The streets around Guadalajara Stadium hummed with anticipation ahead of the Group H decider between Uruguay and Spain — the fixture that would close out FIFA World Cup 2026™ action in the Host City. Among the waves of red shirts flooding the surroundings, a tight-knit band of sky-blue jerseys pushed forward, led by an excitable young fan named Sebastián Rojí.

Rojí arrived draped in a Uruguayan flag he wore like a cape — one bought in Miami at the start of what had been a breathless, multi-city pilgrimage.