World Cup drawing fans to Redwood City: Bank of America ‘Fan Bracelet’ draws long line Monday afternoon

In Redwood City, five different charm bracelets are up for grabs. There were options representing each host country, a general FIFA option, and a special local one honoring San Francisco with a sea otter, Golden Gate Bridge and a cable car. Each option was available in a size small or large. 

Amy and Zoey got in line in downtown Redwood City nearly three hours before bracelets were handed out, but at some point Zoey had to leave for good reason — to go play soccer. Amy said she was happy to stay in line for her daughter. 

“She knows she wants the San Francisco one,” Liu said. “She works hard in games and she likes watching. We watch [when we can] and she chants ‘USA! USA! USA!’ like crazy, Liu said. 

Liu, a Santa Clara resident, was first in a line of hundreds of people Tuesday afternoon under a sunny sky. 

The line snaked around buildings and crossed streets, and Bank of America came prepared to give out 2,000 Fan Bands. 

A bit of chaos ensued when some folks in line felt others were cutting or getting special treatment, but once the line moved quickly the attention refocused to the little bit of World Cup history in people’s backyards. 

Angel Hernandez, a San Jose resident, has played soccer and watched the World Cup his entire life, and he felt it was worthwhile to stand in line for a token of this year’s games. It’s the first time he’s experienced the World Cup hosted in the United States. 

Devoted soccer fans tune in to the major international tournament every four years — often staying up late or waking up early due to time zones of host countries — but there’s something special for Bay Area fans about games being held as close at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. 

The men’s FIFA World Cup was last hosted in the United States in 1994, in Mexico in 1986 and this is the first time Canada hosted the event. 

The attention on soccer has also grown in recent years, Hernandez said, with Major League Soccer growing in acclaim and the expansion of women’s teams, including Bay FC. Whatever the reason, Hernandez said this year’s festivities have felt more joyous than in the past. Seeing people come together — even for something like a free charm bracelet — has been a pleasure of the summer. 

“I feel like the community is really coming together,” Hernandez said. “That’s what makes it fun, it’s a shared happiness and cheering for the same team feels great. And the fact that it’s basically every day is fun.”

Downtown Redwood City’s designation as a fan zone has drawn crowds for many of those games already, including very well attended watch parties of local resident’s favorite teams, from Mexico and the United States to Colombia and Germany. 

While some soccer fans waited in line around Courthouse Square for the charm bracelets, others set up their lawn chairs or took over the picnic tables to watch the Germany vs. Paraguay game at 1:30 p.m. Monday. The Fan Zone was also activated in the evening for the Netherlands vs. Morocco game. 

More viewing parties are planned for Tuesday, Wednesday, Monday, July 6, Tuesday, July 7, Thursday, July 9, and Friday, July 10, for the quarterfinals; Tuesday, July 14, and Wednesday, July 15, for the semifinals; Saturday, July 18, for the third-place game; and Sunday, July 19, for the final. 

Bank of America will be handing out Fan Bands Tuesday afternoon, slated for 1 p.m. until items last.