Best Of World Cup: Top Fan Moments, From The Messi Duck To DR Congo’s ‘Statue Fan’

Waffle House and Carolina barbecue, the Auburn War Eagle and Boston Harbor boat parties, ranch dressing and bacon-wrapped everything. Welcome to America.

The United States boasts a tremendously eclectic culture, and, let’s be honest, sometimes it’s super weird and inexplicable, even to some Americans. So many things across the 50 states — they each have their own flavor and culture too — are uniquely American, which World Cup fans around the world are discovering as they come to the U.S., perhaps for the first time, for the 48-team tournament this summer. And several fans and fan bases are going viral with their adventures, team pride and sharing of their traditions and cultures too.

But there’s so much more to share and learn about (North) American culture. So we’re rounding up the best and funniest moments as fans learn about the wacky and delightful things the U.S. has to offer — along with their wonderfully unbridled support for their respective teams.

One of the best traditions in soccer is back in full force – partying outside the team hotel of your opponents!

A good night’s rest for any elite athlete is always important, especially on the eve of one of their most important games ever.

Well, Mexico’s fans made sure that Ecuador’s players heard them loud and clear on the night before the teams’ round of 32 game in Mexico City.

The Tartan Army continued to add animals to their fan base, as they hoisted a well-known goldendoodle named Brodie in the air at Miami Stadium.

Prior to their final group stage game against Brazil – which resulted in a 3-0 loss – the Tartan Army showed out in full force, and Brodie was seen as part of the fun.

As Brazil faced Scotland in their final group stage game at Miami Stadium on Wednesday, a familiar haircut resurfaced in the stands. A Brazil fan in attendance was rocking Brazil legend Ronaldo’s iconic haircut.

Ronaldo remains one of Seleção’s most talented strikers of all time, and was widely recognized for his unforgettable haircut he sported throughout his 2002 World Cup campaign.

Brazil is competing in their first World Cup under coach Carlo Ancelotti and are in pursuit of a record-breaking sixth World Cup trophy.

Soccer fans heading to Houston Stadium on Tuesday morning probably had to do a double-take when they spotted dozens of supporters riding horses through the streets.

Ahead of Uzbekistan’s match against Portugal, fans trotted through Houston on horseback and in full armor. The horses symbolized the importance of equestrianism in traditional Uzbek culture.

Supporters could also be seen walking alongside the riders, draped in their country’s flags and colors. Uzbekistan is making its first World Cup appearance since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

DR Congo will have its most recognized fan in the stands when the Leopards take on Colombia in Guadalajara Stadium in Mexico on Tuesday. How will people recognize him?

It’s the guy who will be standing motionless like a statue.

(Photo by Chris Milosi/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Lumumba Vea, whose real name is Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, is known for his statuesque pose with his raised arm during DR Congo’s matches. It’s an homage to Patrice Lumumba, the country’s first prime minister following its independence from Belgium in 1960.

Lumumba Vea (which translates to “Lumumba Stands”) became an internet sensation during the DR Congo’s Africa Cup of Nations run earlier in 2026.

He will be in attendance for the DR Congo’s final two World Cup group stage matches (vs. Colombia on June 23 and vs. Uzbekistan on June 27) after missing the first match against Portugal.

Scotland’s supporters – the Tartan Army – have been all over the United States during the World Cup, and on Monday descended on Miami. With Scotland not playing at Miami Stadium on June 24 against Brazil, there was some time to kill, and the way to do that was at an MLB game to watch the Marlins. The 8,000 supporters marched from a local bar on over to the ballpark, and swelled the ranks of Marlins’ fans in attendance.

And they even brought along some songs, lightly edited to support the Marlins, specifically.

Marlins’ starting pitcher Tyler Phillips was a huge fan of having the Tartan Army in attendance, thanks to the energy they brought. You can hear the difference as he prepares to pitch in the video below.

That’s not just a guess, either. Postgame, Phillips told the assembled media that, “If it was up to me, I would have us paying those people to show up to the games. That was unbelievable. Like from the second I walked out and then up the dugout, I felt it in my chest. It felt great. … And man, if I ever see them, like if I’m ever out there, I got their backs.”

The Marlins are off on Thursday. Maybe since Phillips isn’t pitching again until the weekend he can head out on the road trip to St. Louis a day late, and catch Scotland at Miami Stadium to return the favor.

Norway’s fan base has taken over the spotlight throughout the World Cup, and the momentum doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. The latest viral sensation features fans executing a massive Viking Row right inside NY/NJ Stadium during the broadcast.

