Where to watch the 2026 World Cup in New York and New Jersey

MetLife Stadium gets the World Cup final on July 19, 2026 — and that alone reorganizes the summer for half the region. The stadium will host eight matches in total: five group-stage games starting June 13 with Brazil vs Morocco, a Round of 32 match, a Round of 16 match, and the trophy on the last day. NJ Transit is being told to carry 40,000 spectators per match on rail because there’s no general parking. The eight match days will move the city — the final will reshape it.

This guide is the editorial map for watching matches across the New York / New Jersey metro — Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, plus Hoboken, Jersey City, and Newark across the river. For a single-screen list of host cities and which one hosts what, see the 2026 host cities quick guide.

TL;DR. Manhattan has the densest soccer-pub footprint in the country. Queens has the deepest immigrant supporter geography: Argentine in Elmhurst, Brazilian in LIC, Colombian on Roosevelt Avenue. Hoboken is the surprise NJ play with 12 days of block parties. Newark’s Ironbound is for Portugal and Brazil. MetLife is transit-only. Plan around the train, not the car.

The lay of the land

The NY/NJ soccer-watching map has three layers stacked on top of each other. First, the established soccer-bar belt — old English and Irish pubs in Manhattan and Brooklyn with supporter-club allegiances that go back decades. Second, the immigrant neighborhood scene: Argentine restaurants in Elmhurst, Brazilian spots in Astoria and Long Island City, Colombian-owned bars along Roosevelt Avenue, Portuguese cafés on Ferry Street in Newark. Third, the matchday infrastructure — Hoboken’s official 12-day block-party run, the NJ Transit corridor, the New Jersey Host Committee fan zones planned across 34 sites statewide.

Geographically, the supporter-pub center of gravity in Manhattan is the strip from Chelsea through the East Village. Smithfield Hall sits at 138 W 25th Street — the regional home for English football. Walk south into the East Village and the 11th Street Bar has been the official Liverpool FC NY supporters’ home since 2004. Greenwich Village adds the Red Lion on Bleecker Street — 40-plus years old and committed to every televised World Cup fixture in 2026. Cross into Brooklyn and Williamsburg’s Banter takes over as the NYCFC pub partner and home of Brooklyn Spurs. Push into Queens and the soccer footprint stretches across two miles of Roosevelt Avenue: Sunnyside’s Bar 43, Long Island City’s Beija Flor, Elmhurst’s Boca Juniors Restaurant, Jackson Heights’ Colombian corridor.

The NJ side has fewer named soccer pubs per square mile but a heavier matchday concentration. Hoboken in particular is leaning into 2026 — the city and the Hoboken Business Alliance are running 12 days of block parties starting June 13, with six rotating fan zones spread across the neighborhood. Newark’s Ironbound is a different scene entirely — Portuguese and Brazilian cafés along Ferry Street that have been celebrating big international wins for two generations.

Verified venues

These are the named places we can stand behind. Every one of them has been written up by at least two independent sources for soccer specifically. If your favorite bar isn’t here, it’s not a slight — it means the second source wasn’t there, and our rule is two or nothing.

Smithfield Hall, 138 W 25th Street, Chelsea. The home of English football in New York. Smithfield runs full coverage of the Premier League, Championship, FA Cup, and the English national team, and the bar’s supporter-club roster includes the New York Reds (Man United), NYC Hammers (West Ham), and the American Outlaws NYC chapter for USMNT matches. Outdoor terrace with TVs is the move on warm afternoons. Opens at noon daily, earlier on big matchdays. (smithfieldnyc.com, The Mirror US, americanoutlaws.com)

The Red Lion, 151 Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village. A 40-year-old Bleecker Street institution that’s leaning hard into 2026. The bar has publicly committed to broadcasting every televised World Cup fixture from group stage through the final on 10-plus HD screens, doors open at 11 a.m. on match days, full kitchen running all day. Reservations recommended for knockouts and the final. The Red Lion Burger, fish and chips, and shepherd’s pie are the matchday staples. (redlionnyc.com, The Mirror US, pumpsandsneakers.com)

