Philadelphia Union II, Ivory Coast play in friendly match ahead of FIFA World Cup

Philadelphia Union and Ivory Coast fans filled the stands at Subaru Park for a friendly Monday night match ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Ivory Coast is using the Chester stadium as their training facility and home base for the competition. Monday's match against Union II was to help prepare them for the World Cup.

Fans loved every second of it.

"We tried to get World Cup tickets and we couldn't, so we were excited to come here today to have a similar feel to the World Cup and do our best to have an experience," said Jared Kohler, who is from Nazareth.

The Union said it's proud to be a part of the Ivory Coast's journey. It also gives Union II a unique opportunity to play against a top team.

"It's really cool because it's kind of like a World Cup game because one of the teams is going to be in the World Cup," Ben Fatscher said.

Fans said the best part is connecting with other countries and sharing their love for the game of soccer.

Philadelphia will host six matches for the FIFA World Cup.