Father and son attend 20 matches in 27 days to score World Cup finals tickets
CHERRY HILL, New Jersey (WPVI) -- In 2025, Nery Hernandez and his son, Jake, took the journey of a lifetime. They traveled up and down the east coast to secure tickets to the World Cup finals.
Nery, a Philadelphia chef, grew up loving soccer in Guatemala. His son, Jake, a recent high school graduate, enjoys playing the sport in their hometown of Cherry Hill.
Their journey to secure tickets took place during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, a predecessor to the proper World Cup in 2026.
During the Club World Cup, FIFA offered fans the chance to purchase a 'Super Ticket Pack.' This came with the rare opportunity to secure World Cup finals tickets if the purchaser attended 20 different Club World Cup matches on different days.
Nery and Jake traveled to New York, Miami, Charlotte, and more. They attended 20 matches in 27 days.
They collected many things during their travels, including jerseys of their favorite teams and a drinking cup from every match. They wrote match information on each cup and stacked them in a tower with a trophy on top.
And that was just the beginning.
Now that the World Cup has kicked off, they plan to attend between 8 and 10 matches, including the final.
They already attended their first match in Philadelphia and enjoyed cheering along with fans of Ecuador and Côte d'Ivoire.
In the future, Jake plans to study physical therapy at West Chester University.
This epic journey was the perfect way to celebrate their relationship before he leaves for college.
Watch the video above to see what this journey meant to them.
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