'Never Felt as Much at Home as I Do Today': For Bay Area's Colombians, Copa América Loss Can't Dent Joy

Thousands of miles away from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, hundreds of Colombian families from all over the Bay Area gathered in San José on Sunday night — to cheer on their national men’s soccer team in its first Copa América final appearance in 23 years.

For almost two hours, the Argentine and Colombian squads were caught in a deadlock, with Colombia successfully fending off a well-organized offense from the ensemble of Argentine astros — including Lionel Messi, who came off in tears and was injured during the second half. But it was finally in minute 112 that Argentine striker Lautaro Martínez broke through Colombia’s defense to score the only goal of the match and, with that, crown Argentina as the champion of the Americas.

However, as Colombia leaves the tournament as runner-up, this rollercoaster of a final was also an opportunity to witness the strength and passion of the Bay Area’s flourishing Colombian community.

Dayana Chavarro, who is originally from Bucaramanga and has lived in San Francisco for the past five years, watched the game with friends at San José’s La Cantina del Río. Throughout the Copa América tournament, this venue became the gathering spot for some of the region’s most passionate Colombia fans.

“When I first got to the Bay Area five years ago, there were very few Colombians here,” Chavarro said. “And now there are so many of us here.”

During the last few minutes of the game, she held her breath, hoping that the Colombian team could mount a comeback. All around her, the shouts and chants of hundreds of fans, along with the blasts of countless vuvuzelas, drowned out even the blaring rumbles of airplanes leaving nearby San Jose Mineta International Airport.

“In these past five years, I have never felt as much at home as I do today,” Chavarro said. “For Colombia to make it this far, it means so much for all the people in Colombia but also for all of us that have left the country.”

“This joy,” she said, “makes us feel so much closer.”

Migration from Colombia to the United States has significantly increased in the past few years. According to data from CERAC, an independent Bogotá-based research center, more than 547,000 Colombians left their country in 2022 — the highest number on record.

According to researchers, a devalued Colombian peso and ongoing instability in some regions of the country have contributed to this exodus. The majority of migrants have moved to the U.S., usually to places with well-established Colombian communities like South Florida, northern New Jersey and the D.C. metro area.

However, while the Colombian community in the Bay Area isn’t as extensive as those in other places, the region has become a place where folks are still reuniting with family and friends. Andrés Cabrera, who comes from Villavicencio, deep in Colombia’s heartland, said that he has seen so many people from his town now living in the Bay Area.

“It was first me,” said Cabrera, who smiled and then pointed to his friends: “Then him and him, and later him … it felt like from one day to another, we were all here.”

Indeed, a majority of fans at La Cantina del Rio told KQED that they were originally from Villavicencio or surrounding communities from the state of Meta and have now settled in the South Bay. “When I put my Colombian jersey on and walk down the street, everyone I meet — whether they are Americans or Latinos from other countries — treat me with so much warmth and respect,” Cabrera said.

In two years, the Bay Area will host a still-unknown number of matches at Levi’s Stadium for the 2026 Men’s World Cup. And “if Colombia plays here, all the Colombians in the Bay Area will make it feel like a home game,” said Diego Rey, who lives in San José.

When the match ended, Rey hugged his friends, some of them still in tears. But Colombia will come back — and stronger, he said.

“We’re always thinking about what’s going to come next, always looking for a better tomorrow, no matter the score today,” Rey said. Only a few hours before, at the start of the game, he and his friends had stood in front of the crowd of fans with their hands on their chest to sing Colombia’s national anthem, surrounded by a flurry of yellow, blue and red.

“Like we say, somos berracos — we’re too determined,” he said.