Fans of the U.S. ITAR-TASS/Zuma Press

One of the great joys of covering the 2014 World Cup in Brazil is the opportunity to meet soccer fans from 32 different nations. And then, after they're gone, to talk about them behind their backs.

As much as this global event is a showcase for soccer brilliance and tactical innovation, it's also an incredible venue for measuring the differences between the various national fan cultures. So in advance of Sunday's final between Germany and Argentina, The Journal asked the members of its reporting team to send their honest impressions of the fan groups from all 32 countries. What follows is a completely unscientific survey of their findings.

Some countries, like Argentina, drew lengthy and colorful responses from the panel. Others, like Honduras, didn't leave much of an impression. And our reporting team couldn't think of anything to say about fans from Algeria and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Here is their report:

Argentina soccer fans Reuters


The "most numerous" fans from any nation, apart from host Brazil, were "intent on giving their guys as close to a home-team advantage as possible." While they weren't always the best-behaved fans (the word "obnoxious" turned up), they also showed a sensitive side. "I've never seen as many men crying as when Argentina beat the Netherlands," one panelist said.


Despite a fast exit, Aussies were undaunted in their quest to "have a good time" and "drain Brazil's stocks of lager" while wearing "sunnies and singlets." They "traveled around Brazil quite a bit" and "were knowledgeable about their team, even though soccer is their fourth- or fifth-favorite sport."

Belgium supporters Agence France-Presse/Getty Images


Fans of the Red Devils were small in number but knew "how to impose themselves." At the U.S. match, "two Belgium fans were as loud as five Americans." They had "really cool costumes" and one of them even landed a modeling contract.

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Several observers said they were underwhelmed by the host fans, who were "very calm, relatively quiet and a little nervous about their team's prospects." One panelist even said Brazilians were "not as emotionally enthralled by soccer as the world is led to believe." When their team wasn't playing, they still "packed stadiums and picked sides" and "would cheer for every attack and boo whenever the ball was kicked back defensively."


These fans turned out to be incredibly good sports. "They seemed very happy and laughed together a lot." They could be seen "on the metro talking to Argentines" and making a friendly argument that Samuel Eto'o "is better than Lionel Messi. " Sadly, the Portuguese word for their country, Camarões, "is also the plural for shrimp," which they were reminded of "100 times a day" after losing to Brazil.


While known for being quiet and laid back, Chileans "get extremely worked up" about soccer. A group of ticketless Chilean fans got global attention for trying to "bum-rush a stadium in Rio." Most were "very loud and a lot of fun." A lot of people "wanted them to shut up" after hearing their favorite chant "Chi Chi Chi, Le Le Le" for days, "well past midnight." But they also won creativity points: While most South American countries sing the same songs, "Chile at least added in some stuff about hating Argentina."

Colombia soccer fans Associated Press


"Loud, colorful and seemed to be having the time of their lives." Drew lots of attention for wearing Carlos Valderrama-style wigs. One panelist assumed that the wigs are "issued to everyone who leaves the country." One observer noted that some Colombians "seemed inclined to fight," but that they made up for it by being "quite possibly the most insanely good-looking fan base in international sports."

Costa Rica

While the team excelled in Brazil, there "couldn't have been more than 75 in the whole stadium" in the last game the few that did show "didn't seem to expect much" and "ended up having a party in the corner."


"Maybe the easiest fans to pick out, barring the Dutch, because of their tablecloth-checkered jerseys." They were "nearly all men." One panelist reported seeing some Croatian fans trying to "sneak flares into the stadium."


These fans "just sort of quietly followed their team" and didn't make much of an impression. "They were sort of like every other South American country, but less colorful than Colombia, less passionate than Argentina and less fun than Chile." When they were eliminated by France, our panelists say, "they just sort of quietly accepted it and went back home."

An England fan i-Images/Zuma Press


Lived up to their lofty expectations for being "sophisticated football watchers" who are "self-deprecating," but also prone to "overdrinking and being just very loud."


Seemed "almost surprised their team did so well." Looked at home in Brasilia where "there wasn't much to do apart from sitting in restaurants sipping wine." They were "enthusiastic anthem singers" and "quick to break into the Marseillaise."


Fans are "very cool, calm and collected" and "restrained in victory." They don't get as loud as the English and won praise for bringing "German stadium culture" with them. They traveled with giant flags marking which parts of the country they were from and continued trying to hang them in stadiums even as stewards tore them down.

Fans of Ghana Action Images/Zuma Press


Fans earned praise for having "this great drum and horn band that played throughout the match." Our panelists report that they were "always smiling while the game went on," even when things went sour.


