Watch the 2026 World Cup
across all five boroughs + MetLife.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19, with the final at MetLife Stadium on a Sunday night that will pull every borough into the street. We map every official fan zone across the five boroughs, the soccer bars locals actually drink at, and the eight MetLife matches you might want to stake out a barstool for, including the final.
Watch parties on Unlisted
26 curated · updated weekly
MetLife Stadium — 8 matches, ending with the final
East Rutherford, NJOfficial fan zones — free with registration
The NY/NJ Host Committee announced a five-borough rollout plus the Rockefeller Center Fan Village in April 2026. All free, registration via nynjfwc26.com.
What's happening
MetLife Stadium hosts more matches than any other venue in the tournament: eight in total, capped by the final on July 19, 2026. Six are in the group stage and knockouts, plus a Round of 16 and the final. The stadium sits in East Rutherford, NJ, eight miles from Midtown, and on match days NJ Transit's Meadowlands rail and dedicated shuttle buses are the only sensible way in.
New York's official fan-zone program is a five-borough rollout, all free with mandatory advance registration on nynjfwc26.com. The flagship is the Rockefeller Center Fan Village (July 6 to July 19), with the ice rink converted to a soccer pitch and the Channel Gardens dressed up for the eight remaining nations. The original Liberty State Park fan fest was cancelled in February 2026 and replaced by a 21-county community program plus the borough sites; if you saw a 2025 article naming Jersey City, that plan is dead.
Outside the official zones, the city's soccer-bar map is dense: Smithfield Hall in Chelsea is the canonical NYC home of football with 26 screens, Banter Bar in Williamsburg opens at sunrise for European kickoffs, Bar 43 in Sunnyside is the Queens hub, and the Football Factory at Legends houses 30+ international supporters clubs. Diaspora neighborhoods set the mood for matchdays: Mexico in Sunset Park and Jackson Heights, Brazil in Astoria, Argentina in Corona, Korea in K-Town, England in the Chelsea Brit-pub belt.
We track confirmed watch parties, fan-zone schedules, and brand activations and add them to the list below as they're announced. Map below shows the locations geographically. Updates land weekly through the tournament, plus extra drops on the eight NY/NJ match days.
- MetLife matches
- 8 (incl. the final)
- Final date
- Sun Jul 19, 2026
- Free borough fan zones
- 5 (one per borough)
- Flagship fan village
- Rockefeller Center, Jul 6–19
- NJ Transit rail ticket
- $98 round-trip (reduced May 2026)
- NY-side shuttle bus
- $20 round-trip
New York by neighborhood
Midtown Manhattan (Rockefeller Center)
Flagship fan village. Free with registration. The big-screen on the ice rink is the place to be for the knockout stage if you don't have a stadium ticket.
Queens (Flushing, Jackson Heights, Astoria, Sunnyside)
Group stage HQ at the Billie Jean King NTC. Off the official map: Jackson Heights for Mexico/Colombia/Ecuador, Astoria for Brazil, Sunnyside for Bar 43 with England/Colombia, K-Town for Korea Republic.
Brooklyn (Bridge Park, Williamsburg)
Official fan zone at Brooklyn Bridge Park, DUMBO. Plus Banter and Banner Smith in Williamsburg for an early-AM EPL+international viewing crowd.
Chelsea / Midtown soccer-bar belt
Smithfield Hall, Black Sheep Pub, Stout NYC, Mean Fiddler. The dense English-football corridor; expect to find a screen showing every match.
East Rutherford, NJ (MetLife)
Eight matches incl. the final. Get there via NJ Transit Meadowlands rail or NY-side shuttle (Port Authority / Midtown East / Clifton P&R). Penn Station outbound NJT service is partially suspended four hours before each kickoff.
Bronx (Terminal Market)
Borough fan zone for the opening weekend Jun 13–14 with family + cultural programming.
Staten Island (SIUH Community Park)
Fan zone with evening match viewings, Jun 29 – Jul 2.
Glossary
- Fan zone
- Free, ticketed public viewing site organized by the NY/NJ host committee with big screens, food, and entertainment. Five sites across the five boroughs, plus the Rockefeller Center Fan Village.
- Fan village
- Multi-day commercial activation, usually at a landmark plaza. The 2026 NYC version is the Rockefeller Center Fan Village (Jul 6 to Jul 19), branded by Telemundo + Verizon.
- Supporters club
- A formal fan group tied to a specific country or club, with a designated bar. Many NYC bars host two or three. Football Factory at Legends alone hosts 30+, including Ajax NYC for the Netherlands.
- Group stage
- The first round of the tournament: 12 groups of four teams, three matches each. Runs Jun 11 to Jun 27, 2026. The top two from each group plus the eight best third-place teams advance.
