KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As reigning World Cup champions Argentina prepared for their opening match, fans gathered outside their Kansas City hotel sharing yerba mate in traditional gourd cups, transforming the caffeinated beverage into a symbol of cultural connection and community solidarity at this year's tournament.
The scene reflected a broader phenomenon at World Cup matches, where supporters bring cups and metal bombillas—the straws that filter steeped leaves—to share the South American drink alongside flags and jerseys. At Cafe Corazon, one of the Midwest's largest yerba mate importers, fans in Argentina's sky blue-and-white striped jerseys lined up nearly out the door on Monday, the day before Argentina's first match.
A Cultural Lifeline for Immigrant Communities
"Our mate has been flying off the shelves," said Dulcinea Herrera, co-owner of Cafe Corazon. "So a lot of people have been coming in to try it. People who aren't Argentinian want to just have that experience. And we have a lot of Argentinians coming in saying, 'Oh, this reminds me of home.'"
The drink's popularity extends beyond spectators to the pitch itself, with stars like Uruguay's Luis Suarez and Argentina's Lionel Messi known as avid drinkers. Four years ago, after Argentina won the World Cup in 2022, Messi posted a photo holding a mate cup in one hand and the trophy in the other.
Indigenous Roots and Global Reach
Yerba mate dates back to Indigenous people and the gauchos, South American cowboys, according to Christine Folch, a cultural anthropologist at Duke University and author of "The Book of Yerba Mate." The beverage has spread globally, with different cultures adding their own variations.
People in Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil prefer their mate in different vessels and prepared in specific ways, which can serve as cultural identifiers when fans meet at matches. Folch said she has a large collection of mate cups, including ones made of cow hooves and horns, alongside hand-stitched, leather-wrapped metal cups and gourds.
More than 100 years ago, in the early 20th century, mate became popular in Syria and Lebanon, which is why Middle Eastern grocery stores remain major sources for the traditional dried leaves in the United States, Folch explained.
Shared Rituals Build Community
Traditionally, the leaves are smoked during preparation, giving mate a smoky overtone and strong grassy, earthy flavor that people say makes them feel less jittery than coffee. The beverage is pronounced MAH-teh, not as in soccer teammate.
Folch emphasized the drink's communal nature: "When somebody offers you mate and you accept, what you have done is you have stepped into a relationship. So it's a way of bonding with people."
Sebastian Cufre and his father Rene, who was born in Argentina, drove to Kansas City from Albuquerque seeking last-minute tickets. They met other Argentina fans at Cafe Corazon and shared mate around their tables. "It's like something that you pass around during the games," Cufre said.
He noted the difference between traditional preparation and commercial versions sold in refrigerated cans in the United States, marketed as natural energy drinks and mixed with fruit flavors. "Honestly, I don't even consider that to be mate," Cufre said. "That's like a completely different class of beverage."
Fernando Villagran, originally from Salta, Argentina, traveled from California to support his national team. "It's not only a drink, but a social thing," he said. "It is about friendship."
Why This Matters:
The yerba mate tradition at the World Cup highlights how immigrant communities maintain cultural identity and build solidarity through shared practices, even far from home. For Argentinians and other South Americans living in the United States, access to traditional mate provides not just a taste of home but a ritual that strengthens community bonds and passes cultural heritage to new generations. The phenomenon also demonstrates how global sporting events create spaces for cultural exchange and recognition, allowing diverse communities to celebrate their traditions publicly. As commercial interests increasingly market mate to mainstream American audiences, the insistence by traditional drinkers on authentic preparation methods underscores the importance of preserving cultural practices against commodification, ensuring that meaningful social rituals aren't reduced to mere consumer products.