The Viking Row holds importance as a vibrant nod to Norway’s historic heritage. On the global stage, it has evolved into a powerful symbol of unity, teamwork, and national pride as the team prepares to make a deep World Cup run.

DR Congo kicked off its World Cup campaign with one of the tournament’s most memorable results so far: a 1-1 draw against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal. But the team was missing one of its key members: Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, better known as “Lumumba.”

One of DR Congo’s most recognizable supporters, Lumumba Vea has become an iconic fan figure thanks to his trademark match day routine. He doesn’t cheer or celebrate. Instead, he stands perfectly still for the entirety of the match.

After missing the match against Portugal due to health and travel complications, Lumumba appears to be on his way to the FIFA World Cup and ready to support DR Congo ahead of Tuesday’s matchup against Colombia in Guadalajara.

Welcome to the party, Lumumba!

What happens when you lead Egypt to its first-ever World Cup victory? You celebrate. Duh.

After helping guide Egypt to a memorable 3-1 win over New Zealand on Sunday night, star striker Mo Salah hit the streets of Vancouver to celebrate with fans. As seen in the video below, Salah danced in the streets and joined in the jubilation of Egypt supporters.

Salah, who is a captain of the Egypt national team, scored the go-ahead goal in the 67th minute of Sunday’s victory.

Egypt is now in a strong position to win Group G, holding a two-point lead atop the standings while also owning a two-goal advantage in goal differential. Next up is a matchup against Iran on Friday night in Seattle.

Yoga and Times Square don’t exactly go hand in hand. Yoga in Times Square with thousands of screaming Norwegian soccer fans really don’t go hand in hand.

A group of people gathered in Times Square on Monday morning for a sunrise yoga session, only to be joined by a sea of screaming Norway fans. Many of the fans even got in on the action, joining the group in various Yoga poses.

Not a bad way to start the day ahead of Norway’s Group I matchup against Senegal on Monday night at New York New Jersey Stadium.

Sometimes, there are goats wearing a Lionel Messi jersey. Other times, there are ducks.

Indeed, we have video evidence of a duck wearing a Messi jersey.

The Argentinian superstar striker is coming off a hat-trick performance in the country’s 3-0 win over Algeria on June 16, which was Argentina’s 2026 World Cup opener.

Next up for Messi and Argentina is a Group J matchup against Austria on June 22.

There are just a few Netherlands supporters in Houston on Saturday, for the match against Sweden. It’s pretty easy to spot them in a crowd, too.

Now imagine that mass of orange heading somewhere, en masse. Not a bar, like Scotland and England have already done a number of times this tournament. But a coffee shop. Why coffee? Well, there’s a pretty good reason for that here.

The Netherlands playing in the same town that there’s a Dutch Bros.? Well that just makes sense.

It’s a party in the U.S.A.

Following a memorable 2-0 victory by the United States men’s national team over Australia, fans rose to their feet at Seattle Stadium and belted our John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”

It was a memorable scene that likely sent chills down the backs of many American soccer fans. The camera flashed from U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino hugging his players to star forward Christian Pulisic, who was forced to miss Friday’s match with a calf injury. The video concludes with defender Alex Freeman — who scored the second goal of the match following a lengthy video review that reversed the call on the field — hugging teammate Malik Tillman.

With the win, the U.S. will advance to the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking the first time they clinched a spot in the Round of 32 before the final contest of the opening round.

Any visit to Philadelphia requires running up the steps in front of the city’s incredible art museum and paying homage to the Rocky Statue (often mistaken for honoring the iconic movies, but actually an homage to real-life boxer Rocky Marciano).

But what fans are learning is there is a “Rocky Curse” if they try to put a jersey on the statue, as Philly sports fans learned long ago. Ecuador fans learned earlier at the World Cup when they draped a jersey ahead of its World Cup opener loss to Ghana.

So Brazil’s fans are making sure not to follow that misstep. In so much, that their main supporters group warned not to put the team’s legendary yellow jersey on the statue. They even brought in security guards to make sure fans comply.

Merlin the duck has been waddling around in a kit during the World Cup, but Mexico has another adorable animal dressed and ready for some football, too. Meet Osito, an eight-year-old rescue dog kitted out not just in a jersey, but in sunglasses designed to look like a pair of Mexican flags, too.

Osito sits in the back of his owner’s bicycle, in a custom dog-bed attachment, riding around making deliveries. But before Mexico’s World Cup match on Thursday the pair stopped and enticed those passing by with the promise of a dog in sunglasses. That’s just giving the people what they want.

