CSUN students reflect on historic World Cup – Daily Sundial

North America hosted the 2026 FIFA World Cup this past summer with many of the games appearing within California. CSUN Students were able to root on their favorite countries, watch games with friends and experience the excitement of the tournament close to home.

Hosted in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the World Cup wrapped with Spain beating Argentina 1-0 after extra time. The finale was broadcast by FOX and Telemundo, with the combined final viewing statistics totaling over 62.8 million people between both companies, making it the most watched World Cup final and soccer broadcast of all time in the United States.

For some CSUN students, the tournament became an opportunity to step away from everyday responsibilities and connect with others.

Camila Vilches, a second-year student in CSUN’s counseling master’s program, supported France throughout the tournament. While France lost to Spain 2-0 on July 14th, Vilches said watching the World Cup gave her and her friends another reason to spend time together.

“I really enjoyed it. I thought that it brought a lot of unity and I saw myself and others hanging out with friends, maybe more than they would,” Vilches said. “It kind of gave us an excuse to decompress and forget about work and kind of just be together.”

Hosting the tournament in North America also shaped how students experienced the World Cup.

Jackson Williams, a freshman kinesiology major, saw the tournament as an opportunity for the United States to host an event with an international audience.

“I felt like it was an opportunity for us to host something that big of an event because we don’t really have that many sports like that across the globe,” Williams said. “It was a cool thing for us to see, like a friendly match here in the future.”

For senior kinesiology major Edu Murcia, the World Cup was more than something to watch on television. Murcia attended a match at SoFi Stadium for the first time and described the experience positively, but said the cost of attending stood out.

“I had some complaints about it, like the tickets being expensive, everything being overpriced,” Murica said. “I paid like $2,000 for a ticket. It was not even at the bottom, it was like in the middle. It was crazy.”

Murcia rooted for Spain because of his support for FC Barcelona and his familiarity with players such as Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo and Pedri. Spain’s eventual championship surprised him because of the youth of several players on the roster.

Other students followed the tournament with connections to more than one national team.

Jenny Aguilar, a third-year child development major, supported Mexico, Japan and Spain. Aguilar said she enjoyed seeing different cultures come together through the tournament, while also believing some of its controversies should not be overlooked.

“It is something where many people could come together and enjoy a sport,” Aguilar said.

Aguilar further criticized the way Egypt was respected during the tournament.

“If I remember when one of the games where Egypt was playing, they faced some racism,” Aguilar said. “I think they deserved at least an apology because racism should not continue any longer.”

Despite those concerns, Aguilar said she still enjoyed the tournament overall.

“So I think it is a nice event, but let’s not ignore the cons that come with it.” Aguilar said.

Michelle Cortez, a freshman child and adolescent development major, was another student who rooted for Mexico. After Mexico was eliminated in a tough game vs England, Cortez said she was satisfied to see Spain lift the trophy.

“I wasn’t really shocked because they had a really good chance,” Cortez said. “They stuck out to the end.”

Vilches also eventually turned her support toward Spain after France was eliminated. Although she originally believed France could win the tournament, she was happy with how the final ended.

“I really thought France was going to win,” Vilches said. “I wanted Spain to win over Argentina, so I was happy with the outcome.”

For students like Vilches, the lasting memory of the World Cup went beyond which country lifted the trophy. The tournament also provided a chance to put aside school, work and other responsibilities and experience one of the world’s largest sporting events alongside others.