French citizens living in or visiting Guadalajara filled the city’s Gallic eateries to watch their nation triumph in the World Cup final on Sunday, July 15.
Many of them sported the same blue shirts used by the team that defeated plucky Croatia for France’s second championship (their first was in 1998).
Another hotbed of fan support was the Alliance Francaise school on Lopez Cottila, where shrieks of joy could be heard blocks away each time France scored a goal in the team’s 4-2 victory. Around 30 younger French fans made a beeline for the Minerva Glorieta after the victory to sing songs and wave the blue, white and red Tricolor with the same gusto as their Mexican counterparts.
Remarkably, just a day before the final, French expats had enjoyed another celebration: Bastille Day.