Korean and Mexican football fans hold hands as they dance together at a Mexican restaurant in Itaewon, Yongsan District, Seoul, Friday, after Mexico defeated Korea 1-0 in their second Group A match during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Korea Times photo by Na Gwang-hyun
It was Friday morning in Seoul, and Mexico and Korea were set to face off in a crucial 2026 World Cup match in Zapopan, Mexico. At a Mexican restaurant in Itaewon in Yongsan District, central Seoul, a crowd had gathered to watch.
But unlike a conventional watch party, where cheers and groans tend to rise in unison, the restaurant was awash in both red and green, with Korean and Mexican fans jumbled together.
On one side of the restaurant where a small stage had been set up, two men danced side by side. One was dressed in red, with a giant Korean flag draped around his shoulders like a cloak, while the other wore green in support of Mexico. They danced, shouted, “This is football!” for good measure, and ended the routine laughing together.
“It is a little disappointing that Korea lost, but this is the kind of World Cup atmosphere that makes it so enjoyable,” said Baek Eun-jung, 32, one of the men onstage. Baek runs a YouTube channel called “Feballas Studio.”