- Round of 32 / 16
- 2026 is the first World Cup with 48 teams, which means a new Round of 32 before the Round of 16. MetLife hosts one Round of 32 match on Jun 30 and one Round of 16 on Jul 5.
- MetLife Stadium
- The NFL-shared venue in East Rutherford, NJ. Capacity 82,500. Eight World Cup matches, including the final on Jul 19, 2026.
Frequently asked
Where is the 2026 World Cup final held?+
MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday July 19, 2026, at 3 PM ET. The halftime show is Madonna, Shakira, and BTS, a first for a World Cup final.
Are MetLife matches in New York or New Jersey?+
New Jersey, eight miles from Midtown Manhattan. The host committee is branded NY/NJ, but the stadium itself is in East Rutherford. From Manhattan, take NJ Transit from Penn Station to Secaucus Junction and switch to the Meadowlands rail line; tickets are restricted to ticket holders starting four hours before kickoff.
How do I get free tickets to a NYC fan zone?+
Register at nynjfwc26.com. All five borough fan zones (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island) are free but require advance registration. Tickets release ahead of each match day. The Rockefeller Center Fan Village also requires registration.
Was the Liberty State Park fan festival cancelled?+
Yes, in February 2026, after originally being announced in June 2025 as a 45,000-capacity all-tournament site. New Jersey redirected the $5 million budget to a 21-county community program. Don't show up at Liberty State Park expecting a fan fest. The replacement flagship is the Rockefeller Center Fan Village.
How many matches are at MetLife Stadium?+
Eight: five group-stage games (Brazil vs Morocco on Jun 13, plus four more through Jun 27), one Round of 32 on Jun 30, one Round of 16 on Jul 5, and the final on Jul 19, 2026.
How much is the NJ Transit train to MetLife?+
$98 round trip after Governor Sherrill cut the price in May 2026 (it was originally $150). Service is ticket-holder-only starting four hours before kickoff. Capacity is roughly 40,000 fans per match.
Best soccer bars in NYC for the World Cup?+
Smithfield Hall (Chelsea, 26 screens, multiple supporters clubs), Banter Bar (Williamsburg), Football Factory at Legends (Midtown, 30+ international supporters clubs), Bar 43 (Sunnyside, Queens), O'Hanlon's (Arsenal HQ, East Village), and The Red Lion (West Village). Each bar has a country it leans into; the diaspora neighborhood you pick sets the vibe.
Where do specific country fans gather in NYC?+
Mexico in Sunset Park (5th Ave Brooklyn) and Jackson Heights, Queens. Brazil in Astoria. Argentina at El Gauchito in Corona. Colombia/Ecuador in Jackson Heights. Korea Republic in K-Town. England in Chelsea Brit-pubs. Netherlands at Ajax NYC at Football Factory. Senegal in Harlem's Little Senegal on 116th St.
Where can I watch the USMNT in NYC?+
UBS Arena is hosting a USMNT watch party on June 19, and Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, NJ is the official ticketed fan hub for US-related matches. Soccer bars across the city will lean into US group-stage games, especially the Times Square viewing infrastructure FOX is broadcasting from all tournament.
What channel airs the World Cup in the US?+
FOX and FS1 carry every match in English; Telemundo carries the Spanish-language broadcast. Streaming via the FOX One and FOX Sports apps (and Telemundo Deportes on Peacock). The Rockefeller Center Fan Village is co-presented by Telemundo.
How do I get MetLife World Cup tickets?+
Tickets are sold exclusively via the official FIFA ticketing platform through phased sales rounds (random draws, first-come windows, and last-minute sales). MetLife final tickets are the most competitive of the tournament, with allocation split between FIFA member-federation pools and a public ballot. For resale, FIFA runs an official resale platform; secondary-market sites carry real risk of invalid or denied-entry tickets. Always start at the official FIFA ticketing platform.
Which NYC bars show FOX (English) vs Telemundo (Spanish)?+
Most large soccer bars run both feeds on different screens (Smithfield Hall, Football Factory at Legends). Bars in Spanish-speaking diaspora neighborhoods (Sunset Park, Jackson Heights, Astoria) typically default to Telemundo. Brit-pub belt bars like Black Sheep and Mean Fiddler usually run FOX English commentary. Most bars will switch on request if you ask politely about 10 minutes before kickoff.
Are there late-night bars in NYC for the European-time match knockouts?+
Most NYC sports bars operate on normal hours, closing somewhere between 01:00 and 04:00, so late-evening European kickoffs are easy to catch. For the truly late slots, Manhattan and Williamsburg bars are the best bets given their later closing patterns. Confirm hours with the venue on match day, since some bars adjust closing for specific matches.
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We update this list weekly through the tournament with new watch parties, brand activations, and fan-zone schedules. Hosting a watch party or activation? Write us at [email protected].