The World Cup may have moved on from Philadelphia, and the United States may have bowed out of the tournament, but the FIFA Fan Festival in Lemon Hill is bringing in events designed to keep the party going.
As 10 days and eight nations remain in the World Cup, the Fan Festival’s commitment to remain open for the full 39 days of the tournament begins Sunday with four concerts, including pop star Bebe Rexha (July 17) and world-renowned electronic DJ Deadmau5 on July 16.
Typically, a Deadmau5 ticket starts at $85, according to secondary market sites. His concert, and the others, are free; fans just need to register on FIFA’s Fan Festival website for a daily ticket. Access into the festival is on a first-come, first-served basis with a max capacity of 15,000 people.
“Deadmau5 has shaped electronic music with his level of production and technicality. Bringing his unique live performance style to FIFA Fan Festival Philadelphia is something special,” Michael DelBene, executive producer of FIFA Fan Festival in Philadelphia, said. “We truly believe there is something in this lineup for everyone and we hope to see visitors and Philadelphians alike come out and join us at Lemon Hill for their favorite act.”
Moar Free Shows 'n' Stuff
♦️ Thursday, July 16 ♦️ 7 PM ♦️ Lemon Hill, East Fairmount Park
— FIFA World Cup 26 Philadelphia™ (@FWC26Philly) July 9, 2026
In addition to Deadmau5 and Rexha, singer-songwriter Wisin performs on Sunday, followed by the return of the All-American Rejects, a pop-punk band that was one of the early acts at the Fan Festival on June 13.
With the World Cup set to end July 19, DelBene and Philadelphia Soccer 2026 noted that there could be further acts to come in addition to local artists, “cultural organizations, and community groups.”
FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill Park as seen capacity crowds during the World Cup. They’re hoping that continues with a slate of free concerts next week.
FIFA Fan Festival free concert schedule
Sunday, July 12: Wisin, 2 p.m. (Festival gates open at noon and close at 4 p.m.)
Monday, July 13: All-American Rejects, 7 p.m. (Festival gates open at 5 p.m. and close at 9 p.m.)
Thursday, July 16: Deadmau5, 7 p.m. (Festival gates open at 5 p.m. and close at 9 p.m.)
Friday, July 17: Bebe Rexha, 7 p.m. (Festival gates open at 5 p.m. and close at 9 p.m.)
The storylines behind this game are numerous, and on Sunday, the biggest got heaped on with the news that Folarin Balogun, America’s top striker, had his red-card suspension pardoned and is available for selection.
When the U.S. men’s national team kicks off against Belgium on Monday, the group will look to get into the quarterfinal rounds for the first time since 2002. Standing in the way is a reinvigorated Belgian side, coming off a come-from-behind win against Senegal in the round of 32.
Folarin Balogun is back for selection to Mauricio Pochettino’s 26-man U.S. roster after his red card suspension was overturned by FIFA.
But standing firm is the return of Balogun, whose red card suspension was overturned on Sunday, with FIFA deciding to lift his one-game match ban to much shock and awe.
Rumors continue to circulate about why FIFA lifted the ban, considering U.S. Soccer was unable to initially appeal it, but American fans will take the bonus of head coach Mauricio Pochettino having his full 26-man roster to choose from against a Belgian team entering undefeated in this World Cup.
Still, Belgium’s winning ways haven’t always been the most spectacular, which gives many the idea that the U.S. has a very good chance of knocking off the Belgians, particularly on home soil, in front of what’s expected to be a raucous crowd in Seattle on Monday night (8 p.m., Fox29). It’s particularly why oddsmakers have the United States as a slight favorite, and why we gave this one some serious thought before offering our predictions.
Decisions have consequences, and not always the ones you want.
Yes, the U.S. now has its top striker available to play in the biggest game in team history. But FIFA’s shocking decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s suspension will have also given Belgium all the motivation it needs to finally play up to its talent.
Belgium might be the most maddeningly inconsistent of all the major European national teams. The Red Devils are loaded with stars, as they showed off in routing the U.S. 5-2 in Atlanta in March; but they’re just as capable of the lifeless ties they played against Iran and Egypt in the group stage.
I thought the 5-1 rout of New Zealand in the group stage would wake them up, but then they were awful against Senegal until that late rally. Rudi Garcia might not be a great manager, but any coach should be able to fire up a team in a situation like this.
Until FIFA’s decision, much of the world was enjoying this U.S. team’s run. Now they’ll turn against the co-hosts, and not even the crowd in Seattle will be able to stop that. Nor will it be able to stop Belgium from knocking the Americans out of another World Cup.
Having Folarin Balogun back is a huge plus for the United States, but let’s keep focus on Belgium here for a bit. For all the people who suggest that this Belgium team might not be as good as advertised, it’s undeniable that this team hasn’t lost in international play since the first leg of a UEFA Nations League match against Ukraine in March 2025.
Against Senegal, despite being down 2-0 for much of the match, the Belgians came in waves with midfielder Youri Tielemans being the catalyst behind relentless runs that culminated in two goals, one of which was the game-winner in overtime. When the U.S. hosted Belgium in a tune-up match before the World Cup, it was the Americans who got tuned up behind a 5-2 defeat.
Is there a belief that the final score will be that bad again? No way. But even with Balogun, given the results Belgium amassed, it’s hard to see the road continuing for the U.S. past Monday night.
