BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A Bakersfield man is heading to Mexico City this week to watch the FIFA World Cup, part of a summer-long plan that includes stops in Guadalajara, Monterrey and Houston.
Javier Llamas flies out of Bakersfield on Monday, with his first stop being Mexico City to watch Mexico take on South Africa.
"I have a three month summer vacation right now, so I'm trying to go out as many games as possible," Llamas said.
The FIFA World Cup is the largest international soccer tournament in the world and is held every four years. This year, the United States, Mexico and Canada are hosting the tournament. 48 teams are competing to be World Cup champions.
After the Mexico vs. South Africa match, Llamas plans to travel to Guadalajara, where he has family, to try to catch another game. From there, he and a friend plan to head to Monterrey before finishing the trip in Houston.
"From there, I have family in Guadalajara, too. So me and my buddy were going to fly to Guadalajara and then try to get tickets to go to that one. But this first one is important. Then if we get to Guadalajara, he's from Tamaulipas, which is the Monterey. So we're going to try to go to Monterey as well. And then from there, I'm going to go to Houston because I have a lot of army buddies in Houston. Someone tried to go to a game in Houston. So I made it a whole summer thing," Llamas said.
Llamas has been saving money for three years to fund the trip, setting aside between \10,000and10,000and15,000.
"I figure if I take at least $10,000- $15,000, you know, that could cover me for all these multiple games and flights and stuff like that," Llamas said.
Llamas is not the only Bakersfield resident excited about the World Cup. Tony Sevilla is also looking forward to watching matches and is rooting for Argentina, the current World Cup champions.
"I'm definitely excited. They're playing here in United States. That's one of the biggest thing for us right now. My favorite team is Argentina. So I'm going for them all the way," Sevilla said.
Sevilla cited Argentina star Lionel Messi as a key reason for his support.
"I've just been a fan of Leon Messi, main main reason. They've been playing good. Last time they won the World Cup as well. So hopefully they could take it home again," Sevilla said.
For Llamas, the trip is about more than soccer — it is about seizing a rare opportunity.
"It's once in a lifetime sometimes, and it won't be in the USA or Mexico for another 20, 25 years, 30 years, right? So it's either now or never," Llamas said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
