AUBURN, Ala. (WTVM) – International soccer fans arrived in Auburn on Monday ahead of a World Cup friendly match between Argentina and Iceland at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Tuesday night.
Families and fans from both countries visited downtown Auburn, with many purchasing merchandise before the match.
Downtown prepares for crowd
Sean, general manager of The Irritable Bao, said the restaurant is bringing in extra staff for Tuesday.
“This Tuesday’s going to be very different from most Tuesdays,” Sean said. “Tuesdays are usually a little slower for us, as it picks up and builds up towards the weekend. So we’re excited the game’s on a Tuesday when we have a lot of bandwidth and can welcome a lot of new customers.”
Jordan-Hare Stadium will be almost entirely full for the match, bringing nearly 90,000 people to Auburn.
Jessica with Auburn Opelika Tourism said the event could have a significant economic impact.
“I hope to see that this will be very similar economic impact that a home football game would make for our downtown merchants,” Jessica said.
Entertainment district, traffic changes
Downtown Auburn will become an entertainment district from 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, with roads shut down to allow people to walk freely with food and drinks.
Cole and Clay, who work at Moe’s, said they have been preparing for the crowd.
“We’ve been prepping all morning this morning for tomorrow as well,” they said. “We’re expecting to be pretty busy here at Moe’s, as well as all downtown.”
Nearly a third of ticket holders will be visiting Auburn for the first time, according to Auburn Opelika Tourism. The game could bring millions of dollars in potential revenue to the area.
“We’re getting a whole new group of people to see Auburn,” Cole and Clay said. “Not just Auburn fans, it’s going to be people coming from all over the world to see Auburn. Get to experience our downtown, see how much fun it can be.”
The city will implement game-day traffic and public safety protocols for the match.
Sean said events like the soccer match help local businesses during the slower summer months.
“I think it’s going to have a great impact,” Sean said. “Summertime’s typically a little bit slower for us here in Auburn being a small time college town. Events like this and the Auburn walk they did this past weekend really help support the local merchants.”
Messi’s status uncertain
Argentina has Lionel Messi listed on the roster for Tuesday’s match. Messi is the national team’s all-time leading goal scorer and most-capped player.
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