The U.S. should like its chances against Belgium a lot better after FIFA put Folarin Balogun’s one-match red card suspension on hold Sunday afternoon, making the Americans’ top striker available for Monday’s round of 16 match.
Without Balogun, who leads the U.S. with three goals in the tournament, the situation against the Belgians looked dire. With him in the lineup, the States could challenge a Belgian side ranked No. 9 in the FIFA rankings.
Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne is one part of a three-headed Belgian monster who knows this American group all too well.
Still, it will matter which version of an inconsistent Belgian team shows up on Monday. The Belgians looked lifeless through 85 minutes of their round of 32 match against Senegal before producing two goals in the game’s final five minutes to force extra time, where they found a winner from the penalty spot.
Romelu Lukaku, Thibaut Courtois, and Kevin De Bruyne know what it takes to beat the U.S. in the knockouts, having done so in the 2014 edition of the tournament. Belgium’s aging stars will be desperate to keep their final attempt at World Cup glory alive. Will they be able to do so against a confident U.S. team buoyed by the return of their star striker? It should be close.
And for the first time in the history of the U.S. men at the World Cup, it might come down to penalties. If it gets there, I think the Belgians will have the advantage.
Prediction: Belgium 1, United States 1 (Belgium wins, 4-2, on penalties)
Three weeks of World Cup excitement in Philadelphia came to a close on Saturday, but not before an announced sold-out crowd of 68,324 sat through 100-plus degree temperatures to watch France move on to the quarterfinals following a 1-0 defeat of Paraguay.
When the final whistle blew, it capped Philly’s first-ever hosting of the men’s World Cup in what was just the second time it’s been played on U.S. soil. Over the course of those weeks, Philadelphia became the world’s playground as our parks were used as staging grounds for thousands of fans, bars and restaurants catered to people from all over the world, and city landmarks received global attention.
The moments the World Cup brought were innumerable, but we compiled a list of the Top 10 takeaways as the lights move away from Philadelphia Stadium and continue at FIFA’s Fan Festival at Lemon Hill, which will keep the party going as the tournament inches closer to a thrilling end at New York/New Jersey Stadium on July 19.
Party on the Orange Line
SEPTA pulled out all of the stops — literally and figuratively — getting thousands of fans to and from Philadelphia Stadium courtesy of both local and express trains on the Broad Street Line that ran frequently and, for the most part, safely and efficiently, with scores of transit police and other officials at the stations.
But while SEPTA deserves a job well done, the heroes are the fans who routinely brought the party on the rides to and from the stadium. For just $2.90, fans heading down were subjected to singing, drums, flag waving, and a whole lot of hugging and high-fiving, whether you wanted it or not. The pre-party might have been at FIFA’s Festival or Stateside Live!, but it was also on many of the matchday trips southbound to NRG Stadium.
On the eve of the FIFA World Cup Group C match between Brazil and Haiti, this fan left a Spanish and English soccer jersey at Rocky’s feet on the Art Museum steps on June 18.
Rocky statue became World Cup lore
World Cup fans not only embraced Philly culture but also embraced our city’s sports culture and its superstitions. No proof of that was bigger than how nations took to the curse of placing a team jersey on the Rocky statue. Ecuador kick-started the notion, and their team lost, causing the planner of the moment to make a public apology.
The Ecuadorian team jersey on the Rocky statue was made by a fan who wanted to bring good luck to his team. That fan later issued a public apology after Ecuador’s loss.
Still, news of our city’s statue went viral and has now become a fan phenomenon, regardless of sport, worldwide.
Members of the Ivory Coast national soccer team react to fans during an open practice at Subaru Park in Chester on June 12.
A second home for the Ivory Coast
The love affair of the Ivory Coast needs to be studied because for the two weeks that the team took up residence at the Hotel DuPont in Wilmington and trained at WSFS SportsPlex and Subaru Park in Chester, they became family. People cooked special meals for the team, fans were buying their signature bright orange jerseys, and they were yearning for autographs at team training sessions.
In return, Ivory Coast advanced to the knockout rounds by winning both of its matches in Philadelphia, against Ecuador and Curaçao. Always remember that the team earned its first-ever trip to the knockout stage via a path forged through the Greater Philadelphia Region.
France’s Kylian Mbappé, reacts after a foul by Paraguay’s Andrés Cubas during the first half Saturday’s round-of-16 World Cup match at Philadelphia Stadium.
Red, white, and blue on July 4
It wasn’t the red, white, and blue of our nation’s colors, but it was somewhat symbolic that those were the colors of the two nations that faced off in Philly’s final game on a day that celebrated America’s independence.
On one side, there was France, a nation whose efforts in America’s independence are well-documented, which arrived with a team viewed as one of the best in the world, with arguably the world’s best striker, Kylian Mbappé.
On the other side sat Paraguay, a nation the U.S. men’s national team has beaten twice in less than a year: first in its Group D opener, then in a friendly last November at Chester’s Subaru Park.
A fan heads for shelter as rain falls at Lincoln Financial Field during a World Cup match between France and Iraq on, June 22.
Singing (and shopping) in the rain
Sure, it was hot, muggy, and wet, but France’s first match in Philadelphia, against Iraq, won’t soon be forgotten. Two storms, one right after the other, soaked Philadelphia Stadium and caused a delay of more than two hours. But while some actually decided to leave, believe it or not, the fans who stayed sang, cheered, and found ways to stay cool and dry.