Football Factory at Legends, 6 W 33rd Street, Midtown. Two floors in the shadow of the Empire State Building, 20 big screens, 100-plus live soccer matches per week, and the self-described largest collection of football memorabilia in the country. More importantly for 2026: it’s the listed home of more than 30 NYC supporter clubs. If you want one bar that’s running every World Cup match with a known supporter group already in the room, this is it. (legendsffnyc.com, footballfactoryny.com, manhattan-nyc.com)

11th St. Bar, 510 E 11th Street, East Village. The official home of the Liverpool FC NY Supporters Club since 2004. Doors open at 9 a.m. for card-carrying LFCNY members on Liverpool match days, 9:30 a.m. for everyone else. Exposed brick, pressed-tin ceiling, the Reds singing through the front room — it’s the closest thing in Manhattan to a transplanted Anfield matchday. Worth knowing: the bar also runs the longest-running traditional Irish seisiún in NYC on Sunday nights, fiddler-led. (11thstbar.com, lfcny.org, firsttouchonline.com)

Banter, 132 Havemeyer Street, Williamsburg. Brooklyn’s definitive soccer bar. Banter is the official NYCFC Pub Partner and the home of Brooklyn Spurs (Tottenham). Twenty-four craft taps, a long copper bar, and Saturday opens at 7:30 a.m. for early Premier League and Champions League kickoffs. The crowd skews international, and the bar fills up faster than the room looks like it should. (banterbrooklyn.com, newyorkcityfc.com, brooklynspurs.com)

Bar 43, 43-06 43rd Street, Sunnyside, Queens. Self-billed as the “home of soccer in Queens” — and the claim holds up. Bar 43 carries Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, Argentina Primera, Brasileirão, and MLS week to week, with Champions League, Copa Libertadores, and Europa League added on top. It’s the official Queens home of the Brown Bag Social Club (NYCFC + Red Bulls supporters who share the room) and an Arsenal supporters’ headquarters. Twenty-three screens, 32 beers on tap. (bar43.com, footballfactoryny.com, nyctourism.com)

Beija Flor, 38-02 29th Street, Long Island City. The Brazilian bar in Queens. Giant screen, Portuguese-speaking staff, caipirinhas flowing, snacks coming out of the kitchen all day. Beija Flor has shown every World Cup match for as long as the place has been open. For Brazil vs Morocco on June 13 — the first MetLife match of the tournament — book a table the day brackets are released. (nyctourism.com, beijaflor.nyc, weheartastoria.com)

Boca Juniors Restaurant, 81-08 Queens Boulevard, Elmhurst. Named for the club, decorated with yellow and blue jerseys, packed when Argentina plays. The amNewYork coverage from Argentina’s 2022 World Cup win documented hundreds of supporters spilling out into Queens Boulevard from Boca and the surrounding Elmhurst-Jackson Heights blocks. For 2026, expect the same scene any time Lionel Messi takes the field. (amny.com, qns.com)

Madd Hatter, Hoboken. Seventy-five-plus big screens, projection TVs around an island bar, ticketed World Cup watch parties starting at $30 per person with buffet access. Madd Hatter has been the loudest NJ-side soccer voice for the 2026 build-up. The bar is openly marketing itself as the MetLife pre-game and spillover venue, two PATH stops from the city. (hobokenmaddhatter.com, hobokengirl.com, njfamily.com)

Mulligan’s, Hoboken. The neighborhood’s older soccer pub. Smaller than Madd Hatter, denser energy, the regular Irish-pub-on-a-Sunday-morning crowd that’s been doing this for a decade. If Madd Hatter is the event, Mulligan’s is the routine. (hobokengirl.com, njfamily.com)

The Hutton, Jersey City Heights. The Jersey City answer. Tucked into the Heights rather than the waterfront, streaming every FIFA World Cup match through the summer, taking reservations for matchday tables. The bar punches above its weight on big matchdays because it draws a Jersey City crowd that doesn’t want to fight Hoboken for a seat. (hobokengirl.com, njfamily.com)

