France fans miss Euro 2020 game by going to Bucharest, not Budapest

Wrong place, wrong time.

Six France fans traveled all the way to Bucharest, Romania to watch their beloved French national team compete in Euro 2020 this week. Unfortunately, they were the only French fans there.

France’s game against Hungary was in Budapest, 500 miles away from the capital of Romania. Now, they were stranded in an unfamiliar place.

“It’s like we’re in the movie ‘Home Alone,’” one of the fans told Romanian outlet Jurnalul. “This is the first time we have traveled to this part of Europe. And, to be honest, for me, until today, there was no difference between Bucharest and Budapest. We need to learn more about Europe.”

The six men have worked together for years at an IT company. They have traveled to many different countries, but not since the pandemic. They made a pact that once the restrictions were lifted they would go on a trip, and how perfect would it have been to travel to support their home country.

The fans looked at their tickets and realized that the airline gave them three tickets to Budapest and three to Bucharest. Once the fans caught the mistake, they quickly raced on the phone to talk to the airline company’s customer service. However, the service was unsatisfactory, to say the least.

“They blamed us because we don’t know the difference between Bucharest and Budapest,” another fan said.

After the issues with the flight, problems still ensued. The group followed who they thought were Hungary fans out of the airport to try and lead them to the stadium. But, they were actually Ukrainians that were visiting Bucharest in between Ukraine’s matches.

“We never thought they were Ukrainians,” one fan said. “Now I realize we couldn’t even figure it out. We don’t know Hungarian either, and we don’t know Ukrainian or Russian. They are just as foreign to us.”

Instead of racing to Budapest, the fans extended their stay in Romania and submerged themselves in the new culture.

The fans have ultimately lucked out, as France’s Round of 16 knockout game against Switzerland will take place on Monday in none other than Bucharest.