Jorge Espinosa has been a fan of the mexico/">Mexico national soccer team for as long as he can remember. He is looking forward to watching his favorite team compete in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup and — he hopes — make it to the final at MetLife Stadium on July 19.
“I have a lot of hope this year that they can make the final because that would be something beautiful,” said Espinosa, a 19-year-old midfielder for the Ramapo College soccer team, who owns a jersey sent to him by one of Mexico‘s star players, Raúl Jiménez. “New Jersey has a lot of Mexican American fans like me, and I’m sure they would fill that stadium.”
When the FIFA World Cup comes to New York New Jersey Stadium (the temporary name of MetLife Stadium) in East Rutherford, starting June 13, it will happen in a state heavily represented by immigrants from three countries participating in soccer’s biggest event.
An analysis by the American Immigration Council found that three of the top countries of origin for immigrants in New Jersey are Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia.
The tournament officially kicks off on June 11 in Mexico City, as Mexico is one of the co-host countries. The Colombian national team will play vs. Uzbekistan on June 17 in Mexico City. The Ecuador national team will face off against Germany on June 25 in New Jersey.
Espinosa is not the only New Jersey resident with immigrant roots looking forward to seeing their favorite team play in the World Cup.
Espinosa said if he and his father, a native of Mexico, had the money and no worries about the current political situation, they would travel to Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca stadium to see the opening World Cup match.
Instead, his family will watch the tournament in their Oradell home. But if Mexico makes it to the finals, Espinosa would love to be one of Mexico’s fans who watch it in person.
“In terms of their squad, I think they have a very promising squad with a lot of young talent. There is a mix of young talent and some old, experienced players,” Espinosa said.
Espinosa said he would like to see Mexico, with talented young players like Gilberto Mora, face off against either Portugal, led by renowned player Cristiano Ronaldo, or Argentina, captained by superstar Lionel Messi.
However, Espinosa would love to see any World Cup match here if the tickets weren’t so “incredibly expensive.” At the time, a search of World Cup tickets on the ticket reseller StubHub found that one of the cheapest tickets for matches in the Garden State is $460 for Norway vs. Senegal. The cheapest ticket for the finals on StubHub is $8,447.
Melanie Minchala is part of a large family who watched the Ecuador national soccer team over the years.
The 23-year-old teacher and Hackensack resident is elated that her favorite team is in the World Cup. It is coming to New Jersey to play Germany on June 25.
“I honestly feel so proud of them that they were able to make it to the World Cup because in previous years, they didn’t make it or barely were able to get in,” Minchala said. “Whatever we do in this World Cup, I’m just happy that we’re able to make it when other big countries were not able to make it.”
For Minchala, it’s seeing some of Ecuador’s top stars in this major competition, such as Enner Valencia and Moisés Caicedo.
She also would like to see the team get to the finals and be there to witness it or see the club play Germany in June.
“I’ve been looking to see the prices drop because $500 for nosebleeds is kind of insane. I want to see Ecuador, but we’ll see,” Minchala said.
Angelina Parra, a 20-year-old biology major at Ramapo College, lives 10 minutes away from MetLife Stadium.
The Wallington resident and her parents want to see the Colombian national team play in the World Cup finals there, if tickets are affordable.
“We felt really happy. My mom was very happy, as was my cad,” Parra said about Colombia qualifying for the World Cup. “Especially since we are close to the stadium, they’re hoping that maybe Colombia might make it to the finals and they see a game there.”
For the Parra family, it’s seeing top players like James Rodríguez and Luis Díaz on the big stage. Angelina does not have a particular opponent she wants to see Colombia play in the finals.
“Anyone really. But it would just be exciting to see them in a final,” Parra said.
Ricardo Kaulessar covers race, immigration, and culture for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
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