After the round of 16 exit against England: The Mexican summer fairy tale is drowning in the rain

They believed in it until the end. “Sí, se puede!” it echoed again and again through the legendary arena on Sunday evening. Yes that works. Yes, we can. But after 90 pulsating minutes, two penalties, a red card and five goals, Mexico had to admit defeat. The dream was over. The World Cup was over.

With the dramatic 2:3 against England, not only the team said goodbye to this tournament, but the entire country. Sunday’s thundery, feverish spectacle was also the last game on Mexican soil. And despite all the sadness about the end of the World Cup dream, it was also a fitting end.

“It didn’t feel like a round of 16, it felt like a final,” said England coach Thomas Tuchel after the game. After this evening, many people probably asked themselves why the final wasn’t actually taking place here. This summer, Mexico became the first country in the world to host a men’s World Cup for the third time. This summer, Mexico showed once again that it can throw a football party like no other country in the world.

The dark side of the World Cup was also evident in Mexico

That doesn’t mean that the World Cup went smoothly here or that the ugly sides of this tournament weren’t visible here either. But despite Trump, Infantino, the VAR and all the other horrible scourges of the modern game, this country celebrated a World Cup that left a little bit of faith in the good in football.

Of course that wasn’t the case. Here too, the tournament was politically charged and not without controversy. The Mexican taxpayer had to fork out a lot to end up with a supporting role in a mostly US show. And this at a time when relations with our neighbors to the north are not characterized by ease anyway. For Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum, who inherited the tournament from her predecessor and political rival, the World Cup was always a potential faux pas.

Perhaps this is also why the head of state maintained a healthy distance. While the US government even commented on referee decisions, Sheinbaum wasn’t even seen in the stadium. The tickets are not affordable for normal people, she said. She gave her ticket for the first game to a soccer-loving girl from Veracruz. She also followed the game at a fan festival on Sunday. It is important to her to “be close to the people”.

Discontent in the country – Sheinbaum with sensitivity

The people still had their objections. Whether striking teachers, families of disappeared people or opponents of gentrification: many Mexicans used the tournament to express their dissatisfaction with the state of the nation. It has become clear again and again in the last few weeks that Mexico can also be a complicated and dangerous country. Sunday’s game was also overshadowed by a tragedy: a week earlier, four people died in a crush during the celebrations after the win against Ecuador.

Despite her shyness in front of the stadium, Sheinbaum still showed sensitivity. Because this tournament didn’t just take place in the arenas, but above all on the streets. There, among the taco stands, the viral ducks and the sellers of all manner of counterfeit goods, beat the real heart of this World Cup.

On Sunday, Mexico City was also a symphony of green. The cars started honking in the morning. On every corner there was someone selling jerseys or giant national flags from the trunk of their car. Three hours before kick-off, the fan zone in the city center had reached capacity. Meanwhile, millions of people flocked to the Paseo de la Reforma, where authorities had erected 36 giant screens.

Even the pouring rain and the menacing claps of thunder couldn’t dampen the joy of the afternoon. Kick-off was postponed by an hour due to the storm, but the fiesta simply continued. When the stadium DJ played hits from Oasis, Blur and Queen, there were deafening boos from the stands. That was her party. The English were just guests here.

The defeat left the fans in shock

A few hours later it was the English who were allowed to celebrate. The festival was over. People streamed out of the stadium in shock and shortly after eleven everything was quiet again in the streets. But as coach Javier Aguirre said, the World Cup hosts were still able to leave the tournament with their heads held high. After all, his team played “with the heart of Mexico”.

“It’s very painful when you had so much hope and then you’re eliminated like this,” said the man who will step down after this tournament. “But I want to take this opportunity to thank all Mexicans. Those who came to the stadium and those who couldn’t. These last five games have been unforgettable and I can say goodbye very proud.”

The Mexican summer fairy tale may have ended up drowning in the rain. The World Cup will not have solved any of this country’s many problems. But at least the Mexicans celebrated a festival. And at least in this World Cup country, football was not just a grotesque machine of power and money, but also the great, joyful and human game that it was supposed to be.