Scenes from the World Cup: ‘Very Hot, Very Clean, Very Expensive’

DALLAS — The morning rain had stopped, giving way to abundant sunshine and rapidly escalating temperatures, when down the sidewalk came a storm of a different kind. An Orange army, their smiles as bright as their jerseys, approaching the 3 million-square-foot spaceship that is Dallas Stadium, nee AT&T Stadium. The supporters of the Netherlands numbered in the thousands on Sunday morning, and they had come to watch their team in the first of what they hope is eight matches between now and the FIFA World Cup Final on July 19.

Amid the throngs taking part in the Orange Fanwalk were dozens wearing the jersey of star center-back Virgil van Dijk, several dressed in orange tuxedoes (complete with top hat and tails) and at least two on horseback, because no army would be complete without them.

As the Orange Legioen made its way down AT&T Way beside the stadium shortly before passing through security, a few fans rested a moment in the shade, including Freddie and Wesley Pouls, a father and son who had come over from Holland for the games, their first visit to the United States. Asked about his early impression of the United States, Freddie said, “Very clean. Very hot. Very expensive.”

Fortunately, neither their flight on United Airlines ($830) nor their tickets ($250 each) were all that unreasonable in the bigger picture. But the costs added up, especially considering they will be traveling to Houston for their nations’ next match on June 20. To kill time, they’ll also be hitting up the stock yards in Fort Worth and a minor league baseball game in Corpus Christi. It will be their first baseball game ever, and so while it’s little surprise they weren’t familiar with the Texas Rangers even as they stared at Globe Life Field across the street, it was a little unexpected to hear they had no idea who the Dallas Cowboys are despite preparing to enter the exalted home of America’s Team.

Nearby, another father-and-son tandem had had a different experience to arrive at their first World Cup game. Martjin Van Overbeek and his teenage son, Jordan, had traveled from their home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Martjin says he was “swindled” by FIFA after paying $220 in December through FIFA’s “Right to Buy” program that promised the payment would allow people the right to purchase tickets. That program has been criticized as only making the most expensive tickets available when the time came. Still, he was committed to watching his home country play in his new country, and bringing his son, who was born in the Netherlands and lived there until age 6, to join him. “It didn’t matter at all where the game was,” Martjin said. “If it had been in Alaska, I would have gone there.”

Ultimately they found tickets for $430 each in early March. That’s slightly more than a trio of Japanese fans who gave only their first names — Jonathan, Jorge and Diego, each 32 years old — paid for their tickets from Mexico City. But it’s far less than what they said World Cup tickets cost in their home country: $6,000.

“It feels like the World Cup is changing the vibe,” said Jonathan of the dynamic pricing model.

Lively Atmosphere

Once inside, the temperature cooled off and the atmosphere heated up. The New York Times reported that there were 1,364 empty seats amid the crowd of 69,285 but it was impossible to tell by the energy level. Combining for a sea of blue and orange that New York Knicks fans would love, the supporters of Japan and the Netherlands created exactly the kind of fervent, patriotic, incessant support FIFA has been banking on to divert attention from any concerns about tickets, travel or sportswashing.

For two hours, it worked, and not just because the match proved to be the best to date in the World Cup, a 2-2 draw in which Japan scored the equalizer in the 88th minute on a goal from Daichi Kamada. “It was a great experience,” said van Dijk, who opened the scoring in the match and acknowledged disappointment at conceding a goal so late that cost his team two points. “It was a big stadium and a good atmosphere.”

Like all good sporting events in an increasingly expensive era, this was a triumph of competition over capitalism. So what if FIFA had taken over the menus at AT&T Stadium, limiting the concession offerings? And if the ticketing apps were a little slow to download, and communication between stadium workers and fans was compromised by language barriers, oh well. Like the 15 other venues across North America, Dallas is here to welcome the world, not repel them. There were no confrontations, just community. It was sports at its finest.

That continued after the game. It was still hot, but outside the venue several hundred fans from both sides lingered, basking in the late afternoon sunshine on a mini-football field. Dutch fans lounged on the fake grass while Japanese fans — some of whom went viral for continuing the tradition of helping clean the stadium after the match — surrounded local TV crews to show off their enthusiasm to viewers back home.

Neither side had won. Neither side had lost. Nobody seemed to mind.

Said Martjin, “It feels like everybody is coming to the game to have a good time.”

FIFA can only hope that spirit lasts for four more weeks.