Nigerians are one of the most passionate football fanbases in the world.
Drums, trumpets, dancing, and of course, the famous “Walele” anthem are synonymous with the Super Eagles supporters. They are a spectacle to see and experience, which makes their absence at the 2026 World Cup (and the 2022 before it) all the more painful.
Simply put, the world stage was robbed of one of the best supporter sections in the world. Or maybe the other way around. Nigeria missed out on a golden opportunity to showcase itself to the world.
That’s why we wanted to rank (in no specific order) which fans have made a name for themselves the most during the 2026 World Cup across the three hosting countries. Let’s get into some of the fun fans brought to the biggest stage in sports in 2026.
Mexico
Mexico fans were already among the most die-hard in the world despite the team not being the most successful (top-reviewed BetOnline says Mexico are distant World Cup favorites). Giving them tournament hosting duties in 2026 only amplified them. Big time.
This was not just Mexicans showing up for El Tri games (that’s a given). What made Mexicans fans stand out is how they turned the whole tournament into a month-long national party (that’s still going).
Not just when the national team won — which they did three times in the group stage and once in the knockouts — but for the tourney and other teams in general. For instance, social media was flooded with South Koreans partying among the Mexicans. So too were the Japanese. Colombians. All fans were embraced by the Mexicans.
Heck, we saw the same for the playing teams. Almost all of them received a mariachi and sombreros upon entering the country. Maybe we missed it, but greetings of this kind were non-existent in Canada and the USA, but hey, we digress!
Japan’s football team received a warm welcome from Mexico fans and organizers, including free sombreros and mariachi entrance music.
But going back to the actual Mexico national team, upon their four wins, the local fans occupied the local streets. In Mexico City, we saw over 100,000 flood the downtown area around El Angel statue. Words don’t do it justice, but the drone video that was posted online shows the magnitude of the celebration.
Mexico already had a firm reputation among football fans, but it’s somehow been strengthened even more after 2026.
Netherlands
The Netherlands may not have the loudest fan base in the world, but they might have the easiest one to spot from a distance. Of course, we’re talking about that orange wall.
You best see this during the famed Oranje Fanwalk. Thousands and thousands of Dutch fans marching together in orange, singing, dancing, bouncing — for miles toward the stadium. Mind you, they did this for one game in Houston despite humid, suffocating weather that Texas is famous for in the summer. Talk about commitment!
That’s what separates the Dutch from a lot of other fan bases. Some countries bring noise. Some bring numbers. Some bring color. The Netherlands brings all three, and then some!
Scotland
Scotland may not have had the longest tournament (they were eliminated in the group stage), but the Tartan Army took over the two cities it played in.
The first was the city of Boston. To the shock (at first), Bostonians were overtaken by thousands of Scottish fans in kilts and playing the bagpipe. They too, like the Netherlands, march to the stadium. But while in Boston, they also went to the famed Fenway Park and turned a baseball game into a frenzy.
That’s only the tip of the iceberg — or traffic cone, should we say. The Tartan Army is famous for jokingly putting street traffic cones on public monuments, and that they did in Boston.
The Scots also reportedly drank the city dry of beer. Yes, really. Sam Adams said it’s Boston Lager went empty when the Tartan Army was in town. The company also said its beer was drunk four times as much as it usually is in bars where it’s stocked at.
That was not its only contribution to the local people though. In their usual tradition, the Tartan Army also donated nearly $30,000 to local kids’ charities in the area.
Now the Tartan Army did similar things in Miami, but it just had a special connection with the city of Boston. So much so that the Tartan Army ran a full-page ad in the local newspaper thanking the city for hosting them. Talk about a romance.
Argentina
Are Argentina fans the best traveling supporters in the world?
Just based on the eye test, it sure feels like it. Every single game they play, the Argentines take over the stadium. You can tell by not just the sea of blue and white jerseys, but their singing chants all game long.
That was obvious during the group stage. Argentina opened in Kansas City, then played in Dallas, and fans still followed them city to city like they’re The Beatles (maybe bigger nowadays). Some supporters reportedly shelled out tens of thousands of dollars — a small fortune to the average Argentine worker — to follow the defending champions around the United States.
To save money, one group of fans allegedly drove 20 hours to Kansas City for the opener against Algeria, living off sandwiches along the way just to save money. And that is before we even get to the cyclists. Three Argentina fans reportedly biked nearly 11,000 miles from Argentina to Kansas City just to watch their national team at the World Cup. Eleven thousand miles!
This is fandom on another level. Of course, it helps when your team is reigning champions and led by Leo Messi, in what might be his final World Cup. That has made every Argentina match feel like part soccer game, part farewell tour, part religious event.
After writing all this, we just hope we get to see the Super Eagles in 2030. The world deserves to see our fanbase in the same light as these four mentioned.
