I-House invites campus soccer fans to view Sunday’s World Cup final

Mosaic portrait of a World Cup 2010 footballer in South Africa. (Tsevis' Flickr photo)

The World Cup soccer final is this Sunday, July 11, and there will be no shortage of international fans at UC Berkeley watching the match between the Netherlands and Spain. International House will host a free viewing of the game and is encouraging fans from all backgrounds to come and cheer for their favorite team.

Soccer’s popularity at Cal has been steadily increasing over the years among both traditional soccer fans and those new to the sport. And on a diverse campus like UC Berkeley, students from around the world have been showing up at I-House to watch the World Cup since it began on June 11.

Even though the United States was knocked out of the tournament by Ghana on June 26 in the Round of 16, fans of teams like Germany, Brazil, and Spain stopped by the multi-cultural residence and program center on game days.

“Given our composition of residents from around the world, including from the U.S., every team seems to have supporters,” said Martin Brennan, executive director of I-House, via e-mail. “I expect we will have a lively crowd on hand this Sunday for what promises to be an epic finale to a fascinating World Cup.”

The final could be one of the most classic in World Cup history. Both Spain and the Netherlands had exciting runs up to the final, and fans expect their differing styles of play to result in a close match. The Netherlands is known for its free-flowing style of soccer, while Spain practices a well-organized game of finesse.

The I-House showing starts at 11 a.m. in the Chevron Auditorium and the kickoff will take place at 11:30 a.m. Light refreshments will be served, including food and drink from the countries in the final. Vuvuzelas are welcome!

Additional details about the event are online.