L.A. residents celebrate Mexico’s historic triple win on group stage and look forward to next watch parties

 The crowd at Casa México in downtown Los Angeles erupted in cheers after the victory of the Selección Nacional Mexicana 3-0 against Czechia on Wednesday night. 

El Tri now moves as the first of the group to the round of 32 matches scheduled to play on June 30 at Estadio Azteca.

Thousands of people arrived at Casa Mexico, inside of LA Plaza de la Cultura y Artes, to enjoy a family-oriented festival. Before the game started, they were able to enjoy several booths with games, free items and food for sale. 

Casa México is the official hospitality venue of the government of Mexico during the World Cup and a space to celebrate history while highlighting the community’s contribution to the city of Los Angeles. 

The Consul General of Mexico in Los Angeles Carlos Gonzalez Gutierrez welcomed the crowd and he predicted Mexico would win 2-0. 

Other guests also predicted several scores, and while they gave different numbers of goals, all of them indicated Mexico would win against Czechia. 

And they were not wrong. The first half went by with no goals. However, the crowd was hopeful and kept yearning for a goal.

By the second half, the three goals were scored; the first one by Mateo Chavez at minute 55, the second one by Julián Quiñones at minute 61 and the third goal by Alvaro Fidalgo just one minute shy of the end of the game in extra time (at minute 94). 

The event continued with music, dance, more food and a great celebration, with people ecstatic that El Tri has now moved to the round of 32.

Where to watch the game

Now that Mexico, in group A, moves to the knockout round, they could face the third-placing team from groups C, E, F, H, or I. Experts are guessing it may be Scotland (Group C) or Ecuador (Group E). The selected team will be announced on June 27.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, people are already looking for the next place to watch the game. 

Casa México will welcome fans for the June 30 game. People need to reserve a free ticket on their website: https://lapca.org/. Make sure to use the code on the pop-up screen.

Outside of Casa México, the crowd will also gather at Placita Olvera. No ticket is needed there, but expect large crowds. 

In LA Live, several locations, including the famous Tom’s Watch Bar, 33 Taps DTLA and Lucky Strikes, will be televising the game. In Hawthorne, Common Space Brewery is featuring the games with 10 large screens and several beer options.  

While L.A. FIFA World Cup fan zones aren’t televising the June 30 game, there are more games that are being broadcast, but tickets are required. You can visit their page to find out the specific matches: https://losangelesfwc26.com/