As the World Cup comes to North America for the first time in three decades, many children are surprising their fathers with the ultimate gift: tickets to the tournament. For Hayley Rodriguez’s father, a lifelong soccer fan, the opportunity to attend a World Cup game was a dream come true. Rodriguez, 21, and her siblings had been secretly working to score tickets for their father, checking daily to see if they could find a game they could afford.

A Dream Come True

When the World Cup arrived in their city of Los Angeles, Rodriguez’s father had resigned himself to watching the games on television. But his children had other plans. They surprised him with tickets to the Iran vs. New Zealand game, and his reaction was priceless. Rodriguez said her dad, a longtime truck driver, has never been one to treat himself to anything, but the World Cup tickets brought him immense joy.

Other children are also surprising their fathers with World Cup tickets. Diana Figueira, 25, had been chasing tickets since December and finally managed to get them for the Portugal vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo game. She surprised her father, who has rooted for Portugal his entire life, with the tickets and a special message. Figueira said seeing her father’s excitement and joy was the best part of the experience.

A Unique Opportunity

The World Cup has given many immigrants in the United States a rare opportunity to display national pride for both their past and present homes. Sasha Abdallah, 29, surprised her Egypt-born father with tickets to the Egypt vs. Belgium game. Abdallah said her father, who moved to the United States after winning a green card lottery, had never been able to afford a World Cup ticket before. The experience has brought them closer together and created lifelong memories.

Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.