“World Cup Village” Opens Downtown

by Adele Haeg

Soccer fans and neighbors congregated in Pitkin Plaza to watch the first match of this year’s World Cup; organizers only expect more people for the United States’ first game Friday night.

Hector Chaidez, wearing a green Mexico jersey, sat in Pitkin Plaza Thursday afternoon watching the first game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, keeping his eyes on one player in particular. 

“I’m a Chivas fan, so I really like Mexico’s goalkeeper, Tala Rangel,” said Chaidez, who is originally from Mexico and played goalie as a kid. His favorite player on Mexico’s World Cup team, Raúl ‘Tala’ Rangel, is also on the Mexican Liga MX club Guadalajara. 

Nine minutes into the match, Mexico scored and the 145 Orange St. plaza exploded with cheers — there were many more red and green jerseys for the North American World Cup host nation than there were for its opponent, South Africa. “For me, soccer is a very important part of my culture and my lived experience,” Chaidez said. “This is a very special event.” 

Every day from Thursday afternoon’s opening match until the World Cup final on July 19, Town Green District and Trinity Bar plan to screen games — which are being played in host nations Mexico, the United States, and Canada — outside on Pitkin Plaza and at the bar, a monthlong “World Cup Village” event for which nearby restaurants are offering take-out discounts. Francesca Vignola, Director of Marketing and Events for Town Green District, promised: “If two people come or 350, we’ll be here.” 

Cousins Victor Tepi and Javier Hernandez drove from Waterbury Thursday to watch the game on the large screen set up in Pitkin Plaza. They’re optimistic about Mexico’s chances for the tournament, although the team is not favored to advance very far. “That sense of, ‘We’re Mexican, we can do it,’” said Tepi, “you’ve got to carry that, even if you have doubts in your team.” Tepi and Hernandez were excited Mexico was playing the World Cup opener, too. “We set the tone for the tournament.” 

Jaden Parra thinks Mexico will make it to the quarterfinals and no further, he said, which his friend Isaac Saldame shook his head at, not so sure he agreed with Parra. “Their chances get better every year,” Saldame insisted. Parra is more hopeful about Ecuador’s squad.

Although Vignola is not much of a soccer fan herself, she said she’s “super happy” to be hosting the event — it will keep Town Green District staff busy until the final match on July 19. Trinity Bar owners Shane Carty and John Greco wait years for the business World Cup matches bring, they said. Pitkin Plaza is “the perfect place” for the screenings, Vignola said. “There is a capacity,” she said, but people will squeeze in if they have to.

Carty does not care too much about the tournament, because his team Ireland did not qualify, but he said screening games will help the bar out during the “dead months” of June and July. For business, Carty said, “this is fucking great.” Trinity also hosts watch parties for other soccer tournaments like the UEFA European Championship and Copa América, which features South American teams, but the World Cup is far more popular.

Before this year’s tournament — which 48 teams are participating in, up from the usual 32 in the 2022 competition — there has been controversy over exorbitant World Cup ticket prices. Although games are showing as nearby as at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, almost everyone who came to the first match plans to keep up with the tournament from Pitkin Plaza, or home. 

But Herky Cedillo, who cheered for Mexico on Thursday and is going for Ecuador in the tournament overall, was lucky enough to get tickets to a game between Ecuador and Germany at MetLife in a few weeks. “It’s a dream come true watching the World Cup,” at home in New  Haven and nearby New Jersey, Cedillo said.

At the 2010 World Cup, Mexico and South Africa also played the opening match of the tournament. Brother and sister Danny and Kat Gomez said they think the repeat match-up is a “sign,” adding that they were excited the opening match featured Mexico, playing in Mexico City. 

Mexico tied South Africa 1-1 in the 2010 opener. But the first match of this year’s tournament, they won: 2-0. 

Cousins Javier Hernandez (left) and Victor Tepi (right) wore Mexico jerseys to Thursday’s watch party.