Mexico isn’t the only country that added a duck to their World Cup fan base. Scotland joined the fun ahead of their second group stage game against Morocco at Boston Stadium on Friday.

As the Tartan Army’s march took over the streets of Providence, Rhode Island, a duck famously known as “Dawn” or “Donny the Duck” joined the fun with a Scotland flag attached to its back. A week prior, Merlin the duck was seen parading the streets with Mexico’s fan base for their group stage game with South Korea.

The Tartan Army is famously known for their massive Scotland national team fan base that travels the world in support of the team. Following the Tartan Army’s outing at Fenway Park, they recently took over a Boston Brewery and sparked conversations about a sister city partnership between Boston and Glasgow, the capital of Scotland.

While Scotland’s tournament fate resides in two more group stage games, expect to see plenty more of Dawn leading the Tartan Army.

The World Cup excitement is taking over Major League Baseball stadiums, and now Australia is getting in on the action.

Australia has officially taken over T-Mobile Park in Seattle, just a day before it faces the United States men’s national soccer team in World Cup action. Fans are filling the stands, celebrating, dancing, and cheering as they completely take over the section.

With what is expected to be a close matchup on Friday night, it appears Australia’s fans are ready to back their squad and match the United States’ energy leading into the game.

World Cup Fever is taking over North America and American Airlines decided to get in on the fun.

On a Thursday morning flight from Los Angeles to Seattle — the host city for the U.S. men’s national team’s second World Cup group-stage match — every seat was draped with a US soccer jersey and a World Cup-themed care package.

Travelers were able to keep the jerseys, as well as the care packages, and were even wished a “Happy World Cup” over the loudspeaker before disembarking.

The U.S. men’s national team is set to take on Australia at 3 p.m. ET Friday at Seattle Stadium.

Texas is known for having some of the best BBQ in the world, but while the taste is undeniable, you’ve got to know your limits.

One Croatia fan learned his limits the hard way after consuming way too much Texas BBQ during his time in downtown Dallas. The result? No sleep ahead of Croatia’s big matchup against England on Wednesday (4 p.m. ET on FOX).

“Everything is so big. The food is great here, especially the Texas barbeque,” the Croatia supporter said. “We ate so much, we couldn’t sleep all night.”

A classic Texas rookie mistake. Hopefully this fan learned his lesson!

When in Texas, you have to take in what’s one of the must-do traditions – a rodeo at the Ft. Worth Stockyards!

Located near Dallas Stadium, where England takes on Croatia on Wednesday, fans from both teams packed the arena for some barrel racing and calf roping.

It’s also likely those cowpokes heard a rousing and well-sauced rendition of “Sweet Caroline” from supporters of the Three Lions.

Lionel Messi made history on Tuesday night against Algeria, scoring a hat trick while also tying Germany’s Miroslav Klose for the all-time men’s FIFA World Cup goals record.

After the game, Argentina fans were seen bowing together in admiration of Messi. It was more than a 3-0 victory; it was another moment that showed fans around the world are witnessing the greatness that makes Messi so special.

Messi was already widely regarded as an all-time great, but his 2022 World Cup win arguably cemented his case as one of the best the sport has ever seen. Now, as Argentina pursues another title, fans across the stadium continue to show their admiration for a legacy still unfolding.

Norway’s fans have arrived for their team’s opening game against Iraq in Boston, and they’re flaunting their Viking culture in big ways. Or, maybe just in unique ways.

These fans decided to ride up the escalators from Boston’s South Station by rowing up them. It may not be the type of longship that their ancestors used to crisscross the Northern Atlantic, but at least it makes taking public transportation a bit memorable.

Cape Verde’s stunning draw against Spain was worth celebrating (unless you are Spain). It was the debut for the former in the World Cup, and took one of the tournament favorites to the limit. It’s one of the best stories of the early tournament so far.

And now that story includes fans celebrating with goats. Not goat, singular, but plural.

Depending on where you are or what your algorithm looks like, you may have seen Scotland fans putting orange traffic cones on statues. And their heads.

One fan explained it simply to The Providence Journal: “So essentially, there’s a statue in Glasgow where some Scottish people, for a long time, have put a traffic cone on top of it. And it’s just become a bit of an icon.”

The Scotland men’s national team might have left the Boston area for Charlotte following its 1-0 win over Haiti on Saturday, but much of the Tartan Army remained. Countless Scotland fans were at Fenway Park for Sunday’s Texas Rangers-Boston Red Sox game, taking over America’s Most Beloved Ballpark.

One of the most cherished World Cup fan traditions has now made its first appearance at this edition of the World Cup.