"Good-humored" and "just going with the flow," which was understandable given that few expected anything from their team. The Greeks clearly "came for the party."


Hondurans were hard to spot. In fact, "if you met a Honduran fan in Brazil, chances are they were Brazilian, or from Los Angeles." That said, the "Honduran-Americans were out in force" and their "small but passionate base made an effort to be seen and heard."


"Obsessed with taking selfies," these fans spent much of their time during a narrow loss to Argentina "wandering the aisles posing for pictures with the pitch in the background." They also showed an outsize disdain for soccer referees, "howling at every single decision that went against them." One of the most evenly split fan bases between men and women. One panelist said the Iranians did a brave job of communicating with locals despite "struggling with Portuguese pronunciations."


One of the biggest mysteries of the tournament. Fans of the Azzurri were "barely glimpsed," which isn't surprising given that "they officially sold 200 tickets for their opener against England." In fact, "the thinking was that a lot of the Italian fans were actually Brazilian and Argentine Italians."

Ivory Coast

One of the most elusive fan bases. Did, however, show "dedication to body paint," as one fan appeared at multiple matches "with what looked like every inch of his upper body covered in team colors."

Fans of Japan Reuters


The Japanese were "the cleanest of the World Cup fans" who "impressed the world" by tidying up after themselves at the stadiums. They were "very organized" in the stands, but "very excited, too." They also earned accolades for having the "craziest costumes" which "usually involved masks, face-painting and some sort of elaborate headgear" including "some dressed as sushi," which one panelist found "terrifying."

South Korea

Win or lose (it was actually lose or tie), Koreans made lots of noise as they "cheered incessantly" and "banged away on the inflatable bang sticks" as some "wore little battery-operated devil horns that lit up their sections as night fell." One panelist was impressed by a "group rendition of a strident part of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9."


Despite refusing "to rethink an offensive chant," Mexican fans were universally adored as "some of the nicest and most polite people" and the "loudest non-Brazilian fans encountered at the World Cup." They were "remarkably well coordinated in their chants and outfits" and one fan in particular was "so committed he was wearing a burro costume that made it look like he was riding it."

Netherlands soccer fans Getty Images


The Dutch were "my favorites—sophisticated, cool and fun. Plus they have their endearing 'Hup' chant." Dutch fans were "always easy to spot in their bright orange jerseys, hats, socks, sports coats, ties and, yes, underpants." At campsites, "the Heineken flowed "and the bitterballen (Dutch meatballs) were plentiful." Other panelists found them "astonishingly reserved during their team's matches" and not as thickly massed as usual.


Before playing France, a small group of Nigerians lacked tickets—but not confidence. "They said Nigeria would beat France and win the World Cup." One panelist said he met one Nigeria fan in a hotel elevator, "but he was from Manhattan."


Even though they "didn't travel in big numbers," the Portuguese got a huge cheering boost from "Brazilians of Portuguese descent" who were also "very mild-mannered." As a whole, "their team was unimpressive, and so were the fans."


In a relatively small number of encounters, our panelists described Russian fans as mostly "big men" who "looked like security guards" and were "unhappy."


After winning the 2010 World Cup, many Spanish fans were so optimistic, they didn't bother showing up for the group stage—which their team didn't survive. Some Spanish fans showed up at the Brazil-Germany semifinal, including "one poor soul with a Spanish flag" hidden in an "ocean of yellow jerseys."


While the Swiss fans were "pretty subdued and barely present in the host cities," some were spotted on shopping excursions in Manaus where they "smiled quietly and tried not to faint on the steamy streets."


"Ecstatic" after their win over England, they "spent about an hour after the match singing songs and jumping up and down" before heading out for "pizza and beer." After Luis Suárez was kicked out for biting, there was "mostly indignation," followed by an argument that "far worse things happen on football pitches." Some panelists found them to be the "most fanatical and jingoistic" fans in Brazil.


Clapped "for everything." Screams of USA! USA! made the stadium "as loud as Madison Square Garden" even when the team was down 2-0 to Belgium. These fans stuck to their "I believe that we will win" chant which one panelist called "typically American." Other panelists said they "reached a bit too far with chants" that haven't been developed "with decades of heartbreak."

—Beckey Bright, Jonathan Clegg,
Will Connors, Matthew Cowley, Loretta Chao, Jeff Cullen, Will Davies, Matthew Futterman, Jason Gay,
Paul Kiernan, Patricia Kowsmann, Jeffrey Lewis, John Lyons,
Luciana Magalhaes, Joshua Robinson and Paulo Trevisani contributed to this article.