Alana Schreiber: These days, it feels like everyone is watching the world’s biggest sporting event: the World Cup. For many, this means going to their favorite soccer bar. But if you live in New Orleans, there’s one bar synonymous with the game.
Of course, there are tons of places to watch the World Cup in New Orleans, but Finn McCool’s is the soccer bar of the Crescent City. Whether the games are at 1 p.m., 9 a.m., or even 4 a.m., there’s always a group of fans cheering on their home team.
Fans from around the world introduce themselves
Tidjani Bah: My name is Tidjani Barh, I come from France but I live in New Orleans.
Hugo Fontnel: And I’m Hugo Fontenel, I come from the south of France but I live in New Orleans for a few months.
AS: Tidjani and Hugo are teachers in New Orleans who showed up at 9 am one Wednesday to watch France play Tunisia. And while American fans of European soccer leagues are no strangers to waking up early for matches, for the French fans, this was a totally new experience.
TB: It’s funny, it’s kind of odd to see the game at this time. The games are in the morning! But it’s fun. There’s a French community so we are not alone to support this team.
AS: But while the French community is pretty substantial in New Orleans, other groups don’t have quite as much support for their teams. On the morning of December 1, two men from out of town sat in a Finn’s booth, drinking beer and wearing the checkered national team jerseys for Croatia.
Ivan: I’m Ivan, I’m from Zagreb
Ibraham: And I’m Ibrahim from Split.
Ivan and Ibrahim were visiting New Orleans for a conference. And one of Ivan’s biggest takeaways is just how nice the fans are here.
Ivan: It is a bit weird. I’d say we do have a bit of a problem with that culture in Europe with the hooligans who sometimes ruin the game for other people. But it’s really, really nice to be able to relax with Canadian fans. My sister was just telling me, “Don’t get beat up if you’re watching with Canada,” and I was like, “No, they don’t do that around here.”
AS: In other countries, supporters of one team aren’t even allowed into the other team's bar. But at Finn’s, with four different teams playing, you’ll see supporters of all four countries sitting side by side. And Ibraham says he’s noticed this friendlier fan culture in other parts of America as well.
Ibraham: A couple months back, my friends from Croatia and I wanted to watch a baseball game in Boston against the Yankees. We were checking the tickets and we were like, “Okay, Which side is ours? We googled photos and see that everyone is mixed and we’re like “oh… oh… mind blowing.”
AS: That’s right, to Ibrahim, even baseball’s most contentious rivalry seemed tame.
AS: At the other end of the bar, sat Fayçal Falaky. Originally from Tangier, Falaky says he normally watches games with a couple of Moroccan friends, but that day he was the county’s lone supporter in the bar.
FF: After every game I still talk to friends in Morocco and family in Morocco. Sometimes I definitely want to be there because I’m seeing videos from there, the images, the people in the streets going freaking nuts over there. So yeah sometimes there’s a little bit of that envy.
AS: A sense of homesickness when watching the World Cup was actually echoed among a lot of fans at Finns. Even for those in much larger groups of supporters, like Ana, who is originally from Sao Paulo but has lived in New Orleans for 5 years.
Ana: I definitely miss the whole crowd jumping and screaming. There’s probably going to be people doing samba by now, eating and drinking Brazilian beers. See how people are sitting down? I cannot sit down.
AS: When teams like Brazil and Argentina play, they bring in a solid group of supporters, but it’s nothing compared to when England takes the field.
Sean: I’m Sean, I’m from southeast London. I’ve lived here for 5 years now.
AS: Sean started coming to Finns soon after he moved here.
Sean: I mean it’s great because it’s like a home away from home. A bunch of people from England, Wales, wherever, and come together to watch a sport that not many other people watch in America
AS: And when England fans arrive, not only do they pack the bar, they even bring their own speakers…
England fans sing “Football’s coming home”
AS: No matter what time of day or how rowdy the crowd, one thing at Finn’s stays constant. The owner, Sean Kennedy, sits quietly, usually with a friend or two at a corner barstool.
Sean Kennedy: I’m from a small town in Ireland called Galway. But we’ve lived here over 30 years now.
AS: Kennedy bought Finn’s 6 years ago. And if all the other patron’s thought watching soccer here was different from what they were used to, for Kennedy, it felt familiar.
SK: New Orleans and Ireland are incredibly similar. It’s family, it’s social, people like to have a few drinks together, it’s Catholic predominantly . And the only difference is the weather.
AS: But Kennedy isn’t just the owner of a soccer pub, he’s also a former soccer coach. And having coached teams in the New Orleans area for more than 25 years, he knows the importance of fostering a welcoming sporting community.
SK: We’re open to any team. I don’t tolerate any taunting. I want people to enjoy each other's company, whether you wear a blue shirt or a red shit or a yellow shirt. Everyone should be able to come in for a couple hours, have a couple of beers, and enjoy their teams winning – or even losing in some cases.
AS: Because at Finn’s, it doesn’t really matter who you are cheering for, as long as you’re cheering for your home team.
Cheers for USA, Denmark, France, Morocco, Argentina, Croatia, Belgium, Mexico, Brazil, and England
AS: At Finn McCool’s, I’m Alana Schreiber