As they have at previous international tournaments, supporters of Japan helped pick up litter in the stands following a game – this time after a 2-2 thriller against the Netherlands at Dallas Stadium.

The tradition of Japanese fans helping tidy up the venues after games — which follows a Japanese saying of “A bird that flies never leaves a trace” — became prominent when the men’s team made its World Cup debut in 1998.

The beloved gesture even compelled New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston, who is spending the summer as a FOX Sports digital correspondent covering the World Cup, to participate in the effort.

The scenes in and around Dallas Stadium were nearly all orange before and during the Netherlands’ draw against Japan on Sunday. The Oranje Army took over Dallas, with fans marching across the city.

The Oranje Army was more than the people in Dallas, too. One Oranje kitten went viral during Sunday’s match.

The underdog of underdogs, Curaçao made its World Cup debut Sunday against Group E foe Germany, and while it lost pretty convincingly, 7-1, it had a special moment. Early in the first half of its tournament opener, Curaçao scored its first World Cup goal, thanks to Livano Comenencia, whose shot deflected off Germany captain Joshua Kimmich and found the back of the net.

Fans absolutely erupted, players went wild and 78-year-old Curaçao coach Dick Advocaat couldn’t believe it. What a wonderful moment for Curaçao fans in Houston in their team’s World Cup opener.

UPDATE: The duck’s name is apparently Merlin, and it’s an absolute star.

OK, so this technically isn’t happening in the United States; it’s wonderfully delightful, and we’re here to have fun. The world has a responsibility to protect this duck, who is clearly one of Mexico’s best supporters.

For one confused Japanese fan, it seemed odd to receive chips and salsa while visiting a Mexican restaurant without asking for them. As he wrote: “We have not earned these.”

But that’s the beauty. They are free. And they are bottomless.

So three baskets later, even before his actual food came, a valuable lesson – in courtesy, in life, in honor – was learned. You can agree that this insightful fan has most certainly earned his salsa.

When in the City of Brotherly Love, there is no shortage of historical or cultural sites to visit. But rallying at the iconic Rocky steps is always a special experience, especially when you’re in Philadelphia to watch your team compete in the World Cup.

*cue Gonna Fly Now*

Scotland’s mighty Tartan Army (as the team’s traveling fan base is known) is making itself right at home in Boston, including apparently finding — and loving — the infamous slide.

MORE FANS IN AMERICA

It’s the city that never sleeps, and it’s the fan base that is always partying.

Ahead of Brazil’s opening World Cup group-stage match against Morocco, fans of the five-time champions took over Times Square in New York City.

The last time Brazil played at a World Cup tournament in the U.S. was in 1994, when the team ended up winning it all. So these fans are expecting another stateside trophy. And with Brazil’s last win coming in 2002, there are high hopes that the streak can be snapped this summer.

But don’t count out Morocco, which will be aiming for another semifinal run after 2022. Even rapper French Montana joined the party in Times Square to hype up the fans of the Atlas Lions.

Do you think you miss Rod Stewart?

Some Southern Californian natives might have felt that way this weekend. Stewart canceled his concert in San Diego on Friday night, roughly 40 minutes before he was scheduled to appear on stage, due to illness. However, Stewart was seen at Scotland’s win over Haiti at Boston Stadium on Saturday night. Stewart even posted a video of himself flying to the Boston area ahead of the match on Instagram, while a representative for Stewart told the San Diego Union-Tribune that his illness was genuine.

Who doesn’t love ranch? Come on, it’s absolutely the best. Feel free to disagree, but you’d also be wrong.

An American staple:

Scotland fans seem to be having so much fun in Boston. They’ve also taken over Boston Harbor, complete with a party barge.

The fans even had one of Boston’s finest doing some keepie-uppies – pretty impressive skills there by that police officer!

Earlier this week, one Scotland fan shared his experience trying Carolina barbecue for the first time, and apparently it went so well it’s ruined his life.

He also found Buc-ee’s for the first time. Seems like it went over pretty well.

Buc-ee’s is leaning in, too.

On the penultimate day before the start of the World Cup, German influencer Freddy wound up watching Argentina’s win over Iceland in Tuesday’s friendly at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium.

While Freddy saw Lionel Messi score a goal, he was more mesmerized by the SEC experience. The Auburn War Eagle is included.

He also made it to Waffle House and Taco Bell, among other iconic restaurants.

One of the best parts about Freddy’s trip to Waffle House in Georgia is that he didn’t even go during traditional breakfast hours, as he sat down at 1 a.m and opted for hash browns rather than waffles. But this is really the best way to experience Waffle House anyway.

Drink up.