World Cup Mate Culture
Yerba Mate Unites World Cup Fans, Bringing a Taste of Home to Matches
At the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Kansas City, fans are carrying more than jerseys and flags to the stadium. They are bringing gourds, metal straws called bombillas, and thermoses full of hot water — all to share yerba mate, the bitter South American tea that tastes like home. AP reported the scene unfolding outside matches, where strangers pass a single gourd around a circle as a form of greeting.
The drink has deep roots among Argentine, Uruguayan, and Paraguayan fans. Argentina brought 1,100 pounds of yerba mate to the 2022 Qatar World Cup, according to Tasting Table. They won the title that year. Now, mate is making its biggest appearance yet on U.S. soil.
A Bitter Leaf That Brings Fans Together
Yerba mate comes from a plant called Ilex paraguariensis. Indigenous Guaraní people in South America were the first to brew it, steeping dried leaves in a gourd and sipping through a bombilla — a metal straw with a built-in filter. The ritual is communal. One person prepares the mate and passes it around. Everyone drinks from the same straw. NPR described it as "social glue" that crosses language barriers.
Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister summed it up simply. He said mate's main purpose is "to bring us together," according to Business Insider. At Fan Zones across Kansas City, that is exactly what it does. Fans who have never met share a gourd and find common ground before kickoff.
Messi's Gourd Turned a Niche Drink Mainstream
No single person did more to spread mate's fame than Lionel Messi. He is almost always photographed with a personalized gourd in hand. His move to Inter Miami in 2023 was a "tipping point" for mate's popularity in the United States, according to Fast Company. Sales in North America surged as fans wanted to copy his habits.
The U.S. yerba mate market was worth an estimated $722.7 million in 2025, according to Future Market Insights. The global market is projected to reach $2.2 billion by 2027. Kansas City shops are already seeing the boost. Café Corazón, a Latinx café in the city, has been teaching Midwesterners about mate's "mellow buzz" and the community ritual behind it, Flatland KC reported.
FIFA's Thermos Ban Clashes With Fan Culture
Not everyone is welcoming the gourd inside the stadium. FIFA bans thermoses and metal flasks at World Cup venues. Hot water is essential for drinking mate properly. Without a thermos, fans cannot enjoy it during the 90 minutes of play. Many South American fans see the ban as a "cultural tax," forcing them into Fan Zones rather than their seats, according to AP.
Stadium security officials say metal thermoses could be used as weapons. FIFA did allow factory-sealed plastic water bottles in 2026 due to summer heat concerns, NBC News reported. But that exception does not help mate drinkers. The tension shows how hard it is to bring a deeply personal ritual into a highly controlled event.
A Growing Market With Environmental Costs
Yerba mate only grows in the Atlantic Forest, a region that has already lost 88% of its original tree cover, according to Fast Company. As global demand rises, farmers face pressure to clear more land. That puts the drink's future — and its native ecosystem — at risk.
Some companies are pushing a different model. Shade-grown farms allow mate plants to grow under a natural canopy, helping reforest the Atlantic Forest while supporting Indigenous Guaraní communities. The 2026 World Cup is shining a global spotlight on mate. How producers respond to that demand will shape whether the drink's rise helps or harms the land it comes from.
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