World Cup 2026: with a cowbell and Swiss flag in LA’s Koreatown

Micky Hohl with his partner Thelma at Union Station in Los Angeles, home to the official fan zone for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. zVg

Ever since the World Cup kicked off, Los Angeles has been buzzing with excitement. Right in the middle of it all is Micky Hohl, a Swiss expat. The 62-year-old has been living in the United States for nearly four decades, is currently studying social work, and is experiencing the tournament up close in his adopted home.

Micky Hohl had planned to support the Swiss national team at the stadium. But when he saw the ticket prices, his enthusiasm quickly faded. The cheapest ticket for Switzerland’s group-stage match in Los Angeles cost more than $500 (CHF396). “You’re practically sitting in the clouds,” he says with a laugh. SoFi Stadium in Inglewood holds over 70,000 spectators, so the cheapest seats are inevitably far from the pitch. Add to that the high costs inside the stadium. “You can easily spend $600-700 per person,” Hohl explains.

Still, he doesn’t want to miss the World Cup atmosphere entirely. Instead of attending matches in the stadium, he plans to watch them from his flat in Koreatown – armed with a Swiss flag and a cowbell – either at free public viewing events or in a local pub.

In the weeks leading up to the tournament, Hohl initially only noticed the build-up to the World Cup here and there. Buses carried tournament adverts, shop shelves filled with fan merchandise, and special World Cup tickets for public transport were on sale at ticket machines.

“I know which station sells tickets featuring the Swiss national team,” says the Swiss expat. However, he adds, the standard rechargeable public transport tickets are much cheaper. Yet he couldn’t resist and ended buying one of the Swiss-themed World Cup tickets as a souvenir.

In the end, Micky Hohl decided to buy a public transport ticket dedicated to the Swiss national team. zVg

As the tournament approached, its presence became increasingly visible in his neighbourhood. What struck him most was nearby Liberty Park, one of the official fan zones. “The park was full of cleaning crews, scrubbing every nook and cranny. I’ve never seen anything like it in the 14 years I’ve lived here,” Hohl says.

Swiss Abroad and the World Cup

When the Swiss national team takes to the pitch at the 2026 World Cup in the US, it will not only be playing in front of fans who have travelled there especially for the tournament. Many Swiss Abroad living in the US and Canada will also be cheering them on.

Ahead of the World Cup, Swissinfo spoke to Swiss nationals in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Vancouver – three cities where the Swiss national team will be playing during the tournament. What’s their experience of the World Cup in their new home? And what does it mean to suddenly see Switzerland playing on their doorstep?

We began with a Swiss family in Silicon Valley.

Next Swiss group-stage matches:

Switzerland – Bosnia-Herzegovina, June 18, Los Angeles

Switzerland – Canada, June 24, Vancouver

From the film industry to university

Hohl has been living in the US for almost four decades. Raised in the Fricktal region in canton Aargau, he moved to New York in 1985 to pursue his American dream of working in film and television. “I never quite made the big breakthrough,” he says. After many years in New York, his path eventually led him to Los Angeles, where worked on several film and TV productions. He still misses New York from time to time.

Today, however, he is no longer on film sets, but in lecture theatres. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he developed a deeper interest in psychology and is now studying social work at the University of Southern California. At 62, he has just completed his first year.

“Many people in Switzerland find that surprising,” he says. In the US, by contrast, his age is hardly ever an issue at university. “My fellow students simply treat me as part of the group.”

Join the debate:

Homesick for Swiss bread

Switzerland has never fully let him go. He hadn’t been back for a long time, but when his nephew was born, Hohl started travelling back to Switzerland regularly to visit family and friends. Even after more than four decades abroad, there are things he still misses. “The bread,” he says without hesitation.

Friends and family are convinced that he’ll return to Switzerland one day to retire. But he says: “I’m not retiring just yet; I’m currently doing my second degree and I feel at home here.”

A self-confessed music fan, Hohl came to football relatively late. In the early 2000s, when FC Basel were playing in the Champions League, a Swiss friend called him from a New York bar full of Liverpool fans. “He needed my support,” Hohl recalls. After a draw, the entire bar bought them a round of beers.

That moment sparked his interest in football. Since then, he has particularly enjoyed following World Cups. Back in New York, he would always go to neighbourhoods where fans of various national teams gathered. “That was the beauty of a cosmopolitan city,” he says. “You could watch every match alongside people passionately supporting their teams.”

Football as a gateway to the world

Los Angeles also offers this international diversity. For Hohl, it’s one of the best things about the tournament. Whether among Mexican, Korean or Swiss fans, football becomes a shared experience.

Football is now part of his everyday life, not just during World Cups. Together with his partner, he regularly attends matches of the “Angel City” women’s football team in Los Angeles and even holds a season ticket. “We go to almost every match,” he says.

He is especially pleased that the Swiss national team is playing in the very city he has called home for over a decade. While the tournament hasn’t dramatically changed his daily routine, his excitement is growing. Still, he was disappointed to learn that there are no official Swiss public viewings in Los Angeles. “Even Uzbekistan has one,” he says.

Nevertheless, Hohl will be cheering on the Swiss team – cowbell at the ready.

Edited by Balz Rigendinger/Adapted from German with AI/sb