Portugalia, Ferry Street, Newark Ironbound. Not a sports bar by design — it’s a Portuguese restaurant with a packed standing bar where men gather every weekend to argue about football. Ferry Street as a corridor has been the Portuguese and Brazilian celebration zone for generations. When Portugal or Brazil wins anything, this is where fans flood. For 2026 group-stage matches involving either, plan around this stretch of Ferry. (tripadvisor.com, ironboundfoodscapes.com, newarkhappening.com)

NY/NJ watch parties Browse every public match across the metro → Open the NY/NJ map

Supporter clubs, by team

If you’re following a specific team across the tournament, the right move is to find that team’s supporter club early and shadow their matchday. Most of them have a home bar and a Discord, and most welcome new faces if you show up wearing the kit.

England. Smithfield Hall is the Premier League home in NYC — the closest thing to a Three Lions clubhouse on this side of the Atlantic. The Panama vs England match at MetLife on June 27 will pull every English supporter chapter in the region. Plan for an early arrival or a reservation.

USA. The American Outlaws NYC chapter watches at Smithfield Hall (confirmed by Smithfield’s own fan-club page and by AO chapter listings). There’s also an American Outlaws Queens chapter that uses Rivercrest in Astoria as its home. If you want the bigger room with national exposure, Smithfield. If you want the borough crowd with neighbors, Rivercrest.

Liverpool. 11th Street Bar. Be there by 9:30 a.m. for big kickoffs. LFCNY runs the room. They’re warm to visiting supporters but they expect you to know the words.

Tottenham. Banter, Williamsburg. Brooklyn Spurs is the supporter club and it’s been there long enough that the bar staff know the chants.

Argentina. No single dominant supporter pub — the community is restaurant-based. Boca Juniors Restaurant in Elmhurst is the most visible Argentine matchday gathering point. Expect the post-match street scene on Queens Boulevard if Argentina goes deep.

Brazil. Beija Flor in LIC is the Queens-side anchor. Newark’s Ironbound is the Brazil-heavy corridor on the NJ side. When Brazil plays a knockout, Ferry Street fills.

Colombia. Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights. CBS New York documented the neighborhood’s 2026 World Cup build-up with flags, jerseys, and trophy displays already going up at shops near Roosevelt and 82nd. There’s no single supporter bar — it’s a corridor. For the biggest energy, walk Roosevelt between 74th and 90th and pick the place that’s loudest.

Mexico. Sunset Park in Brooklyn and Newark are the two highest-density Mexican-American neighborhoods in the metro. We’re not naming a single venue here because we don’t have two confirming sources for a specific Mexican-supporter bar in either area for 2026 yet. Write at the neighborhood level. Soccer Tavern in Sunset Park has been the area’s old-school soccer bar since 1929 and is worth knowing, but the broader Mexican matchday gathering is around restaurants on 5th Avenue (Brooklyn) and Bergenline (NJ side).

Transit and parking: the part you actually need to plan

MetLife Stadium is transit-only for all eight 2026 World Cup matches. There is no general spectator parking on stadium property. This is the part out-of-town visitors keep missing in their planning, so it’s worth repeating: you can’t drive and park at MetLife for a World Cup match in 2026.

The official options, per the NY/NJ Host Committee and NJ Transit:

• NJ Transit rail. Round-trip fare is $105 per match (originally announced at $150, then reduced 30% in May 2026). NJ Transit has committed to carrying 40,000 spectators per matchday on rail from Penn Station NY and Hoboken Terminal.
• Official NYNJ Stadium Shuttle. Round-trip bus from designated NY and NJ pickup points at $80 per ticket.
• Rideshare. Geofenced drop-off at Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment, not at the stadium itself. Expect a walk.

A valid match ticket is required to purchase any of these matchday transit options. Without a ticket, you’re watching at a bar (which is what most people will be doing anyway).

For non-MetLife matches across the region, transit is mostly normal. The subway runs to every soccer-bar neighborhood in this guide on the NY side. PATH covers Hoboken and Jersey City from Manhattan in under 15 minutes. Newark’s Ironbound is a 25-minute NJ Transit ride from Penn Station.

