Peru Invades Russia. Well, at Least Many of Its Fans Have.

SARANSK, Russia — Augusto Caceres, 81, had all but given up hope of seeing his beloved Peru at a World Cup again during his lifetime.

He has been to 13 straight World Cups, beginning with the 1970 tournament. And for much of that time, Peru had failed again and again to make it to soccer’s biggest showcase. Still, Caceres kept going, and hoping that Peru might somehow be a part of the World Cup for the first time since 1982. And now Peru is.

Failure to reach the World Cup had become so regular that Peruvians adapted it as a motif for everyday life, including the repayment of debts, said Martin Llerena, 33, who was with Inamine. “When you owe someone money it became usual to say, “I’ll pay you when Peru goes to the World Cup.’ ”"

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