How? Well, how about ravaging the concourse levels for food, drink, and memorabilia, leaving many concessions out of food and drink by the time the game resumed, and the official FIFA store on the main concourse looking like it got hit by a tornado?
It’s tough to put into words how to describe all of the vibrant colors on display during the three weeks of the tournament. Fortunately, a team of Inquirer photographers not only attended every match, but also were around town capturing moments showcasing the rabid fandom and excitement the World Cup delivered.
There to help
They wore neon green, light purple, and dark blue. They were comfortable being in the backdrop, but seemed ready to step up and support at a moment’s notice. In addition to the familiar faces of fan service representatives on any given Eagles gameday, the thousands of FIFA volunteers scattered both in and out of the stadium and at the FIFA Fan Festival brought a level of comfort simply by being there.
But the great part is that to many of them, it wasn’t just a job. They, too, seemed to be soaking in Philly’s moment in soccer’s sun, or dancing during the rains that fell for some of it, too.
Fan service representatives Robin “Miss Robin” Carter (left) and Maura Jacquinet were dancing in the rain during the delay for the June 22 match between France and Iraq.
And when you remember that mostly unpaid volunteers did much of the work, often through six- to eight-hour shifts, a special hat tip is due to those who helped make the event memorable for hundreds of thousands in attendance.
Fans pack the Broad Street Line ahead of the World Cup game between Brazil and Haiti on June 19.
Brazil vs. Haiti was a vibe
Probably the one match in Philadelphia where the game didn’t matter, the party started the night before with Brazil fans taking over bars, restaurants and the steps of the Art Museum in advance of their match against Haiti. The next day, whether it was on the train, in the parking lots, or once inside the stadium, both Brazilian and Haitian fans alike decided to make the game one big party.
A fan looks on with delight during Brazil’s match against Haiti on June 19.
Money was no object in Philly
In what amounted to the most expensive edition of the FIFA World Cup to attend, ever, fans still found a way to pack Philadelphia Stadium. In all, five of the six matches held in Philly were announced as complete sellouts of 68,324 in attendance. Only the match between Ivory Coast and Ecuador didn’t deliver a sellout crowd, and the margin was just 50 people. The average get-in ticket for a group-stage match on secondary market sites in Philly was $703, according to Front Office Sports.
“It’s been an expensive summer,” said Susan Richman, who attended two matches in Philly with six other family members. “I think all in all we’ve spent close to $15,000 [on tickets]? But for us to say that we’ve attended the World Cup in America is something that personally, I’ll always remember.”
Brazil fan Maninhu and Haitian fan Greguity met at the World Cup match in Philly between Brazil and Haiti. Both said they’ve become “best friends” in the process.
Fans becoming friends
One of the things that this tournament has conveyed is that humanity isn’t gone, as much as our social media algorithms would love us to believe. The colors that have mattered throughout the World Cup have had nothing to do with the color of someone’s skin, or where they’re from. The colors that have mattered have been the ones on the jerseys that have passed through Philadelphia Stadium, ones that have allowed us to ask questions of others, to get to learn more about them, their culture, their nation’s history.
Fans play a soccer game at the base of the Art Museum steps ahead of the FIFA World Cup Group C match between Brazil and Haiti on June 18.
It’s why money was no object to be in that moment, why a bucket list was fulfilled. In the end, that commonality undoubtedly found that strangers become friends, and friends become family, using sport as a connective tissue. In the end, that just might be the greatest takeaway from the three weeks in which the world’s greatest game made a pit stop in Philadelphia.
“This is wonderful for Philadelphia and wonderful for America, welcoming everybody into this beautiful country,” Ivory Coast native-turned-Philadelphian Ahmadou Dia told The Inquirer recently. “The World Cup, the football itself, brings every country, every single person, together regardless of color. It doesn’t matter what you look like, because on the field or in that stadium, we’re family.”
Honorable mentions: The turf laid down at the bubble field at Fan Festival … The Bank of America charm bracelets everyone went wild for at Fan Festival … The VFA-11 and VFA-81 flyover at Philadelphia Stadium on July 4. … Free rides on the Broad Street Line after the game … Ghana and Paraguay fans remaining in the stadium for over an hour after their matches to soak it all in … Lines of fans outside team hotels … The rooftop terrace at Stateside Live! on any given matchday.
Going solely off paper, the U.S. men’s national team has the talent to defeat Bosnia and Herzegovina and advance to the FIFA World Cup’s Round of 16. Oddsmakers all over have the United States winning and have even built parlays around the notion.
When the U.S., No. 15 in FIFA world rankings, plays No. 61 Bosnia in San Francisco on Wednesday (8 p.m., Fox29), it will be the U.S. seeking its first win in the knockout stages since 2002. During the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022, the USMNT lost 3-1 to Netherlands in the round of 16.
This is Bosnia’s first knockout-round appearance and just the second time qualifying for the tournament since its debut at the 2014 edition in Brazil.
This feels ripe for the taking. But again, this World Cup might go down as one of the most shocking in recent memory with teams in the knockout stage in their first-ever World Cup (see Cape Verde) and some even needed a playoff game to even make the tournament (see Democratic Republic of Congo). To equate this to casual American fans, this is March Madness, this is Florida Gulf Coast’s Sweet 16 run circa 2013, or tiny Fairleigh Dickinson knocking off No. 1 Purdue in 2023.
Weston McKennie (8) has been one of the U.S. men’s national team’s toughest players in this World Cup.
