Pitch perfect: The World Cup’s impact on Philadelphia

With the World Cup kicking off on June 11, and the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection’s first match three days later, the month of June will herald a summer with Philadelphia in the spotlight, as the city becomes a locus of connection for thousands of fans representing nations around the globe. 

City & State spoke with members of diaspora communities whose home teams are taking the pitch in Philadelphia – getting a firsthand look at the pride, the plans and the promising predictions people have for the upcoming matches. 

ECUADOR

First match: June 14 against Ivory Coast in Group E

(+9000 odds to win the World Cup)

Ecuador and Côte d'Ivoire formally kick off Philadelphia’s slate of matches on June 14. And Wilson V., an Ecuadorian who grew up in the Philadelphia region, is excited to see his homeland’s team in the World Cup in his hometown. 

“Seeing Ecuador play in the World Cup in the U.S. is a big, big deal for all of us, especially kids like me who grew up in the city,” he said. “Philadelphia is really nice – (people think) of Rocky Balboa, and that’s cool, but it’s more than that.” 

Wilson said that in Ecuador, the “whole country stops” when the World Cup begins, and for these games in Philadelphia, “everybody from the press is going to be in the city.”

As a squad, Ecuador is entering its fifth-ever World Cup with higher hopes than before. On a 17-match unbeaten streak, “La Tri,” as the national team is known, hasn’t lost an international match since September 2024 and is considered a dark horse contender riding into the tournament. 

Wilson reflected that the excitement has been somewhat dampened by the cost of a trip to the city and, especially, of attending a match. 

“The biggest turn off is the prices,” he said. “I know of a lot of people that wanted to come, but it’s too expensive, especially if you're planning to be here for three weeks.”

He expressed optimism for the games nonetheless, pointing to the “booming” interest Philadelphians showed during 2025’s Club World Cup as indicative of growing soccer fever stateside.

“There’s nothing more we can do rather than try to enjoy what we have and all come together,” he added. “This is kind of the good news of the summer.”

GHANA

First match: June 17 against Panama in Group L

(+30000 to win the World Cup)

For Samuel Niilantaey Lawson, Ghana’s turn in Philadelphia’s World Cup spotlight is an opportunity to bring together the region’s 200,000 Ghanaian Americans.

“We want to build that strong community of Ghanaians, especially with the younger people, in and around Philly,” said Lawson, who recently helped coordinate Philadelphia’s first-ever Ghana Independence Day festival, which drew 1,000 people to Schuylkill Yards. “‘We want to keep our diaspora engaged in the culture.”

A local entrepreneur and support specialist, Lawson is now organizing a game day watch party on June 27 for Ghana’s World Cup match against Croatia. Modeled after the Independence Day festival, the party will also be at Schuylkill Yards, featuring DJs spinning Ghanaian highlife music, artisans selling jewelry and a local food hall serving West African delicacies: jollof rice and fufu, a dish of cassava or plantain.

“We’re super, super excited,” said Lawson, who came to the U.S. as a teenager and settled in South Philadelphia. Referring to the team’s alternate moniker, he added: “It's always a dream to see our Black Stars play in the World Cup here in the city.” He and fellow Ghanaians have been serving as unofficial ambassadors for a little-known culture through public events and media appearances, all aimed at boosting Ghanaian pride ahead of the Cup.

That’s why, over Memorial Day weekend, Lawson was looking forward to Culture Clash, a joint Ghanaian and Nigerian event at Cherry Street Pier. “We're bringing people out to come and enjoy both cultures, because we have a little rivalry between us,” said Lawson, who said he already had nearly a thousand RSVPs by early May.

The rivalry will be more intense once the tournament starts, but Lawson thinks the Black Stars have a good chance. “I think if we're able to make it out of the group (stage) – because it's a very strong group; we have England, we have Panama, and then we have Croatia – if we make it out of that group, I think we can beat anybody in the next round,” he said.

BRAZIL

First match: June 13 against Morocco in Group C

(+800 odds to win the World Cup)

Don’t get her wrong – Ana Riccomi and her three soccer-mad sons are absolutely looking forward to seeing her native Brazil play in the World Cup, beginning with a June 19 game in Philadelphia. They can’t afford tickets to see it live, but they plan to tailgate regardless.

But it won’t be the same as watching the world’s top soccer event in soccer-mad Brazil. There, during World Cup games, “everybody and everything stops,” says Riccomi, who emigrated from São Paulo six years ago and now coordinates employer partnerships for The Welcoming Center, a social-services organization. 

She compares that ambient excitement to the collective fever in Philadelphia when the Eagles are playing: “Nobody works. Everybody just turns on the TV. It’s a big deal.”

Still, for the roughly 6,000 Brazil-born residents in Philadelphia – and the thousands more throughout the region – having Brazil play in their adopted hometown’s World Cup is also a pretty big deal. And what surprises many is how popular Brazil is even among non-Brazilians: Riccomi marveled at a huge display of Brazil soccer jerseys in her neighborhood Target.

Of course, Brazil is consistently one of the world’s top national teams, and its native players star in premier clubs like FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. And for many Brazilian families, like Riccomi’s, the Cup is an opportunity to unite around a sport that frequently divides Brazilians along club team lines. 

Riccomi is a lifelong supporter of Corinthians in São Paulo; her kids and other relatives support that team’s arch-rival across town, Palmeiras. This summer, however, “we can support the same team,” she said. “We’ll wear the same jersey.”

