The indoor turf fields at the Starland Sportsplex and Fun Park in Hanover are a youth soccer coach’s dream.
The two 60-by-40-foot fields are perfect for year-round use. The only downside? Getting used to the screams and musk of pre-teen athletes.
Standing in the middle of one of the fields is Fabio Takahashi, head coach of Cruzeiro Boston Academy, a youth branch of Cruzeiro Esporte Clube — one of the biggest soccer clubs in Brazil.
Takahashi grew up in Brazil and knows firsthand just how much the game means to his home country. Especially when it’s World Cup time.
“Well, for Brazilian people, World Cup is ... it’s a ritual,” he said. “I can tell you where I was in every World Cup since 1986, you know what I mean? And it’s not just me.”
That’s probably true for most members of the Brazilian diaspora in Massachusetts. And even if Brazil won’t be playing any group stage matches in Foxborough, excitement is high to see the five-time world champions playing so close.
Brazil is the only team to have played in every World Cup. And they have the most World Cup titles. Which makes getting tickets to see the team extremely hard to come by.
When Takahashi looked into tickets for Brazil’s opening match against Morocco in New Jersey next month, he found prices of over a thousand dollars. But even that hasn’t scared him off.
“Well, I mean, look at me. I’m 45 years old, correct? And I’ve never been to a World Cup, never seen my team play in a World Cup,” he said. “But I think that’s only gonna be my only chance in my lifetime, right? So, yeah, it’s worth it, for sure.”
Unfortunately, some last-minute expenses kept him from hitting the buy button.
Still, Heloisa Galvão with local nonprofit the Brazilian Women’s Group, says it’s a cultural thing.
She was in Brazil in 1970 when the national team — led by the legendary Pelé — beat Italy 4-1 in the final in Mexico City to bring home the country’s third World Cup title.
Back home, Brazil was in the midst of a military dictatorship. But even that tense political moment in the country’s history couldn’t stop the celebrations.
“People were celebrating with the soldiers, with the military, with the horses,” she said. “Everybody was so happy. For like, an hour, half an hour, people forgot about the horrible, the awful dictatorship that was killing and torturing, disappearing people.”
It’s an experience that hasn’t left her all these years later.
“The only thing that mattered to us was that Brazil won,” she said.
At Oliveira’s Steak Bar and Grill in Everett, one side in functions as a Brazilian restaurant with a fully loaded buffet. The other half is a sports bar — where the emphasis is on soccer.
When Brazil played France in a friendly match at Gillette in March, the place was packed with hundreds of people. Owner Wilton Rangel expects it to be even busier for the World Cup when Brazil is playing.
“I’m not going to have space enough for everybody, that I’ll tell you,” he said.
He’s looking forward to a boom in business. Especially because 2025 was, in his words, a “lousy year,” as ICE activity instilled fear in his customer base.
“They took a lot of my customers,” he said. “Yeah, lot of people I know, friends — they took them.”
But the World Cup is a chance for a bit of a reset. And with Brazil playing in the United States, there’s plenty to look forward to. And there’s money to be made.
“All the games, we’re going to be busy,” Rangel said. “But the Brazilian games, [we’re] going to be way more busy.”
Because no matter where Brazil takes the pitch, one of the game’s most passionate fanbases is always watching.
