Valenciennes, France
where I met a new friend with shared interests
When the group stage of the women’s World Cup ended I bought a ticket to a semifinal game based on the location of the game. I bought the ticket while I was in Amsterdam and I figured that I would be in Belgium around the time of the game, which was over a week away. I saw that Valenciennes was close to the Belgium border and so I bought the ticket. At that time I didn’t know who would be playing, but I had fingers crossed that maybe it would be a US game. I did a quick search for hotels/hostels/Airbnbs in Valenciennes but the prices were high so I loooked nearby in Belgium and found Mons. It was a 40 minute bus ride away. I found a cheap Airbnb for two nights and I booked the round trip Flixbus from Mons. It all worked out perfectly and Mons became my end destination for the spontaneous bike trip from Amsterdam. And it all worked out when I arrived by bike in Mons the day before the game.
The game - Netherlands vs Italy
I got to the bus stop in Mons and saw a woman with a USA WNT hat so I started talking with her. We both were headed to the game and we ended up hanging out for the rest of the day. 40 minutes later we arrived in Valenciennes and took the tram to the small city center. More and more orange-clad fans got on the tram and we got off with them at the stop where the fan experience was located. There was a big screen and posters set up in the square. I got a beer, we played around in the water misters, and found some free World Cup swag. We followed the crowds walking to the stadium and ended up joining in a Dutch fan march. They were singing, chanting, and spraying folks with water guns. It was a fun atmosphere even though it wasn’t for my team. I wasn’t rooting for either team in particular but I felt bad for the Italians as they were underrepresented there at the game.
Outside the stadium we fueled up with the popular cone of fries and then just before 3 we walked to the stadium, split up, and took our seats. I had great seats just to the left side of the goalie, about 7 rows from the bottom. However, I was in the direct shot of the sun and it was sweltering. My skin was burning and I was sweating like everybody around me. Surrounded by Dutch fans I cheered for both teams. At halftime, I along with everyone in my section escaped to the shade and I splashed water on myself in the bathroom to cool down. I contemplated just watching the rest of the game from the shade like some other folks but I felt like I paid good money for those seats and I wanted to get my money’s worth. Although, during the second half I started to get chills and sleepy; it became a bit miserable sitting in the baking heat. Netherlands scored twice in the second half even though I thought Italy played better in the first half. I didn’t get super into the game and once the game was over I was surprised how quick it felt since it always seems really long when I watch games on TV.
After the game I met back up with Annie and my only mission was to get cool so I got another beer and headed straight for the misters in the town square. We capped off our day with some ice cream, took the tram back to the bus stop, and bussed back to Mons.
Although it wasn’t a US game I’m still really grateful I had the opportunity to see a World Cup match. Plus meeting Annie and having someone to share the day with rather than being alone was great.
—And it’s neat that the team I saw play ended up in the finals against the US. Another successful World Cup for the USA women!
