LITTLE VILLAGE — The roar from dozens of fans filled the patio of Little Village’s Osito’s Tap Thursday as Mexico’s national men’s soccer team opened the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 2-0 victory against South Africa.

Community Comes Together

Sporting green jerseys with Mexican motifs, carrying Mexican flags and shirts with Mexican pride slogans, fans gathered for one of many watch parties held across the city — sticking things out even as rain pelted the city.

“The most important thing is we could celebrate our heritage,” said Jonny Bishop, a Chicago-area fan whose parents are from the state of Zacatecas in Mexico.

Osito’s Tap, 2553 S. Ridgeway Ave., bar co-hosted its watch party with Sentido, whose founder, Oscar Castillo, organizes events that celebrate Latin culture.

Fans Show Their Pride

On West 26th Street, vibrant green jerseys lined the sidewalks as fans readied for the opening match. Along the famed commercial corridor — dubbed by many the “Mexico of the Midwest” — street vendors and shop owners offered customers a selection of jerseys, flags, hats and other soccer-themed merch for fans of all ages.

For at least a week before the tournament kicked off, customers have been scouring the goods at Burdeens Chicago’s Little Village location, said owner Gerardo Alvarez. People from across the city and even from other states went to the sports apparel shop searching for jerseys for national teams like France, Germany and Mexico, he said.

Not far away, Jose Nuñez tended to several customers on the sidewalk by West 26th Street and South Christiana Avenue as they searched for last-minute jerseys for their kids, family and friends.

The most sought-after item was the Mexican jersey, he said while surrounded by a sea of soccer jerseys in all sizes and with a variety of designs.

“The game is about to start. They’re going to be watching, so happy, wearing their jersey,” he said in Spanish.

Dozens of happy young fans at Osito’s cheered loudly and celebrated as Mexico’s players scored two goals against South Africa. The first goal came within the first 10 minutes of the game, while the other came in the second half.

Fans chanted “Mexico, Mexico!” and “Ole, ole, ole!” They danced and sang out loud to Mexican songs during the intermission.

When Brian Gutierrez, a native of the Chicago area who is playing on the Mexican National Team, appeared on screen, the crowd celebrated.

“Greetings to Chicago,” a commentator said as Little Village fans cheered on the other side of the screen.

Gutierrez was born in Berwyn and is the son of Mexican immigrants. He played for the Chicago Fire before transferring to La Liga MX team Chivas, according to the Tribune.

Carolina Gallo arrived at the watch party excited to see Mexico play, she said. She learned about the event when her friends shared it in a group chat, and she watched alongside her husband.

The festive atmosphere and community at Thursday’s event are what Sentido organizers planned to bring when they put together a series of World Cup-themed events this summer, Castillo said.

The group hosted three events — Sentido 70, Sentido 86 and Sentido 26 — to commemorate and celebrate the three World Cup events Mexico has hosted. This year, Mexico is co-hosting the event with the United States and Canada.

Mexico’s victory party continued with local DJs playing tunes at Osito’s as fans danced along on the first day of many soccer-filled afternoons in the city.

Original reporting: Block Club Chicago — read the source article.