BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Hundreds of local soccer fans packed bars and restaurants on Sunday, July 19, for the final game of the 2026 World Cup, with Spain defeating Argentina in extra time to claim the championship.
I visited several different watch parties serving up the last game of the tournament in style — and found that the real winners weren't on the soccer pitch.
Pete Parra was among the fans taking in the moment, surrounded by a mix of jerseys representing different nations.
"Mexico, the United States, those are the two games that mean the most to us," Parra said.
Even with those teams out of the running, the energy was high.
"I was gonna say you got a lot of different jerseys here today. We do, we do. So, uh, we have mixed feelings, but we want to celebrate," Parra said.
Not everyone in attendance was a die-hard soccer fan. Clint Baird admitted he was more of a casual observer — but still showed up.
"You're a big soccer fan. — I'm not a big soccer fan. But you're here. I'm here, yeah, enjoying, enjoying lunch. I actually watched it this year, so," Baird said.
With the tournament expanding from 32 to 48 teams, fans said the larger field gave people a chance to discover new teams and cultures.
"It gives people an opportunity to expand other teams and other cultures, right, and other teams that have never been like Creole to be able to participate in the World Cup," one fan said.
"That's just what the World Cup does. I think ultimately the World Cup brings the world together, so I think it's special... the underdogs make it pretty far, teams that have never been to the World Cup. I think that was pretty cool," another fan said.
Spain broke through in extra time to seal the victory — its 2nd World Cup title. For at least one fan, the moment was made more meaningful by the company he kept.
"Yeah, — first time really watching — it watching it with my son and friends, great times," the fan said.
Nicole Parra said the tournament's impact extended well beyond the final score.
"It's great for our local businesses. They've just seen such an uptake and, you know, people coming out and being together and rooting for just celebrating, um, unity and global community," Parra said.
Many would argue the real winners of the 2026 World Cup were the host nations, local families, and American businesses.
For those who think this year's tournament was a marathon, the next one may be even bigger. The 2030 World Cup will span three continents — South America, Africa, and Europe — and will take 44 days to complete.
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.
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