first preference of a match to attend, which was a USA game, or second preference, which was the Round-of-16 match between the winner of Group A vs runner-up of Group B... but I was happy to be going! (No complaints here).

The weekend leading up to the match, I had yet to actually receive my ticket. When I purchased it from FIFA's site, there were two options offered: 1) receive it by mail, or 2) pick-up in a FIFA official ticket distribution center. I opted for the second option. So I arrived a few days early in Belo Horizonte in order to pick up my game ticket and spend a few days in one of the host cities.

Belo Horizonte is a big city, much larger than where I live in Itajubá. I arrived in the downtown area late Friday night, and checked-in to my hotel. It was a nice room and I enjoyed my brief stay there. The complementary breakfast given there was good! That Saturday morning, when I went down for breakfast, I actually met two Argentinians. The city was blue and white that weekend because Argentina was playing in the stadium there. Brazil's neighbor was out in full support.

After breakfast and starting to re-tune my ears to Spanish, I caught a taxi ride to the nearby mall... where I was going to pick-up my Golden Ticket!! The ticket distribution center was located on a higher level, in a parking lot of the mall actually. It was decorated and there were several attendants there. I spoke with one (who complemented me on my Portuguese) and I received my game-day ticket and ticket holder manual that accompanied. I asked for the manual in Portuguese, so as to be more authentic and for practice. It contained a lot of useful information: a description of what to expect, how fans were expected to behave, specs on the different stadiums, and more. I was one happy boy that morning.

I passed the next hours strolling around the mall, checking out the different shops. In the food court, there was a projector and big screen televising the World Cup coverage. 

Next on the day's agenda was to visit the "FIFA Fan Fest" in Belo Horizonte. Every host city of the World Cup has a public venue within the city where fans can go, enter for free, and watch the matches on a big screen amongst others. I had read about this place and wanted to check-it out! So I walked across the street to the metro station, hopped on, and five or six stops later found myself at the "Expominas" station. From there, I walked along a detour that circled around the facility to the front where the lines gathered to enter.

This venue was indoors and nice. At the front was a stage where the MC spoke and bands played between the matches. Behind the stage was a big screen, so that all could see. There were free activities from sponsors located near the back with food and drink vendors lining the walls. It all made for a festive environment and I enjoyed watching the second half of the Argentina game and Messi's clutch goal on the big screen. I stayed around for the first half of the Germany-Ghana match too.

I like that FIFA and the World Cup sponsors erected these places within the host cities. For those who weren't able to acquire a ticket, at least they could still have some of that World Cup experience and attend one of these Fan Fests with a group of friends and enjoy the beautiful game on the big screen, along with music, food, and drink.

Successful Day! :-D

Game Day

On the way to the stadium, passed by these guys.
The security in case things got crazy.

Fast-forwarding a little, and it's Tuesday, June 24th. Costa Rica is set to take on England in the Mineirão soccer stadium in Belo Horizonte. I arrived about two hours before the kick-off time at 1pm. 

Just outside of the stadium were a myriad of things to see and do: displays by various sponsors of the World Cup, food and drink vendors, and the official FIFA fan shop. As I walked around, it was awesome seeing so many people sporting their favorite club or country's jersey, carrying flags, taking pictures with other people (who were not necessarily supporting the same team), and everyone just having a good time. 

I was wearing my Costa Rica shirt I had purchased back in 2012 when I studied abroad there. On more than one occasion I was asked if I were Costa Rican or Brazilian. [Yay for blending in!] 

Coca-Cola in many languages.

Goalie posing by a Brazilian chocolate company.

Official Fan Shop. Waited in the check-out line for about half an hour!

The atmosphere within the stadium was unlike anything I had ever experienced before! 

Costa Rican fans had a cheer "Ole....Ole, Ole, Ole....Tico....Tico!" The English fans also had group cheers, but they weren't as easy to understand. 

Proof- I was in the building!

Going in to the day's match, Costa Rica had already qualified for the next Round-of-16, whereas England had already been knocked-out and was heading home. Therefore, there was not much riding on the game. The game's result would not have any impact on the group standings. I feared that this would impact the quality of the match itself. I don't know if it did or not, but the game was not much to watch. A few half-chances here and there was about all the game had to offer, and it ended in a tie 0-0. 

Not everyone was a good sport. This guy was booed and
an English fan got up in his face about it,
the closest thing I saw to a fight.

The fans and atmosphere in the stadium made this trip worthwhile and unforgettable!