Couple who met at the 1986 World Cup return to Mexico to celebrate 40 years together

World Cup couple: Luiz and Ana in 1986 and 2026
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The 2026 World Cup will have a special meaning for Luiz Carlos Almeida, 66, and Ana Elizabeth Orea de Almeida, 61. The Brazilian and the Mexican met at the 1986 World Cup, in Mexico, and will celebrate 40 years together at this year's World Cup, in the same country.
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Known as the World Cup Couple, football was and continues to be an important part of their history. Luiz has always been passionate about sport, but he didn't imagine that the trip to Mexico to support the Brazilian team would make him find his life partner.
That's why, despite Diego Maradona's Argentina winning the title in 1986, Luiz says that it was the best World Cup of his life.
"We didn't win the World Cup, but I won the love of my life", he says with a smile on his face.
Coincidence or not, Mexico ended up eliminated from the competition on the same day that Brazil said goodbye to the tournament.
'Forbidden' love
When Luiz and Ana met, in Guadalajara, Ana was engaged to another man. But everything changed after she met the Brazilian, the brother of a student at the gym where she worked as a physical education teacher.
The two began attending together, initially as friends, "fan fests" (events linked to the World Cup). It was there, to the sound of cheers and samba, that the relationship grew and Ana realized that she no longer wanted to be away from Luiz.
She remembers a party at the restaurant at the Pousada Guadalajara hotel, where the Brazilian team was staying. Ana wanted to spend more time with Luiz, but her father insisted that she return home.
It was then that she had an unusual idea: she asked Walter Casagrande, who played for the Brazilian team and was there, to call her father and convince him to let her stay. The strategy worked.
"My father said: 'If they put Casagrande on the phone, how am I going to say no?'", remembers Ana.
The relationship that started during the World Cup continued even after the end of the tournament. Ana ended her engagement with the Mexican and maintained a long-distance relationship with Luiz. Without a cell phone, they kept in touch through letters.
"I saw the postman coming and ran away", remembers Ana.
Three years later, they got married, and she moved to Brazil, where she has lived ever since.
"The 1986 World Cup meant a lot to us. It totally changed our lives", says Ana.
⚽Five World Cups together
Ana and Luiz have already been to four World Cups together and have their bags ready for the fifth.
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The 1986 World Cup was just the first one they experienced side by side. Since then, the couple has been together in four World Cups, including Brazil, Russia and Qatar, and is now preparing for another edition.
With their bags packed, they will follow the 2026 World Cup, which will be played in Mexico, Canada and the United States, and intend to follow Brazil as long as the team remains in the tournament.
"The emotions we experience at a World Cup take us back to 1986. This motivates us even more to keep going to the games", he says Luiz.
Ana describes the feeling of watching a match at the stadium with Luiz as something unique.
"It's very good, you see that stadium, that immensity, that energy...The emotion of a stadium is priceless. And I look at Luiz and think: 'We're here'. It's exciting."
But, when Brazil and Mexico face each other, her heart is divided.
"It's suffering", she jokes. "I really want Mexico to win, but Brazil has a unique energy. They don't play, but they play on the field."
Luiz and Ana have already been to four World Cups together and have their bags ready for the 5th
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