In 1998, she collected 6 Coca-Cola bottle caps. She hasn't paid to attend a World Cup match since

For many of us, buying a lottery ticket or entering a contest is just a brief moment of imagining "what if." It is often seen as a harmless gamble that typically doesn’t lead to anything significant. However, for María del Jesús Pinargote, a resident of Ecuador's Manabí province, her simple act of entering a Coca-Cola promotional campaign by depositing a coupon along with six bottle caps changed her life forever in 1998. This action made her one of the very few Latin Americans to win a prize that most soccer fans can only dream of, as reported by El Diario on June 10, 2026.

The Golden Ticket changed it all

Well, the prize in question was to travel to every soccer World Cup, with all expenses covered and one companion included. Pinargote was only one of two lucky fans to win this prestigious contest. While this alone is quite the feat, what made it even more wholesome was the fact that this allowed Pinargote to travel outside the country for the first time in her life. In fact, when she boarded the plane for the 1998 World Cup in France, it was her first flight. From then on, Pinargote never looked back. She broadened her perspective and learned a lot from these trips.

Her husband only got to see the first few

As mentioned, the winner also got to take one other person with them on these trips, so Pinargote took her husband with her. Together they attended several tournaments, the first in France, of course, followed by another in South Korea and Japan in 2002. However, unfortunately, after a few years, Pinargote's husband passed away. Following this, she shared her experiences with several of her relatives, including cousins and her sister-in-law Mercedes Pinargote.

Her most cherished moments 

Although the matches and traveling to different countries were quite exciting, Pinargote's most cherished moment was seeing the Ecuadorian flag waving across different countries. She also took it upon herself to make the most of this rare opportunity to represent her roots. Pinargote did that really well, that too, for seven different World Cups, all the way from France (1998) to South Korea and Japan (2002), Germany (2006), South Africa (2010), and most recently in Qatar (2022).

Attending the World Cup is more expensive than ever

Nonetheless, while Pinargote was able to enjoy all these trips through sheer luck without spending a dime, most fans have to spend a fortune. This statement holds more than ever before, with the expenses of attending just one World Cup game in 2026 in Boston estimated at $8,929 for an individual. Miami is the least expensive city, but even then, a fan would have to dish out about $2,614 to experience the magic of the global game. 

49% of fans unhappy with USA's hosting

As a result of these exorbitant prices, 37% of international fans believe they'd be less likely to attend a game, while about 49% weren't too excited about the fact that the United States was hosting the World Cup, according to a survey held by Upgrade Points. This highlights how difficult attending games has become, not just for soccer but for all sports fans in general, as they hope things will get better with time.

That said, sadly, due to some health issues for the past few years, the woman who has traveled the world will no longer be able to cheer her team from the stands, nor will she be able to bring back memorabilia for her family back home. However, from her heart, she still remains a huge soccer and Ecuador fan, and will be hoping to see her team in action from the stadium. 

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