Brazilian fans brought the noise in their nation’s World Cup opener in New York. Philly, we’re next.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Philly, you’re in for a treat.

In anticipation of next Friday’s match between Brazil and Haiti, I decided to make the 93-mile trek by train from Philadelphia to MetLife Stadium to watch the Seleçao take on Morocco last Saturday.

This match was sure to be comparable to the numbers that will be back here in about three weeks for the World Cup final, so I wanted to see what the trip would be like on NJ Transit, since New Jersey has prided itself on the legion of bus shuttles it’s arranged to take fans over to MetLife Stadium.

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Also, this match was definitely going to be worth the trip, considering the matchup of two teams regarded among the top 10 best in the world (in fact, the match pitted No. 6 Brazil against No. 7 Morocco, according to FIFA World Rankings).

Though some might want to argue whether or not it’s still worth the price of FIFA’s hefty admission, it went down as an unforgettable match.

Over 80,000 (80,663 announced) mostly yellow-clad fans sang, cheered — a few even shed tears while the Brazilian national anthem played — watching this first game for both teams in Group C. For anyone there, it was worth FIFA’s steep admission price, and speaking with various fans, the prices did vary across similar sections.

Sergio Ximeyo, 22, who came from Brooklyn, said he waited until the morning of the game and was able to snag his ticket for $300. Ximeyo, dressed from head to toe in Brazil’s colors, considered himself “lucky” to say he was witnessing this World Cup match live.

Another fan, Mariana Costa, 38, who traveled from São Paulo, Brazil, was all smiles in a traditional Brazilian headdress and said that she paid $1,000 for her ticket to the match in the same 200-level section, though a bit closer to the pitch.

“These tickets [prices] are crazy,” Costa said, “But you love your team and your country, so you pay.”

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It’s safe to anticipate that same passion will travel down I-95 for Brazil’s second group match against Haiti at Lincoln Financial Field on Friday (9 p.m., Fox29). As much as FIFA would like us to refer to the venue as “Philadelphia Stadium,” the Philly in me has a hard time conforming.

Joao Brigadóes, 33, who said he resides in New York, noted that he’s already excited to take in the match. Brigadóes explained that he purchased his tickets through a presale and spent $4,200 for a total of four tickets, two for the match against Morocco and two for Friday’s game.

“This team is my heart,” Brigadóes said. “Look at this, we are all Brazilians here, this is the World Cup — I may never get a chance to witness this opportunity again, so yeah, I saved because I knew I couldn’t miss this chance to see my country play so close to [my home].”

We got a taste of just how much Brazilian (and Moroccan, too, we didn’t forget) supporters brought the noise during last summer’s FIFA Club World Cup, when fans of Flamengo and Fluminense came through for group stage matches. The atmosphere of their club teams was unbelievable.

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For the national team? On Saturday night, it was a different level. Even from the bird’s-eye view of MetLife Stadium’s hermetically sealed press box where I didn’t stay for very long. You can’t feel the pulse of anything in there, but in the adjacent 200-level sections? Fantastic.

New York has a large contingent of Brazilians living up here, an estimated 35,000, according to 2024 U.S. Census data, and it felt like they all packed into MetLife Stadium on Saturday. They packed shuttles, held up the lines at concessions, took over large swaths of sections, and were loud.

For this soccer fan, who has been to quite a few live matches in my lifetime, this one is right up there as one of the best when it came to atmosphere, excitement, and quality on the pitch as Brazil and Morocco battled to a 1-1 draw.

Oh, speaking of concessions, “Philadelphia Stadium” should consider taking a page from “New York-New Jersey Stadium” when it comes to water bottles.

A bottle of Dasani at MetLife? $5.75. A concession worker noted, too, that regardless of the event, that’s the going rate at MetLife. Anyone who’s been to the Linc knows that’s not the case, with prices surging to as much as $10 for the Club World Cup.

In Sunday’s opening match in Philadelphia between Ecuador and Ivory Coast, the price for a water was $6.99.

So, while yes, $5.75 isn’t exactly the cheapest for a plastic bottle of purified water, it’s still cheaper than options at the Linc.

Not gonna lie, that was refreshing to hear, so I bought two.

The World Cup in Philly

Nine nations will compete in five group stage matches this summer, plus two more in a knockout game on July 4. Here’s what you need to know about those countries — and what those fans need to know about Philly. Click here for more.