{"id":19078,"date":"2026-06-30T21:31:46","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T21:31:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19078"},"modified":"2026-06-30T21:31:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T21:31:46","slug":"kids-game-what-its-like-to-walk-with-players-onto-a-world-cup-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19078","title":{"rendered":"Kids\u2019 game: What it\u2019s like to walk with players onto a World Cup field"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

SANTA CLARA, Calif. \u2014 Mia G\u00f3mez Solis was beaming as she returned home from the thrill of a lifetime.<\/p>\n

Read more Can Team USA snap its World Cup knockout phase curse?<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMommy, I got to go with the captain!\u201d the 7-year-old from Oakland said as she described being among the two dozen kids who walked onto the field with the players before a World Cup match last week at Levi\u2019s Stadium. \u201cI can\u2019t believe it. He held my little hand and we walked out. And I can\u2019t believe there were so many people. Mom, did you see me? I smiled at the camera so you would see me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayda Solis Cano saw her girl.<\/p>\n

She was watching on television at home as Mia and other children held hands with players from Australia and Paraguay on Thursday night.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was recording, but I was trembling,\u201d Mayda told the Bay Area News Group in Spanish a day after the 0-0 draw. \u201cI couldn\u2019t believe my daughter was there.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve watched the pageantry of the World Cup, you\u2019ve no doubt seen the kids.<\/p>\n

In the minutes before a match, they pair up with the players in the stadium tunnel and then \u2014 as electricity and anticipation build among the crowd and for television viewers around the globe \u2014 they escort them to the middle of the field for the playing of each country\u2019s national anthem.<\/p>\n

But where do the kids come from? And how are they chosen?<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

As you\u2019ve probably noticed by now, everything FIFA does for the World Cup has a sponsor. The same applies to the program that connects FIFA to children\u2019s organizations for the pre-match ritual.<\/p>\n

Quaker is the sponsor for this year\u2019s Player Escort Program. In the United States, it has given 1,400-plus children from marginalized communities in or near the 11 host cities a \u201conce-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk professional players onto the pitch,\u201d organizers say.<\/p>\n

Oakland\u2019s Soccer Without Borders Bay Area and San Francisco\u2019s Street Soccer USA Bay Area and America SCORES are the youth programs being used to provide kids for World Cup matches at Levi\u2019s Stadium, which will culminate with the U.S. playing Bosnia and Herzegovina in a round of 32 match on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Ney Lovato is a coach for Soccer Without Borders, a non-profit organization that aims to give largely immigrant youth from underserved areas an avenue for inclusion and personal growth.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

She was among the chaperones who accompanied the children on a bus supplied by Quaker from Soccer Without Borders\u2019 offices at International High School in Oakland to Levi\u2019s Stadium for the match between Australia and Paraguay.<\/p>\n

The kids became eligible for the honor by participating in a soccer clinic in February that included games and discussion about the importance of proper nutrition.<\/p>\n

Lovato estimates that about 120 children attended the clinic, too many for everyone to be selected to walk with the players.<\/p>\n

Read more Clippers close to trading Kawhi Leonard to Raptors, report says<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe ended up deciding by putting all the names in a bowl and then we took names out,\u201d Lovato said. \u201cIt was hard, honestly, to choose the right numbers because all the kids were great.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some families chose not to participate because of the time commitment. For the match last week, the kids met in Oakland at 11:30 a.m. and returned after the match, which started at 7 p.m. Tickets were not provided for parents, Lovato said.<\/p>\n

About 80 kids, most ranging in age from 8 to 11, were selected from Soccer Without Borders.<\/p>\n

The tradition of kids escorting players onto the field began during the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, eight years after the last time the global spectacle was last held in the United States.<\/p>\n

The experience is something the kids might never forget.<\/p>\n

Lovato heard many of the children\u2019s stories, including one from a girl named Elizabeth that particularly stood out.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was like, \u2018Oh my God, I saw the players come in and one stood by my side. He held my hand and I felt something that I can\u2019t describe. I wanted to cry. I can\u2019t believe I was here.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing her face and the smile that she had on it, it\u2019s hard to describe,\u201d Lovato said. \u201cBut she was talking about it the whole time. Seeing all that and hearing all that, the whole game they had so much energy. They were cheering for both teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mia, the 7-year-old from Soccer Without Borders, walked out with the Australian team. Her mother, who is from Guatemala, said she wished she could have been at the stadium but ticket costs were too expensive.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have enough money to go,\u201d Mayda said.<\/p>\n

Goalkeeper Mathew Ryan, who plays for Levante of Spain\u2019s top league LaLiga, was the Australian captain for the match against Paraguay.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t believe I walked out with the captain of Australia,\u201d said Mia, a forward and goalkeeper on her team. \u201cHe just came over and grabbed my little hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

The only thing better for Mia would have been walking out with her favorite team Portugal and player Cristiano Ronaldo.<\/p>\n

Read more Ziggurat building has a new owner \u2014 sale to Hoag Hospital affiliate is announced<\/a><\/p>\n

Or playing in a World Cup herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would love it very much,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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