Uruguayan fans have been making themselves heard in Fortaleza. Photo / AP
Uruguayan fans have been making themselves heard in Fortaleza. Photo / AP
While the teams attract almost all of the attention, the fans definitely make the World Cup.
Image 1 of 9: Brazilian soccer fans get ready for the start of the group A World Cup soccer match between Brazil and Croatia. Photo / AP
The scenes leading up to this morning's match between Uruguay and Costa Rica were extraordinary. The Uruguayans had taken over downtown Fortaleza, with huge flags and banners draped out of their hotel room windows that line the coastal city.
Late yesterday afternoon, a large group of Costa Rican fans appeared in the beach-front fanfest, and began singing their exuberant songs in support of Los Ticos.
The sky blue-clad Uruguayan fans then came from everywhere, encircling the Central Americans.
Their songs are hard to top — "We are going to be champions again, just like the first time [1930]" — and it was a true festival atmosphere, with no hint of the kind of trouble that can accompany certain European teams.
The two sets of fans, comprised of all ages, then engaged in a prolonged sing-off, each group determined to show they love their country more.
It was a great spectacle. There were supporters of teams not here this time (Sweden, Ireland, Norway, El Salvador), as well as fans who have never seen their team at a World Cup (Finland, Venezuela).
And there were Australians. Everywhere. According to Fifa figures, the Socceroos are the fifth-best supported team at this World Cup. They were upbeat, despite their tough, near impossible group and their 3-1 loss to Chile yesterday.
"Mate, we get to see some great teams and that is what it is all about," one fans said.
The United States lead in terms of visitor numbers, followed by Argentina, England, Colombia, Australia and Chile.
The England fans here seem to vary wildly in terms of expectation. Some are incredibly bullish. "We could go all the way, you know mate," one supporter told me, proceeding to explain that Italy are old, Uruguay don't have Luis Suarez and it's "all lining up".
Others were equally adamant the Three Lions wouldn't make it out of their group and the team would "bottle it again" but they were looking forward to "getting amongst it" and having one hell of a party in Brazil.
Of course, Brazil's fans top the lot. Everyone, from toddlers to grandmothers, can be seen in the famous yellow shirt, usually with Neymar or Fred on the back. Some dedicated supporters for Friday's clash with Croatia dragged their large-screen TVs on to the street, together with a mini-generator and proceeded to gather with fans and neighbours to urge the Selecao on.
Image 1 of 7: Actors perform during the opening ceremony before the group A World Cup soccer match between Brazil and Croatia, the opening game of the tournament, in the Itaquerao Stadium in Sao Paulo. Photo / AP
There are 15,000 volunteers working at this tournament, drawn from a pool of more than 152,000 who applied from around Brazil. Locals, especially in the big cities of Rio and Sao Paulo, have struggled to get match tickets, which is a shame given Brazil's huge contribution to the world game across the decades.
The temperatures here in the far north of Brazil are extreme. It's one thing to read about it, but another to actually experience it.
Mid-afternoon yesterday in Fortaleza, the mercury hovered near 35 degrees, accompanied by what felt like 90 per cent humidity.
It could be a levelling factor and it will be interesting to see how teams such as Germany and Greece cope in the coming days.
Fortaleza and Recife also host second-round matches, and there are quarter-finals in Fortaleza and Salvador.