It’s been a must-watch because the underdogs are bringing it. What does that mean for the United States, a team that showed dominance through the group stage but is coming off an eye-opening loss to Turkey entering the knockout phase?
Did that loss recenter these players, and they’re ready to show what they learned against a Bosnia team happy to still be in the fight? Or will there be a World Cup-ending theater late on Wednesday night?
Our team of writers take a look at the matchup and the tournament at large to offer where they think this one will end up.
I know it will shock all of you that I’m a cynic by nature, not just profession. The stakes for the U.S. losing this game are almost higher than for winning it, because everything the program has done for the last eight years — not just since 2022 — goes up in smoke if they go out now.
Meanwhile, Bosnia is on house money, and I can only imagine how many emotions will be in Esmir Bajraktarević’s mind as he plays against the nation he used to represent. But in the end, the U.S. has the better talent and should have another electric home crowd behind it in the Bay Area.
That’s good for one goal, and a first-choice starting lineup (even if the bench isn’t full) is worth another.
Prediction: United States 2, Bosnia and Herzegovina 0
Bosnia’s Esmir Bajraktarević (left) was in the U.S. youth system before committing to playing for Bosnia in the World Cup.
How this plays out for me is largely determined by the lineup U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino puts out against a really big, physical Bosnia team that bullied its way to four points against Canada and Qatar after shaking off a 4-1 beat down to Switzerland in its second game of Group B.
There are guys who need to be on the field for the U.S. in the biggest moments. Chris Richards is one of them. Tyler Adams is another, and obviously, a healthy Christian Pulisic and locked-in Matt Freese make the difference.
Plus, moving to the next round on U.S. soil, on the West Coast, where the Americans have already found success, feels natural. Frankly, they should want it more. So if we’re talking about what’s at stake for the U.S. vs. what Bosnia stands to gain, it’s tough to see how this American contingent doesn’t take that into account, play the best 11 of the 26, and move on. But I’ll hedge that it won’t come easy.
Prediction: United States 1, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 (U.S. wins 5-4 on penalty kicks)
Folarin Balogun (left) is all smiles during the U.S. national team’s practice at Great Park in Irvine, California, this week.
Key American players like Adams, Folarin Balogun, and Tim Ream watched from the bench as the U.S. conceded a 98th-minute winner to Turkey in the USMNT’s group stage finale.
But since the Americans had already secured the group and a place in the knockout rounds, the worst the loss could do was produce a temporary sting. Now, a loss could end it all. The U.S. will need to follow up a strong group stage performance with its second-ever win in a knockout game at the World Cup.
A win in the expanded knockouts wouldn’t quite have the magnitude of the “dos a cero” round of 16 win over Mexico in 2002, but knockouts are knockouts.
The U.S. has played confidently at this World Cup, something it will need to continue to snap a 10-game losing streak against European sides. The Bosnians will be a tough test, but a well-rested American team should overcome its recent form against Europe.
Prediction: United States 2, Bosnia and Herzegovina 0
Philly’s bundle of group stage matches ended Saturday night as Croatia battled to a 2-1 win against Ghana that saw them leapfrog the Black Stars to finish second in Group L, culminating a thrilling two and a half weeks of soccer.
Now, Philadelphia Stadium gets a week’s respite before the final game the city will house, one that could shape up to be the biggest soccer match in the history of the Lincoln Financial Field; which is saying a great deal considering the building opened with a massive match between European giants Barcelona and Manchester United in 2003, and has hosted other memorable club and national team games in the years since.
When Philly plays host to the round of 16 match on July 4, it will host the winners of two matches between Germany and Paraguay, who face off in the round of 32 on Monday (4:30 p.m., Fox29), and the winner of France and Sweden who play In the round of 32 on Tuesday (5 p.m., Fox29).
Both Germany and France, who won Group E and Group I, respectively, are the presumed favorites, which would make for a massive showdown in a push for the quarterfinal rounds beginning July 9-11.
“I won’t be here for it, but that would be a fantastic game if it were to work out that way, especially to have the chance to have France back here one more time,” said Susan Richman, 43, who grew up in Philly, but now lives in Chicago and has stayed with her “soccer-crazy” relatives all week. Saturday’s game was the second inside the stadium for Richman, who works in finance and was in the house for last Monday’s rain-delayed match between France and Iraq.
After storms caused a delay that lasted over two hours, it was France that put that match to bed, behind two goals from Kylian Mbappé and cherry on top from Ousmane Dembele for a 3-0 win.
Nikola Vlasic (13), celebrates after scoring Croatia’s second goal against Ghana during the second half on Saturday at Philadelphia Stadium.
“It’s been an expensive summer,” laughed Richman, who was there on Saturday with her sister and their family. “I think all in all we’ve spent close to $15,000 [on tickets]? But for us to say that we’ve attended the World Cup in America is something that personally, I’ll always remember.”
Ticket prices on FIFA’s official marketplace have yet to go on sale, but on secondary markets like StubHub, cheap seats as of Saturday night began at $1,986. There’s been a bit of trepidation with secondary markets tickets as fans have purchased only to find out at the gate that their tickets won’t scan.
Did Croatian fans debunk the Rocky curse?
The red and white of Croatia’s colors spilled throughout Center City on Friday night as the biggest demonstration saw fans take over a large stretch of the Parkway, singing, dancing and even setting off a few smoke bombs.
