What It Was Like Inside Levi’s for the Algeria vs. Jordan World Cup Match

“Right now it’s a time for the Middle East to kind of unite,” Sandy Kikhia of San José said ahead of the match. Kikhia is of Syrian descent and attended her first World Cup game with two of her sisters, Masah and Jana, all supporting Jordan’s side in the team’s first-ever World Cup.

But the sisters said a win for either team was a win for the larger community, especially for fans whose teams are not in this World Cup, such as Syrians, Palestinians and Lebanese people.

“There is nothing that is nicer than having our whole Arab community come together for something that brings everyone joy,” Masah Kikhia said. “Such a nice feeling to see everyone wearing their cultural clothing, the shemagh, the keffiyeh,” she said, referring to both the black and white checkered scarves with Palestinian origins, and the red and white version most commonly donned by Jordanians.

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association, which organizes the World Cup and is widely known as FIFA, didn’t grant KQED any media credentials to cover matches. So we purchased our own upper deck ticket for $400 to experience the game, the stadium and the fandom up close.

The fans did not disappoint.

Even hours ahead of kickoff, the parking lots outside of the stadium were filled with thousands of people wearing their nation’s colors, dancing on cement railings, greeting each other with big hugs and waving huge flags.

Groups of people huddled around news reporters, anxiously awaiting the chance to be broadcast live on Algerian and Jordanian news networks.

No tailgating is allowed at World Cup matches, but some generous folks handed out snacks and sweets, like dates and baklava, and others posed for pictures with bags of pistachios.

Amine Tigha, an Algerian who lives in New York City, traveled to the Bay Area for this match, also his first World Cup game, and said he loves the weather here.

“The most important thing,” he said ahead of kickoff, is that Algeria wins the game, but he said the vibes were more of a friendly rivalry with Jordan.

“You know, we both are Arab, we share a lot of things. We share the religion, the language and everything. It’s like a derby. We play like neighbors,” he said with a big laugh.

Nazim Bellahsene is originally from Algeria and has lived in the U.S. for 15 years. He lives in Santa Clara and came to the match with his wife, Wisam, and his two young kids, Emma and Nolan.

“It’s super exciting. We’re loving it. It’s really unexpected that it’s here at home, near home. So, you know, we can’t miss it,” he said of the match. Monday was his first time ever seeing the Algerian national team on the pitch in person.

Decked out in an Algerian jersey and draped with the country’s flag, Bellahsene was confident in his side.

“We’re looking forward to a win, for sure,” he said. “But you know, at the same time, enjoying and having a great family time with everybody here in a very festive environment. So it’s going to be fun.”

The stadium was filled with people from seemingly all backgrounds, from babies to elders, and several fans said they loved the diversity of the Bay Area and the international draw of the sport.

Alfred and Veronica Zamora, and their daughter Brianna, are San José residents and big fans of Mexico’s national team. Like many other fans on Monday night, they sported their Mexico kits.

The family has been to 49ers games at Levi’s before, but the vibes around the match on Monday were in “a whole different league,” Alfred said.

“It’s just a different experience altogether, you know. [American] football is great, but this is a world event. I feel like everybody’s here and joined together to watch something good.”

Jasmine and Zayna Alfarah, sisters of Jordanian descent from Los Angeles, drove up to the Bay Area overnight Sunday into Monday with their two friends, Jacqueline Gutierrez and Marilyn Maldonado.

They arrived at 4 a.m. Monday, but said the lack of sleep and long drive was worthwhile.

“Seeing Jordan come into the World Cup for the first time is just such a beautiful experience,” Jasmine Alfarah said.

Gutierrez and Maldonado support Mexico and Honduras’ national teams, respectively, but on Monday, like so many fans do during the World Cup, they adopted new team allegiances.

“They’re making history,” Gutierrez said of Jordan’s squad. “We’re here to witness this history, and I’m proud.”

During the game’s newly mandated hydration breaks, while fans around the globe watching TV are served ads, people in the stadium were treated to a live mariachi performance and light shows that connected cell phone flashlights at halftime.

For Lupita Gonzalez and her dad Sergio Gonzalez, both Oakland residents originally from Mexico, coming to the game was realizing a dream of his that he had held onto since he was a boy.

“For Father’s Day, I wanted to give my dad tickets. My dad is a huge soccer fan, and this is his first World Cup ever. As a kid, he dreamed of going to the World Cup when it was in Mexico in 1970. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to do it, so I wanted it to make my dad’s dreams come true,” Gonzalez said.

She and her family root for Mexico’s team most days, but on Monday, they were pulling for Jordan. Gonzalez’s great-grandmother immigrated from Lebanon to Mexico, and they wanted to support a nearby country.

She said she was a bit wary of coming to a World Cup game because of the way the U.S. has treated immigrants and made it harder for some teams and fans to experience the tournament, but she said her experience on Monday proved that fans will support one another in the name of soccer.

“It’s not about the politics. It’s not even about FIFA as an organization. It’s about showing up for the country where you’re from or a country that you want to support. I just love that energy,” she said. “We’re sitting next to folks that are rooting for Algeria, we’re still high-fiving, we’re still enjoying each other’s wins because that’s what the World Cup is about.”