HAITI

First match: June 13 against Scotland in Group C

(+250000 odds to win the World Cup)

The word Rev. Dr. Josephys Dafils uses for Haiti’s star turn in Philly is “surreal.”

“We haven’t made it (to the World Cup) in 52 years,” says the entrepreneur and founder of Haitian-Americans United For Change, a Philadelphia-based social service organization. “I wasn’t born yet when they were last in the World Cup. So it's exciting for me, for us, to have this opportunity here in Philadelphia.”

Dafils, who emigrated 31 years ago, says the region’s Haitian immigration began in the 1960s. Today, he estimates that 15,000 to 18,000 Haitian Americans live in the city ­– mostly in Northeast, with pockets in West and South Philadelphia, as well as in Allentown and Bucks County.

But when Haiti faces Brazil on June 19 in Philadelphia, thousands more Haiti fans are expected to make the pilgrimage from sizable diaspora communities in New York, New Jersey and Florida, as well as from other states, Canada and even France. Excitement has been building across social media channels like TikTok.

Dafils is determined to show them a good time. He is coordinating with New York’s Haitian embassy to organize welcome packages with lodging, tours, and plenty of parties – including a Chinese-food buffet in Northeast, a pregame tailgate, a kickoff watch party, and post-game festivities.

All of it will involve the lilting Caribbean beats of Haitian “rara” bands, along with traditional delicacies: black rice with mushrooms and beans, stewed chicken, fried turkey and goat, Creole-style pork, and spicy patties.

What makes this game especially momentous, Dafils notes, is that Haiti and the Brazilian team have a long, entwined history. “Haiti was not in the World Cup for a long time, so the majority of Haitians have supported the Brazilian team,” said Dafils.

Brazil has a sizable diaspora of Haitian nationals; many of them worked in some capacity supporting Rio de Janeiro’s 2014 World Cup efforts. “They remember that, and they were very gracious,” Dafils said. “So it's going to be very emotional, us playing against Brazil. Some Haitians are going to fly half-Haitian, half-Brazilian flags.”

CROATIA

First match: June 17 against England in Group L

(+8000 odds)

The diminutive size of Croatia – and the Philadelphia region’s Croatian community – isn’t dampening Tomislav “Tom” Perić’s spirits about the World Cup. If anything, it’s galvanizing him even more. 

“The actual Philadelphia community of Croats is fairly small … but our enthusiasm runs high, and our ethnic pride runs real high,” Perić told City & State. “I’ve been (to Croatia) five or six times, was there two years ago, and my plan is to go in September after we win the World Cup.”

The optimism isn’t necessarily misplaced: Croatia was the runner-up in 2018 and placed third in 2022. The only spot on the podium they’re interested in this time around is at the top. 

Perić, a public relations professional based in South New Jersey, has tickets to Croatia’s match against Ghana on June 27 and plans to be in Philadelphia for Croatia's first group game against England. 

“I’ll be going with the checkered shirts,” Perić said, a reference to the pattern synonymous with the team, fans and uniform. “It was always our coat of arms for hundreds of years. It was brilliant (marketing) because you don’t have to say the name – everyone recognizes that’s the Croatian team.”

With a population of nearly 3.9 million, Croatia is one of the smaller countries competing in this year’s World Cup. And although fans of France or Brazil may view this year’s international tournament as another opportunity to win the prized trophy, Perić said Croatians are ecstatic about the chance the games have to put the checkers in the spotlight – and bring about a broader sense of community.  

“It’s both serendipity and it’s pride,” he said about the team’s match in Philadelphia. “It’s a good way of connecting with other Croatians and other fans in the sport … and I’m being idealistic, but it puts everybody in the right frame of mind for some friendship and togetherness.” 

FRANCE

First match: June 16 against Senegal in Group I

(+500 odds to win the World Cup)

The French are so used to seeing their national team on the world stage that longtime fans like Ben Rush-Goebel have developed complex theories about the unpredictability of “Les Bleus” (as they are popularly called for their azure uniforms.)

“The problem with the French is that usually when they’re good, they don't do well, and when they’re not so good, they do well,” reflected Rush-Goebel, the France-born senior director of programs at the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia.

Like virtually everybody interviewed for this article, he cited sky-high ticket prices as the reason he doesn’t plan to watch any of the games in person (France will play Iraq on June 22 in Philadelphia, with additional games scheduled for Boston and New Jersey). Rush-Goebel knows people back in France who might have attended but for their discomfort with America’s current political climate.

But along with other members of Philadelphia’s sprawling French diaspora – nearly 12,000 in the city are French-born, along with nearly that number in neighboring Montgomery County – Rush-Goebel plans to watch Les Bleus either at watch parties organized locally by the French government or at FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill, Philadelphia’s free public venue. 

“It's going to be a lot of fun to be there,” he says. To watch soccer games, “French people like going to a bar – the Fan Fest is pretty much like a bar – and just getting a beer.”

As for Les Bleus’ chances, “my optimistic side wants to say we're gonna go far. My French side wants me to say that we're gonna mess it up,” he opined. “The most wonderful thing would be that if they do everything right, on July 4, they would play here in Philly in the Round of 16.” That, he said, would be the cherry on top of an already epic Independence Day.