However, following Croatia’s win, a supporters group called Mi Hrvati (We Croats), alongside the support of Arena Casino, held a secret gathering on the steps of the Art Museum and claimed to have placed a jersey on the statue of Rocky at the top of the steps on Friday evening in advance of the game.
A bold strategy, considering that it’s been widely reported that fans placing their team’s jersey onto Rocky historically hasn’t worked out in their team’s favor. Ecuador fans found that out before Philly’s opening match on June 14. The word was so widespread that in the match that followed, Brazilian fans brought their own partition and security detail to deter anyone who attempted to do the same before its match against Haiti.
However, Mi Hrvati claims its decision test the theory came “in secret” as they “did not want to create the story before the match,” a release supplied to The Inquirer claimed, adding, “We believed in Croatia and waited for the result. After the victory, we can say that the Rocky Curse has been broken. This is a fan story to remember.”
Croatia will face Portugal in its round of 32 match on July 2 in Toronto.
Another announced sellout crowd of 68,324 packed Philadelphia Stadium for Saturday’s Group L finale between Croatia and Ghana.
Croatia-Ghana brings the crowd
Saturday’s match boasted another sellout crowd of 68,324 at Philadelphia Stadium, the fourth announced sellout by FIFA in the five matches that have come through Philly. The game, a very pro-Croatian crowd, still had a sizable contingent of Ghana fans.
It was yet another match that would ensure FIFA sets a new all-time attendance record for the World Cup, a feat it announced Friday it had already surpassed by the time Thursday’s match in Philly between the Ivory Coast and Curaçao took place.
Saturday’s match result dropped Ghana into a third-place slot and it will face Group K winner Columbia on July 3 in the round of 32 in Kansas City.
That notion was an interesting potential matchup for Ghana fan Quinton Ayton, who attended Saturday’s match. Ayton, who sat in Ghana’s raucous supporters section between sections 110-111, said that he’s ecstatic that his team was headed into the knockout phase.
“Hey man, we’re here and win or lose it’s just great that this team is doing what they’re doing,” said Ayton, who lives in the Elmwood Park section of the city, said. “To get the opportunity to see my country play so close to home was a dream. An expensive dream, but a dream.”
When asked how much he spent on his tickets, Ayton said, laughing: “I can’t give a price, my wife will kill me, just know it was worth it to see them play in Philadelphia.”
When Ghana closes out its final group stage match of the World Cup in Philadelphia against Croatia on Saturday (5 p.m., FS1) it’ll mark the West African nation’s first return to the region since it became a piece of Philly soccer lore 14 years prior on a rainy night in Chester.
Fresh off a run to the semifinals in the African Cup of Nations in 2012, Ghana booked a trip to America to take on Chile in an exhibition match at Subaru Park, which at the time was known as PPL Park. The match, scheduled in February, already had a chill to it, but it was amplified by a driving rain that didn’t let up the entire game.
The first half saw Ghana head into the locker rooms at halftime up, 1-0, after a goal by young midfielder Richard Mpong gave the tiny but loud Ghanaian support plenty to cheer about.
Former Chile and European club star Alexis Sanchez collides with Ghana’s John Pantsil during a 2012 friendly at Subaru Park (then names PPL Park) in Chester.
Typically, a soccer halftime lasts 10-15 minutes. But this time during a pouring rain, fans were treated to a mini-concert by a Ghanaian hip-hop group and virtual games on the stadium’s video board.
But then 20 minutes passed, then 30. Fans were made to believe that it was due to the rain that the match was delayed. But what transpired in Ghana’s locker room had nothing to do with Mother Nature.
It had everything to do with the match promoter failing to make it rain an alleged $125,000 to Ghana’s team. A sum that doesn’t seem like much when you consider that if the amount went only to the 18 Ghanaian players who made the trip, it was less than $6,950 per player.
However, according to the official (and a few unsubstantiated reports), the team was adamant that if the game’s promoter didn’t pay the full amount of their appearance, the team had planned not to return to finish the match.
A high-ranking stadium official who chose to remain anonymous confirmed to the Inquirer that there was a definite “tense situation” going on in the locker rooms, and while they were in the arena that night it was unclear that the issue involved an unpaid Ghana team until much later.
Chile’s Matias Fernandez (center) and Ghana’s Richard Mpong, seen battling for the ball here, were the two goal scorers on the night for their respective clubs.
Coincidentally, according to a 2012 report from Modern Ghana, the match was moved to PPL Park because the promoter failed to secure a venue in New Jersey, due to the “high costs” of the venue.
“There was definitely some type of dispute, and it definitely was some type of issue with the promoter,” the official recalled. “The second half didn’t get underway for some time, and I don’t think fans knew what was going on, but it was heated in the locker room for sure.”
The official, who has firsthand insight into the proceedings of how these matches are typically set up, explained that there are promoters who arrange these international matches and will arrange a sort of half-now, half-later deal with smaller-level international clubs, using the proceeds from the match to close out the deal.
Plenty of pro-Ghana fans stayed through a driving rain that swept across a chilly February night in Chester in 2012 when Ghana played Chile in a friendly.
“Look, I don’t know the ins and outs of this particular night, and it was so long ago, but I do recall it being a very sketchy scenario,” he said. “A lot of times, they’ll look to use the arena, promote the two nations but then ask for like 1,000 consignment tickets, thinking that if they can hand out a handful of free tickets, they’ll recoup out of the arrangement what people might spend in the stadium.”
