Students, spectators and soccer fans flooded the Reitz Union on Sunday to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on the big screen.
The Reitz hosted the free watch party in its atrium beginning at 3 p.m., with UF students greeted with complimentary Celsius drinks, snacks, seating and even a life-size World Cup trophy to pose with.
The event gave fans a public place to experience a phenomenon that takes place only once every four years; and, for fans of these specific teams, potentially far less often.
Amanda Eaton arrived early to support Spain, even though she admits she does not usually consider herself an avid sports-watcher.
“I’m not even a huge soccer fan, but when everyone is talking about it, and you can see all the different countries play, it feels like you have to get involved,” Eaton said. “I’ve watched most of the games this time, and my friends and I like to get snacks that represent the team we’re rooting for.”
Eaton said the tournament’s grand scale helped draw her attention to the competition this year, and she wanted to see Argentina lose since “they won it last time.”
The 2026 World Cup was the first to include 48 nations, up from 32 in previous tournaments. It was also the first time that it was hosted by three countries. The competition lasted six weeks, included 104 matches in 16 cities throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Sunday’s final was played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
But for those watching from Gainesville, the event offered a different atmosphere from watching at home or in a stadium.
“It’s free, it’s on the big screen, and it’s a lot more like you’re at a real event than if I was just watching at home,” Eaton said.
Inside the Reitz Union, tension in the crowd was heavy as both teams remained scoreless for more than 100 minutes, well into extra time.
Spain controlled much of the game, with the vast majority of possession, but brief moments of excitement shook the atrium each time Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano
Martínez made another save. He finished with a record-breaking 12 saves, the most in any World Cup final.
The suspense finally broke in the 106th minute. Cheers and celebrations erupted as Spain substitute Ferran Torres found the back of the net for the only goal of the match, sending about half of the spectators out of their seats and into the air.
This victory earned Spain its second men’s World Cup title, its first having been in 2010, and made Spain the first nation ever to simultaneously hold both the men’s and women’s World Cup titles.
Julio Medina, an Argentina fan, also watched excitedly from the atrium’s lower level. With the United States eliminated and Venezuela, his family’s home country, not in the tournament, Medina said his connection to Argentina came mostly through the team’s superstar.
“Messi ... that’s the one reason I got into the sport in the first place,” Medina said. “I’ve been following the sport for over a decade now, and Messi made me fall in love with this sport.”
At 39, Lionel Messi was attempting to win a second consecutive World Cup after leading Argentina to the 2022 championship. However, Sunday’s match was widely expected to be his final World Cup appearance, much to many fans’ dismay.
Medina said he usually watched matches with family or friends. The Reitz Union watch party, however, gave him the chance to share the final with a larger group, including people supporting the opposing team.
“Having a big community of people, whether they’re supporting rival teams or teams you are going for, it’s kind of nice because you actually get to feel that kind of cool environment,” Medina said. “It feels pretty surreal.”
Spain’s victory ended Argentina’s attempt to become the first men’s team since Brazil in 1962 to win consecutive World Cups. It also closed the largest World Cup ever held, one that brought billions of fans around the globe together to watch what they call the beautiful game.
But for around 124 minutes, that international spectacle felt distinctly local. No matter who fans were rooting for, how many games they watched prior to or what their feelings were after the final whistle, attendees came, stayed and left as Gators.
