{"id":36435,"date":"2026-06-16T23:38:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T23:38:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/yerba-mate-is-a-common-bond-for-many-world-cup-fans\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T23:38:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T23:38:24","slug":"yerba-mate-is-a-common-bond-for-many-world-cup-fans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/yerba-mate-is-a-common-bond-for-many-world-cup-fans\/","title":{"rendered":"Yerba mate is a common bond for many World Cup fans"},"content":{"rendered":"
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) \u2014 In addition to flags, jerseys and songs, fans are bringing cups and straws to share sips at World Cup games. Yerba mate tea<\/span> They support the national team. <\/p>\n
Widely popular in some South American countries, the caffeinated beverage has expanded with soccer’s multicultural appeal, and has become the drink of choice for star players on and off the field in the United States. <\/p>\n
when to reign world cup<\/span> As champion Argentina arrived at their hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, fans were outside pouring yerba mate into gourd cups and sharing them with metal bombillas (straws that filter the soaked leaves). At Caf\u00e9 Corazon, one of the Midwest’s largest importers of yerba mate, a line of fans wearing sky blue and white striped jerseys nearly stretched out the door on Monday, the day before Argentina’s first World Cup match. <\/p>\n
“Our guys are flying off the shelves,” said Dulcinea Herrera, one of Caf\u00e9 Corazon’s co-owners. “So a lot of people come to try it. Even people who aren’t Argentinians just want to have that experience. And a lot of Argentinians come and say, ‘Oh, this reminds me of home.'”<\/p>\n
Many of the World Cup’s most famous stars are avid drinkers from Uruguay. Luis Suarez<\/span> to Argentina Lionel Messi.<\/span> The latter posted a photo of himself holding the Mate Cup in one hand and the World Cup trophy in the other after his team won the championship in 2022, cementing the drink’s place in the hall of fame of famous sports drinks. <\/p>\n
buddy, do it your way<\/h2>\n
The drink, which dates back to indigenous peoples and gauchos (South American cowboys), is consumed around the world, with different twists and flavors added by other countries and cultures, said Christine Folch, a cultural anthropologist at Duke University and author of The Book of Mate.<\/p>\n
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Fans wearing Argentina national team jerseys look at the drink menu at Caf\u00e9 Corazon on Monday, June 15, 2026, in Kansas City, Missouri. (AP Photo\/Kristin M. Hall)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Fans wearing Argentina national team jerseys look at the drink menu at Caf\u00e9 Corazon on Monday, June 15, 2026, in Kansas City, Missouri. (AP Photo\/Kristin M. Hall)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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People from certain regions, such as Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil, prefer who they board different types of ships with and prepare them in a particular way. This can become a cultural identifier when those fans meet at friendly matches. Fulci has an extensive collection of mate cups, including those made from cow hooves and horns, along with hand-sewn leather-wrapped metal cups and gourds. <\/p>\n
In the early 20th century, Yerba mate became popular in Syria and Lebanon, so one of the main places to get traditional dried leaves in the United States is in Middle Eastern grocery stores, Folch explained. In the United States, it is often packaged in refrigerated cans and mixed with fruit flavors and sold to Americans as a natural energy drink. Some Cuban Americans drink a sweetened, carbonated version of yerba mate. In Berlin, Clubmate is a popular carbonated drink that is often mixed with alcohol. <\/p>\n
Traditionally, the leaves of the tree are smoked during preparation, so yerba mate has smoky overtones and a strong grassy, \u200b\u200bearthy flavor, which people say is less harsh than coffee. <\/p>\n
If you want to seem knowledgeable when ordering, pronounce it like ma-te instead of like your soccer teammate. <\/p>\n
Take a sip and share<\/h2>\n
Folch said it’s a drink made for social occasions such as sporting events because traditionally people share the same cup or bring enough to share.<\/p>\n
“When someone offers you a spouse and you accept, what you’ve done is you’ve stepped into a relationship, so that’s how you bond with people,” Folch says. <\/p>\n
Sebastian Coufre and his Argentinian-born father, Rene, drove from Albuquerque to Kansas City to get last-minute tickets to the game. They met other Argentina fans at Caf\u00e9 Corazon and sat around a table drinking yerba mate. <\/p>\n
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Ren\u00e9 Coufre of Albuquerque, New Mexico, drinks yerba mate at Cafe Corazon in Kansas City, Missouri, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo\/Kristin M. Hall)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Ren\u00e9 Coufre of Albuquerque, New Mexico, drinks yerba mate at Cafe Corazon in Kansas City, Missouri, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo\/Kristin M. Hall)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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“It’s like something you hand out during a game,” Coufre said.<\/p>\n
He has tried the canned American version but is not a fan. <\/p>\n
“To be honest, I don’t think it’s a spouse,” Kuffre said. “It’s like a completely different class of drink.”<\/p>\n
Whatever your preference, Yerba mate fans want to give their North American friends a chance to give Yerba mate tea when they see a cup being passed around at a cafe, restaurant, or watch party. <\/p>\n
“It’s not just a drink, it’s a social thing,” said Fernando Villagran, a native of Salta, Argentina, who came from California to cheer on the Argentine team. “It’s about friendship.”<\/p>\n
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AP World Cup coverage: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/fifa-world-cup<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n