They added that there are a handful of promoters who handle friendlies today in the same manner. It doesn’t affect the venue, who offers a going rate to rent the facility and its amenities for the match, and once that’s paid, the rest falls on the promoter to turn a profit as they see fit.
“But yeah, there was some type of financial dispute where I think the Ghanaian Federation, the [team’s] manager or somebody felt like they weren’t compensated enough in advance of the game and to them, that was like the last straw,” he said. “It was like, ‘Okay, screw it. We’re not coming out.’”
Eventually, after a halftime delay that lasted over an hour, Ghana did emerge and play the second half. It would end up finishing the match with a 1-1 draw after a goal by Chilean Matias Fernandez would even the score off of a penalty kick in the 75th minute.
On Saturday, Ghana will return with a 26-man roster featuring none of the players or manager who were on that roster in 2012. The game is in a much bigger arena and the stakes are higher as a win will secure Ghana a chance to move to the knockout rounds out of Group L and depending on how scorelines from other games shake out, could even see the nation win the group.
Ghana has yet to lose a match in this World Cup, defeating Panama in its opener, 1-0, followed by a thrilling scoreless draw against group favorites, England on Tuesday.
With the group stage still going strong, FIFA has already set an all-time World Cup attendance record, and Philadelphia has been a major part of that.
Following Thursday’s slate of group stage games, FIFA announced that 3,605,357 fans had attended matches in this year’s expanded tournament of 48 nations vying for the top prize in the July 19 final.
The mark passed FIFA’s previous mark of 3,587,538 fans set in 1994, the last time the World Cup came to the United States.
Philly’s place in all of it hasn’t gone unnoticed as the mark was set during the city’s fourth match on Thursday between the Ivory Coast and Curaçao, which had an announced attendance of 68,324. Across the four matches, Lincoln Financial Field, renamed Philadelphia Stadium for the World Cup, has welcomed 273,296 fans — approximately 7.6% of the total.
“This was incredible, the whole experience is a memory,” said Mustafa Al-Hasani, a fan from Iowa who attended Monday’s rain-delayed Group I match between France and Iraq. Despite the rain, Al-Hasani lauded both the stadium and the city’s hospitality. “Philly’s great, I’ve been here before, but this is an experience I don’t think I’ll ever forget.”
FIFA’s attendance record being surpassed was an inevitability, given that this tournament field expanded from 32. FIFA’s increase in the number of nations means more matches and venues. For this World Cup, 104 games are being played in 16 stadiums across the United States, Canada, and Mexico over the monthlong event.
However, with it being just 14 days into the tournament, this also sets the standard going forward for FIFA reaching an attendance record.
Patrick Murray, of West Chester, Pa., is with his niece Maggie McDermont, 15, and her sister Cecilia, 12 has contributed to Philly having 273,296 fans attend the four matches that have been played in Philadelphia since Thursday.
According to FIFA, stadium capacities have been at an all-time high; here in Philadelphia, attendance at all four matches has been an announced 68,324, which is capacity at the Linc.
That’s a remarkable number when you consider that, with FIFA enacting a dynamic pricing model for the first time in a World Cup, ticket prices have never been higher, including some seats listed in the thousands of dollars in the lower-level seating of stadiums.
Philadelphia has just two more matches. Croatia and Ghana play in Group L on Saturday (5 p.m., FS1), and then on July 4 the city will host a Round of 16 game, between the winners of two games in the Round of 32.
After a pair of electrifying matches in which the United States displayed arguably its most dominant performance at a World Cup, just one more match remains in Group D for the Americans, a primetime showdown with Turkey on Thursday (10 p.m., Fox29, Telemundo 62).
With the U.S. awaiting its round of 32 opponent on July 1, it’s anyone’s guess whom Mauricio Pochettino, the U.S. men’s head coach, will start against Turkey, which has been eliminated from advancing after losing to Paraguay in its second match.
Right now, we know that Christian Pulisic is trying to return to the lineup after missing the USMNT’s 2-0 win over Australia in Seattle last Friday. But will Pochettino trot him out or offer even more rest before the knockout round match?
Christian Pulisic (center) was active in Wednesday’s practice ahead of their final match in Group D against Turkey on Thursday.
It’s what our team of soccer writers weighs in on this week as the U.S. looks to finish strong in a match that matters very little.
I really don’t know what to think about this game, since there are no actual stakes in it.
Sure, it’s nice that the U.S. has clinched first place and will now play a World Cup game with no standing stakes for the first time since 1998. (That one was the polar opposite of this, as the Americans were eliminated from progressing after two games.)
But how much will Pochettino rotate his lineup? Even being out at the team’s camp, it’s tough to say.
It’s also unclear what Turkey will do. A team with lots of attacking talent has taken 62 shots over its two games combined so far, but failed to score in both. Will this be the day they finally find the net? And if so, what will it do for their mentality?
Something tells me that’s coming, and the U.S. had better be ready.
Prediction: United States 2, Turkey 2
Will United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino consider shuffling his lineup to give other players on the roster a chance to start in a World Cup match?
Honestly, after a deeper dive into this one, the question is not so much will the U.S. win, but who will play. This might be a good chance to give players who haven’t seen the field yet the chance to prove to Pochettino that they can be effective in key moments, particularly against a bona fide soccer nation like Turkey, even if this installment of their starting 11 has yet to inspire.
