Argentina wasn’t even going to play, but hundreds of people gathered on Thursday (11) to watch the opening of the World Cup at Plaza Seeber, in Buenos Aires. The excitement about the tournament is reminiscent of Brazil, as is the hope of winning the cup.
Folha followed the ceremony in Buenos Aires that took place at the Azteca stadium, in Mexico, one of the three venues for this year’s World Cup. The other two, the United States and Canada, also had their own openings later.
In this tournament, the brothers may feel more confidence or more pressure, depending on the perspective — Argentina is the current champion after defeating France on penalties in 2022. The fans who were at the capital’s “fan fest”, in the square located in the Palermo neighborhood, seemed to be part of the first group.
“We want to be champions again. We Argentines are like that, we are never satisfied,” says Gonzalo Rubio, a teacher who accompanied dozens of children to watch the opening ceremony. They wore accessories in the colors of the flag, blue and white. “We are always hoping to win, as Brazil is too.”
Student Franco Luraschi is more cautious. “I think we’ve gotten quite used to the fact that, in the years following a World Cup win, the matches are easier. But now, when entering the tournament, you always start from scratch,” he said, while drinking mate on the square’s lawn.
“Many of the starters were injured recently, so we didn’t reach 100%”, he continued, referring to injuries to players such as midfielder Leandro Paredes, striker Julián Álvarez and even star Leonel Messi, who had an overload on his left thigh in May, but already managed to enter the field and even score a goal in the friendly against Iceland.
Argentina plays its first match next Tuesday night (16), against Algeria, in Kansas City.
For Florencia Tolosa, 36, the main issue is the number of teams — 48 teams will play this year, compared to 32 in recent editions. “Now there are more games, more countries competing, it’s not the same as the previous World Cup. But I also think this is a challenge for all teams,” he said.
Her country’s team seems confident in her, as do Argentines in general. But Florencia doesn’t know if the countrymen’s excitement will remain in the face of the capital’s cold. The Argentine capital entered this Sunday (14) with a forecast of a minimum temperature of 3°C and a maximum of 11°C.
“I remember that, at the last World Cup, it was summer, and when Argentina won we went out into the streets to celebrate. Now you might think: ‘With this cold…’, she commented, referring to the date of the last tournament, held at the end of the year to spare the players from the extreme temperatures of the host country, Qatar. “But, on the other hand, the fans are always excited for everything.”
For university professor Margarida Leañez, this World Cup is also the chance to relive the tournament that she considers most memorable: the one that Maradona won, in 1986, also in Mexico. “He was unique. But now we have Messi,” he said of the 38-year-old star.
“There are a lot of expectations for the team, but we haven’t lost hope. We love football,” he said. “If Argentina wins again, I don’t know what will happen in this country. It will explode, I think”, added her friend, fellow university professor Elsa Seliman, who was watching the opening ceremony alongside her.
