As the 2025 Club World Cup rages on and continues to turn heads and raise eyebrows, Philadelphia Eagles fans in particular were left in a state of mixed emotions this past weekend when Wydad Casablanca turned Lincoln Financial Field into an ultra’s playground, igniting flares and emotions across the City.
Eagles fans angered following Flare display at the Linc
The team, based in Morocco, scored a goal against European giants Juventus, sparking an outpour of emotions. Fans inside the stadium let off their trademark red and black flares, hindering the view for up to 15 minutes, and leaving some Eagles fans very disgruntled at the sight of their beloved stadium looking closer to a hostile invasion than a sporting event. Annoyed that a foreign fanbase had entered the Linc and let off potentially dangerous flares, social media was just as ablaze as the sky itself.
However, if there is ever a fanbase who can learn to appreciate the passion of worldwide soccer fans, it’s that of the World Champion Eagles, known globally as one of the most passionate sporting cities in the World.
While the cultures may differ from Soccer to American sports, the energy and love for the teams is just as high...and nothing quite cements an atmosphere like a wall of Tifo, the occasional flare, and chants so loud that you can feel them in the pit of your stomach.
Being based in the UK myself and following my beloved Charlton Athletic, this past year was a rollercoaster. The team languished outside the top-10 of League One going into the Winter, only to rally euphorically, surge into the playoffs, and ultimately secure promotion at Wembley.
The semi-final and final were both filled with flares and some of the best sporting atmospheres I’ve ever experienced. Am I biased because the team I supported since I was a kid just got promoted and I was there to watch every agonizing kick of the playoff hunt? Maybe. But the ensuing pitch invasion from the semi final and the rallying cries around London following the win will sit with me forever.
Not so different after all
Philadelphia fans are the closest to die-hard soccer fans I’ve ever come across. In fact, it’s part of what drew me to the Eagles in the first place as a 14-year-old. I felt connected to something. An ideology of being the underdog, but working hard and knowing that all anyone ever asks is you give it your all.
I think it’s a little hypocritical to speak of soccer fans so negatively when the City of Philadelphia turns into absolute chaos as soon as the Eagles make, or even win the Super Bowl. Everyone loves the greased light poles and soaking in one night of pure euphoria, no matter what shape it takes, because of how much the game means to them.
That’s no different for Soccer fans, and while their methods might be a little different than climbing up light poles or letting off fireworks in the street at 3am (mostly), there is something to be said for creating a hostile atmosphere for opponents and really letting them know whose house you’re in.
Eagles fans do this better than most. We’ve all seen the takeovers in Miami, Brazil, Las Vegas, and pretty much any other City that fans travel to...including London! So why not embrace that same energy from those foreign fans showing their excitement and love for the game in your house?
Philadelphia is a City where anyone is welcome if you bleed green…and nobody bleeds like Philly. But soccer fans come close, and there is no better City in the world for a major soccer tournament to be held purely because of that reason.
While it looks unfamiliar and a little unsettling, it’s a real chance to take in cultures from across the globe and see different ways of showing support. Are we really too far away from a Tifo at the Linc? Eagles fans have already adopted the infamous Millwall chant of ‘no one likes us’ (much to my dismay as a rival fan), and although the idea of a green and white smoke show following a crucial touchdown feels a little too excessive due to the health and safety hazards, and the fact that opposing fans are allowed to sit next to home fans (for a reason I frankly will never understand), there’s no reason why small pockets and ideas can’t translate over.
Minnesota adopted the ‘Skol’ chant, and there have been several other instances of cultures crossing over.
With the World Cup now on the horizon, and the USA set to be inundated with crazed soccer fans from all over the world, this is the perfect opportunity for Philadelphian’s to strengthen their arsenal. To embrace one of the most beloved sports in the world and to potentially nab an idea or two. To welcome more traveling Soccer fans into Eagles nation, and to grow the nest by showing that we are one of the same.
Flares might well be a little too far, but if any fanbase in the World is in a position to embrace the chaos, learn from traveling fans and welcome them with open arms, it’s the most die-hard fanbase in all of America.
REUTERS/Lee Smith