Let’s see a strong performance from Brenden Aaronson and Mark McKenzie, two local guys who cracked the roster but are still looking for their first minutes. Matt Freese has been fantastic in goal, but let’s not forget that his backup is Matt Turner, who was the U.S.’s No. 1 for a while, even under Pochettino.
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) June 24, 2026
This game scratches the itch for those players who have yet to make an appearance. If that’s the mindset Pochettino employs, then motivation alone from those guys should be enough for the U.S. to take three points and finish off a perfect group stage performance heading into next week.
Win, lose, or draw against Turkey, the U.S. is moving on to the knockout round. It’s great news for an American side trying to win its second-ever knockout match in its history, but it’s terrible news for prognosticators.
There’s little way to be sure of who will play for either the U.S. or Turkey, making Thursday’s match as unpredictable as the average Week 18 NFL game.
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) June 24, 2026
Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams, and Folarin Balogun will all sit out on Thursday to avoid getting another yellow card against Turkey.
That said, the sheer quality we’ve seen from the USMNT this tournament (and the lack thereof from Turkey) should equate to another three points for the U.S.
To paraphrase Whose Line is it Anyway?, this is a game “where everything is made up and the points don’t matter.” With the U.S. already clinching first place in Group D and a spot in the round of 32, they can afford to let Pulisic rest his calf.
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Turkey has nothing to play for, except pride. It’s just their second appearance at the World Cup since 1954, and in a game with so many unknowns, the only sure thing is The Crescent Stars will be playing hard to avoid going home scoreless and winless.
Turkey goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir (23) makes a save during his country’s World Cup Group D match against Paraguay. Turkey, which has been eliminated from advancing, has not scored in the tournament.
Turkey certainly hasn’t lacked aggressiveness this tournament, but success hasn’t followed. Through two games, they’ve taken 62 shots, but zero have found the back of the net, the most in a World Cup since 1966, according to the Athletic.
During the second half of France’s dominant win over Iraq in Philadelphia on Monday, the refs worked hard to move the storm-delayed game along, eliminating the second-half water break and adding minimal stoppage time. That feels like the mood of this game — Turkish pride against a U.S. team already looking toward July 1.
Despite the distance and the costs of his airfare, his weekend stay at a Center City hotel, and his lower-level ticket to the match, there was no way he was going to miss the opportunity to see Iraq, win or lose, take on France in the World Cup on Monday.
So when he got to his seat inside Philadelphia Stadium (Lincoln Financial Field, as it’s known to Philadelphians), after months of planning and waiting, after repeated screen refreshes to remain in a queue to buy a ticket during one of FIFA’s early presales, it still almost felt like serendipity.
The torrential downpour that cascaded on and off over the region halted the game for 2 hours, 10 minutes. It also sent poncho-clad fans scattering into the concourses in search of shelter.
And in the aftermath, as it would appear, anything else they could get their hands on.
By the time play resumed a little after 8 p.m., concession stands on the main concourse of the stadium had little to nothing left by way of food and drink.
The popcorn and hot dog concession between Sections 104 and 105? Barren. The Philly Pretzel concession selling twists and nuggets a few sections down? A stadium worker said they sold out in about 30 minutes.
The Philly Pretzel Factory concession had only snack food following the rain delay during Monday’s World Cup match between France and Iraq.
“People just kept coming,” said one worker, who chose to stay anonymous because they weren’t supposed to speak publicly on what their tired eyes just witnessed. “We had this pretty stocked, and that rain delay just cleared everyone out. It’s much the same at every concession stand, if you want to look.”
It’s what Al-Hasani realized as he waited for only a water. Fortunately, the Philly Favorites concession between 104 and 106 was able to oblige.
“I get it,” Al-Hasani said. “There was nothing else to do. You know you’re down here, it’s hot, it’s tight [with people], you can’t go back to your seat because of the rain, so after the singing and the waiting and the singing, people got to do something, so you eat.”
Mustafa Al-Hasani, an Iraq fan who traveled to Monday’s match from Iowa, said that the whole experience in both the match and the 2-hour-plus rain delay is something he’ll never forget.
Judging by the small FIFA team store just outside the southwest corner of the stadium, in addition to eating, fans at loose ends shop. By the look of the lines during the rain and the sight of the store after, fans made it a ravenous way to pass the time.
The store, which has capacity of about 15 customers, was giving people just five minutes in-store so they could offer other people an opportunity, according to a worker. By the time the game finished, shelves were empty, odd-sized jerseys remained on display, and the high-priced World Cup collectibles in the glass behind the counter seemed the only thing in abundance for purchase.
The FIFA Store’s satellite offshoot located near the southwest terrace inside Philadelphia Stadium was mostly bare after a rain delay that lasted more than two hours during Monday’s match between France and Iraq.
“One guy came in, dropped $800 on one sale,” a worker recalled. “It was crazy. We see this kind [of frenzy] for like concert T-shirts here, like I remember people went wild for Taylor Swift stuff when she was here, but this was intense. It felt like people were buying whatever they could get their hands on.”
A request for comment from FIFA regarding the rain and fans went unreturned. Despite many of the concession workers being the same folks you’d see on an Eagles game day — or apparently, a Taylor Swift concert — through its arrangement, FIFA has both naming rights and management of all 16 match venues across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Philadelphia was the only city that experienced a rain delay of this magnitude in the World Cup. In the end, it was France that scored twice more after halftime en route to the 3-0 win, advancing to the knockout stage.
