By Ian Ransom
SANTA CLARA, California, June 28 (Reuters) - In a region boasting vast tech wealth and global corporate influence, the San Francisco Bay Area's humble World Cup schedule landed with a dull thud, raising groans from fans over its lack of marquee matches.
While Kansas City welcomed Argentina and Boston hosted England, Bay Area locals subsisted on a more niche set of nations, with world number 16 Switzerland the highest-ranked visitor in five matches to date.
For Arab soccer enthusiasts,
it has been a bonanza, with Qatar, Algeria and Jordan (twice) all gracing the home of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers.
With fans on social media ranking it the least glamorous fixture list of all the U.S.'s 11 host cities, a paucity of nightlife near the stadium in sleepy Santa Clara and little buzz before the tournament, there were fears of a Bay Area bust.
"The World Cup was supposed to be a Bay Area bonanza. Why does it feel like a flop?" a San Francisco Chronicle headline asked days before the tournament.
The narrative has shifted about 180 degrees since, with crowds having flocked to five matches to date.
“I follow European football, so for sure, I was disappointed, I would have liked more balance in the teams we got here, for my own self-interest," James Fay, a recently retired CFO for a tech company, told Reuters at the Australia-Paraguay group match last Thursday.
"But having a World Cup here is fantastic, there was no way I was going to miss it. I didn’t get to go in '94, it’s my first World Cup, so I’m coming, no matter what.”
DIVERSE FANDOM
Fay was among a crowd of 68,827, a few hundred below the tournament's maximum capacity of 69,391.
The lowest attendance reported by organisers was 67,966 for the first match between Switzerland and Qatar.
At each game, neutral fans have turned up in force.
Huge cheers from Americans at the Australia-Paraguay match rang out when the scoreboard gave a goal update during the concurrent U.S.-Turkey game.
Mexico fans from San Jose and other big Latino communities in the South Bay Area have been enthusiastic attendees, particularly for Paraguay's two matches.
"It has been amazing to see the diversity and international fandom that has come into the Bay and participated in fan marches, attended games, and experienced everything we have to offer," the Bay Area Host Committee said in a statement emailed to Reuters.
Bay Area resident Nick Zhang went with two friends to Australia-Paraguay and paid $330 for a ticket that put him in the stadium's highest seating deck in the full glare of afternoon sun.
“Well, there was a game on and we just wanted the experience. We're way up high but we can still get a taste of it," he told Reuters.
Once disparaged for its "boring" schedule, the Bay Area is now having the last laugh as it prepares to welcome co-hosts the United States for its final fixture on Wednesday, a round-of-32 clash against Bosnia.
Ticket prices have spiked on reselling platforms, with the cheapest on StubHub offered at nearly $2,000.
Away from the stadium, organisers are preparing for a huge party at the main fan-zone at San Pedro Square in San Jose, putting up a fourth "giant screen" for the knockout game.
More than 350,000 people have visited the square since the World Cup started, according to the Bay Area Host Committee.
"There's been some left-field teams coming to town but the U.S. will be a good finish to the party," James Martinez, a local student, told Reuters at the Bay Area Stadium.
(Additional reporting by Martin Petty; Editing by Toby Davis)
