Colombian Fans Shine in Bay Area's Last Copa América Match

In a nail-biter of a game, the Brazilian national men’s soccer team tied with Colombia 1-1 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Tuesday afternoon. The two South American giants faced off to decide the top spot in their group before both advanced to the quarterfinals of Copa América, a quadrennial soccer tournament hosted this year in the United States that features national teams from all over the Western Hemisphere.

On the field, the Brazilian and Colombian squads were evenly matched. Both teams scored in the first half and struggled to get ahead of their rival after halftime. On the stands, however, one team’s fan base brought overwhelming energy: Colombia. Minutes before the match began, the outside of Levi’s Stadium was a sea of yellow, red and blue under a blazing, hot sun. Flags, horns, sombreros vueltiaos — Santa Clara was immersed in the joy and excitement of tens of thousands of Colombians, a community that, in the past few years, has quickly grown all over the Bay Area.

“I honestly had no idea that there were so many Colombians in the Bay Area,” Laura Cabrera says. She lives in San Francisco but grew up in Los Angeles with a Colombian father and Mexican mother. Living in Southern California, Cabrera says, she was surrounded by Mexican soccer culture. But in her house, her dad made sure to share with her his love for Colombian soccer.

“I’m really excited about meeting so many Colombian fans,” she says. Next to her is her friend, Libby Teffera, from the East Bay, who is rooting for Brazil. Teffera is not Brazilian, but she deeply appreciates Brazilian culture and music.

“Growing up, I’d watch soccer when I’d go to my uncle’s house, and I actually hated it,” she says. But over the years, she started to watch more international soccer and was really drawn in by the Brazilian soccer team. Watching soccer brings back memories of spending time with her family, she says. “I really want to take my uncle to watch a World Cup match together.”

Not all fans were able to get tickets. Multiple stadium sections had sold out days before the game and remaining tickets were going for hundreds of dollars. But that didn’t stop some fans from coming to Levi’s Stadium to take in all the energy and watch the game outside on their phones.

“Wherever in the world that the Colombian national team plays, we have shown up — we’re like locals,” says Jersón Pérez, who came from Richmond with his wife, Melissa, and their two kids. Outside Levi’s Stadium, the temperature still exceeded 90 degrees — unusually warm temperatures brought to the Bay Area by an ongoing heat wave. The family came prepared with plenty of water and found a shady spot outside the stadium to keep up with the game.

“It doesn’t surprise me that so many Colombians showed up today,” he says in Spanish. “Any Colombian loves the colors of their country, loves their flag and loves their team, no matter the conditions.”

The Brazil vs. Colombia match is the last Copa América game that the Bay Area will host this year. The rest of the tournament will be played in the Southwest and East Coast, with the final scheduled for July 14 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, where the best national men’s soccer team in the Americas will be crowned.

Levi’s Stadium staff told KQED that hosting Copa América matches helps the venue prepare for what’s coming up next: the 2026 Men’s World Cup. The U.S. will be one of the three host countries — along with Mexico and Canada — and several matches will be played at Levi’s Stadium.

You could feel a little bit of that World Cup buzz in Santa Clara on Tuesday, with the sound of vuvuzela horns filling the air above and flags from all over Latin America flying through Tasman Drive as fans walked to the game. Along the way, they passed by dozens of informal vendors who were ready to supply fans with jerseys and cold drinks.

One item offered this time around that you may not see at other games: Colombia’s iconic sombrero vueltiao. Carefully woven together with strips of tall grass and usually painted with elaborate patterns, the sombrero vueltiao has become a national symbol.

“You can get your sombrero vueltiao now for $25 — if Colombia wins, it goes up to $50!” shouts Ginna Olivera in Spanish to potential customers walking by. She and her family traveled all the way from Los Angeles to cheer for Colombia and promote their business as well.

“We really believe in promoting Colombian craftsmanship and culture,” she says and points to the elaborate weaving that makes up each sombrero. She holds one up that has been decorated with red, blue and yellow. Thousands of miles away from Colombia, it makes her happy seeing someone wearing a sombrero vueltiao.

“We’re kind, hardworking and joyful people,” she says. “And now here in California, we’re very happy because we’re surrounded by other kind people, and we have the opportunity to work and give our kids a possibility of a better future.”