Host your own: the opinion

Here’s the editorial take. For most group-stage matches, hosting at home beats hosting at a bar by a wide margin. You control the audio, you control the food, you’re not paying $14 for a Stella, and you actually get to talk to your friends instead of yelling over a TV from the next booth. The pub experience is unmatched for the final and for matches involving your specific team. For everything else — host.

NYC and the surrounding metro is a hosting paradox: tiny apartments, but the best public spaces in the country for spillover. Stoop watches. Rooftop watches in Bushwick, Astoria, Jersey City. Backyard watches in the outer Queens neighborhoods and the NJ suburbs. The format scales with the venue, not the apartment square footage.

Create the event on Pitch Party, drop the private link in the group chat, and the address only unlocks after RSVP — the random Tinder match from three weeks ago doesn’t show up to your kitchen during the France match. For matchday logistics start to finish, our hosting playbook has the timing and headcount math.

What’s not on this list and why

A few honest gaps.

• Specific Mexican-supporter bars in Sunset Park and Bergenline. Both are major matchday corridors for El Tri. We couldn’t find two independent primary sources naming a single dominant 2026 watch venue in either — so we wrote at the neighborhood level. If you run a bar there and want to claim the spot, list a public watch party on Pitch Party and the discover map will surface it.
• Italian / Azzurri matchday venues. Italy is not in the 2026 field, so the Bensonhurst and Belmont (Bronx) Italian corridors won’t be running national-team viewing this summer. They’ll show big group-stage matches, but the named neighborhood scene most people remember from Euro celebrations isn’t activating for the World Cup.
• The Bronx specifically. We don’t have two-source-confirmed soccer pubs in the Bronx for 2026 in the same way Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens do. The borough has the soccer-watching community; it doesn’t have the pub-marketing infrastructure showing up in third-party coverage. Same caveat: claim your venue on Pitch Party and we’ll route fans to you.
• MetLife-area tailgating. With transit-only stadium access, the traditional NFL tailgate format is not on the table for World Cup matches. The closest equivalents will be the official NYNJ fan fest and Hoboken’s block parties.

Find a watch party near you Public matches across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and NJ → Open the discover map

Read next

• 2026 host cities quick guide
• How to host a watch party people actually show up to
• Mexico supporters across the United States

Sources

• FIFA World Cup 2026 NYNJ Host Committee: schedule of 8 MetLife Stadium matches (nynjfwc26.com)
• FIFA: New York / New Jersey to host the World Cup 2026 final (fifa.com)
• NJ Transit: Regional stadium mobility plan press release (njtransit.com)
• ROI-NJ: NJ Transit cuts World Cup train fare 30% to $105 (May 2026)
• The Mirror US: Best soccer bars in NYC for the 2026 World Cup
• Smithfield Hall NYC: official site (smithfieldnyc.com)
• The Red Lion NYC: match-day coverage and 2026 commitments (redlionnyc.com)
• Football Factory at Legends: supporter-club home page (legendsffnyc.com)
• 11th Street Bar: official site and Liverpool FC NY home (11thstbar.com, lfcny.org)
• Banter Brooklyn: NYCFC pub partner spotlight (banterbrooklyn.com, newyorkcityfc.com)
• Brooklyn Spurs: Tottenham supporters NYC (brooklynspurs.com)
• Bar 43: official site and NYC Tourism feature (bar43.com, nyctourism.com)
• Beija Flor: NYC Tourism feature (nyctourism.com, beijaflor.nyc)
• amNewYork: Argentina fans celebrate at Boca Juniors Restaurant, Elmhurst
• CBS New York: World Cup fever in Jackson Heights
• Hoboken Girl: Where to watch the FIFA World Cup in Hoboken and Jersey City
• City of Hoboken: 12 days of World Cup block parties announcement
• Madd Hatter Hoboken: World Cup 2026 watch-party page (hobokenmaddhatter.com)
• Ironbound Foodscapes: Ferry Street guide (ironboundfoodscapes.com)
• Newark Happening: Taste of the Ironbound