“This was incredible, the whole experience is a memory,” Al-Hasani said. “The rain, the people, the game, all of it. You have to take it all in. Everyone was so nice, [at concessions] you got what you needed if they had it, and I think we were just all trying to get through it together. Philly’s great, I’ve been here before, but this is an experience I don’t think I’ll ever forget.”
By the time you read this, Philadelphia will have hosted two matches in the FIFA World Cup and will be steadfastly preparing for a third in quick succession come Monday.
France, a favorite by many to win the whole tournament, will take on Iraq in the second game of Group I, but if it’s anything like the previous two matches, the game itself will once again not be the story.
Because for the past two games, the attraction has been that of the fans, and the unbridled passion people have for not just a team and its players, but the nation so many have bought jerseys for, the emblem they proudly wear above their heart, or in the middle of their chest.
The heart of Brazil is in Philadelphia ahead of their match against Haiti
This spectacle of what will result in 104 matches of underdogs becoming story lines, a U.S. men’s national team exercising the type of dominance very few expected, has also seen Philly lead the way on the main stage, creating lasting memories for thousands of fans who have flocked to the city, all while becoming lore, in the process.
In the lead-up to the World Cup, the story lines circulated the unforeseen, the question marks that surrounded what the World Cup’s return to the United States would look like.
It came on the heels of perceived rampant greed from FIFA, which enacted dynamic pricing for the first time, sending ticket prices soaring to the highest they’ve ever been. They opened the door for broadcasters to run advertisements midgame, under the guise of hydrating tired players.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino (right) gives President Donald Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize at the World Cup draw last December.
Let’s not forget the lobbying of the sitting U.S. president in the process, going as far as to create an inaugural peace prize for him while his administration destabilized governments and enabled a war in the Middle East.
But look at how quickly all of that has fallen into the backdrop.
Soccer in its purest form has provided an escape for a nation that desperately needed one. And what it’s also proved in the process is that people of different races, colors, and creeds don’t hate each other as much as their social media algorithms might suggest.
Proof was on display right here in Philly in the form of fans who packed the stands over the last two matches.
Fans like Maxence Jeanty, a 41-year-old Haitian native living in Chicago who traveled to Philly from the Windy City, dressed in a suit depicting liberator Jean-Jacques Dessalines, a key figure of the Haitian Revolution.
Maxence Jeanty, 41, a fan from Chicago arrived at the FIFA World Cup game between Brazil and Haiti, dressed as Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the leader of the Haitian revolution.
“When I was growing up in Haiti as a kid, I watched the World Cup, and I’ll never forget watching the 1994 World Cup,” Jeanty said. “It’s been so long that my people haven’t made it to the World Cup that the choice was to choose either Brazil or Argentina [as the nation to support]. But now, we’re stepping on the field as equals, and no matter what happens, we’re stepping on the field as equals. The pride that brings to me and to every Haitian fan here, man, that’s indescribable.”
We witnessed massive gatherings on the most iconic steps of our fair city from supporters who, like Jeanty, boarded planes just to be a part of the moment.
Haiti fans celebrate during Friday’s FIFA World Cup Group C soccer match against Brazil.
Only a week and a half in, the World Cup has become for so many a momentary cure for what ails, the escape we didn’t know we needed. Lifelong supporters hang onto every kick, and casual fans are amazed by the sights and sounds.
Along the way, we’ve met supporters of other nations who’ve never met and have become instant friends. We saw dance parties on subway cars, in parking lots, and in the middle of streets.
Lucas Maninhu, 31, who arrived from New York and was draped in Brazil’s jersey, wanted to introduce me to his “new best friend,” a Haitian man who only wanted to go by Greguity. The two met in the parking lot on the day of the Brazil-Haiti match, struck up a conversation, walked into the stadium, and watched most of the game together.
Brazil fan Lucas Maninhu (right) and Haitian fan Greguity met at the World Cup match in Philly between Brazil and Haiti. Both said they’ve become “best friends” in the process.
“We met tonight,” Maninhu said. “We are here for different teams, but it doesn’t matter, tonight this is my boy. We’re all here for the same reason.”
And look, FIFA knows this. It knows the unifying power this tournament has had on the masses since before the end of the Second World War.
It’s why, despite laying the claim of being “Football for All,” this edition of the World Cup, from a financial perspective, has felt like football for the few.
But those few continue to sell out arenas, flock to stadium stores to buy World Cup merchandise, and drink $7 purified water. Outside the stadium, games are setting broadcast records, and people are filling the bars and restaurants across North America. There’s money to be made all around.
Let’s not forget the FIFA Fan Festivals, the official watch party situated in Philly at Lemon Hill. It’s made that neighborhood a noisy one, but it’s a good noise.
Think about it. At its core, the first 10 days of the World Cup have allowed many Americans to take a sigh of relief, to have something to look forward to, or have on in the background while life is happening in real time.
Cam Gorman, 23, of Gilbertsville, Pa., cheering with Philly Sports Guy Jamie Pagliei (front, center) at the FIFA Fan Festival in Lemon Hill as the U.S. beat Australia on Friday.
Here at home, you can try to equate the fervor to the Eagles winning it all in 2018, and then again in 2024, but it’s a different vibe, because this isn’t about wins or losses. To many fans, this is about the sheer joy that having the sport in their backyard has delivered.
It feels like the reprieve America needed, and Philly’s place in all of it has not gone unnoticed.
