Young soccer fan surprised with tickets to Saturday's World Cup match in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A young soccer fan from Delaware County is now going to Saturday's World Cup match in Philadelphia thanks to the generosity of the Philadelphia Soccer 2026 Host Committee.

Nine-year-old Ben Snyder has spent the start of his summer break glued to the FIFA World Cup.

"I love soccer because I've been playing it for a long time, and I watch a lot of games," he said.

His dad, Greg, added, "He's really been into the tournament. He knows every single winner of every World Cup dating back to 1930."

Ben isn't just a fan of the sport, he also plays the game.

He was really looking forward to his soccer camp this summer, but a couple of weeks ago, he broke his arm and was forced to undergo surgery.

A few days later, his mom, Carrie, reached out to the Philadelphia Soccer Host Committee.

"I sent a very heartfelt, random email when I was sleep-deprived one day after coming home from the hospital with Ben," she said.

Meg Kane, the host city executive/CEO for Philadelphia Soccer 2026, was forwarded the email.

"She said, 'Is there anything you can do? The only thing that's really keeping him motivated right now is that he can watch soccer basically every minute of every day,'" Kane explained.

Carrie said she was hoping to find a fan experience that Ben could possibly participate in since he was sidelined by injury all summer long.

She said she never expected the committee would respond the way they did.

On Thursday night, Ben and his brothers were surprised with tickets to Saturday's match between France and Paraguay at Philadelphia Stadium.

After receiving the tickets, Ben said, "I'm very excited. I've never been to a World Cup game before."

Carrie added, "This is a big deal for our family."

The Snyders are now looking forward to spending their July 4th holiday in South Philadelphia watching a World Cup match as a family.

"The only thing we're going to ask is that you send us a photo and let us see how much joy and happiness that July 4th brings," Kane said.