Coca-Cola Fan Zone brings cultures together at World Cup opening night in Riyadh

RIYADH: The Coca-Cola Fan Zone at JAX District in Diriyah could simply be described as a place for fans to watch matches alongside a range of entertainment activities. But that would not do it justice.

The Coca-Cola Fan Zone offered a glimpse of how Riyadh, a future FIFA World Cup host city, is bringing people from different cultures together through football.

#WATCH: #WorldCup fever is beginning to take hold in #Riyadh, with fans from #SaudiArabia, Latin America and beyond coming together at the Coca-Cola Fan Zone to watch Mexico defeat South Africa on opening night @FIFAWorldCup https://t.co/qeD8SJltD8 pic.twitter.com/dV6F2YKbvN

— Arab News | Sport (@ArabNewsSport) June 12, 2026

While Saudi national team shirts were present in both green and white, another shade of green also emerged throughout the evening: that of Mexico. Fans from both Saudi Arabia and Latin America flocked to the Fan Zone to celebrate El Tri’s opening 2-0 victory over South Africa.

“This place is incredible,” said a Mexican fan in attendance. Speaking in Spanish, he repeatedly described the night using a Mexican expression that roughly translates as “super awesome.”

Bringing along friends from Spain, Colombia and Argentina, it became not just a memorable night because of the result, but because of the atmosphere they experienced.

“Our friend suggested we join him to support Mexico on the night, and as fellow Spanish speakers, we thought, why not? Honestly, it was a great decision. The vibe, the energy, the place — what’s not to love?” the Argentinian fan said.

“I was really surprised by how well everything was organized,” the Spanish fan said. “I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting it to be this good initially.”

Beyond the football itself,