“Slovak Hockey Fans Flock to Riga for World Cup Matches, Despite Difficult Games and Scarred Players”

Some used it for active regeneration, some for a tour of the city, where Slovak fans have been moving in large or smaller groups for the fifth day.

The fact that hockey is extremely popular in Slovakia is confirmed by every championship year after year. From Friday, fans flocked to the Latvian capital in various ways. Many preferred the more convenient air transport, others measured the journey to Riga by car. “We left on Wednesday two days before the first match, the journey took about 15 hours even with breaks” one of the group of Slovaks told us in front of the fan zone.

It is easy to identify a fan of the Slovak national team in Riga. Everyone is wearing a jersey with different motifs. Some remind of the golden year of 2002 in Gothenburg, where Slovak hockey players won their only World Cup title so far. Others are from the period after him, but the fans keep up with the times and bought current jerseys as well. There was a lot of interest in the official fanshop, which is confirmed by the fact that the Slovak ones were the only ones sold out by Monday evening.

The organizers built the fan zone right next to the arena where the championship matches take place. Slovaks played in it together with Czechs, it was common to see mixed groups of both nations at the same table. Over a beer, they discussed not only the mutual match from Friday, in which the Czechs won 3:2, but also the rest of the championship. On Monday evening, the Czech fans consoled the Slovaks after a 1:2 loss after raids against Canada, they switched roles shortly after, when the Slovaks helped them overcome the disappointment after the loss to the Latvians. After this triumph, the home supporters celebrated late into the night, even outside the fan zone in the streets of Riga, where beer is cheaper. The fan pays 6 euros for it in front of the arena.

Slovak hockey players will next appear at the WC after two days off. Switzerland awaits them on Thursday at 19:20 CET, and a day later they will play Kazakhstan at the same time. It is obvious that before the following weekend, another wave of fans from Slovakia will again flock to the World Cup venue. However, if they do not bring jerseys from home, they will no longer march in the fan zone near the hall. According to the saleswoman, they are not expecting another batch of goods.