Where to Watch the 2018 FIFA World Cup in NYC

Best for real soccer heads with a focus on England: Banter

Williamsburg
England plays Tunisia on June 18 at 2pm local
With the city’s glut of British and Irish pubs, fans of English Premier League soccer never want for options. Yet no pub does it with the same dedication as Banter. Banter Bar has been the focal point of Williamsburg’s EPL scene for years, and they throw French, German, Italian, Spanish, and other leagues in the mix, too. Fans of clubs from around the world cheer their squads here. Banter’s veritable library of whiskeys, great beers (typically with one import beer like Carlsberg on special), and food options (paninis, pretzels, sausages) make it a neighborhood bar where you can camp out long enough to actually forge a community.
Specials: $3 Carlsberg

Best for fans of Germany, giant steins of beer: Loreley

Lower East Side
Germany plays Mexico on June 17 at 11am local
In the crowded market of German biergartens screening the World Cup, the top choice really is a toss-up. Radegast, Zum Schneider, and Loreley (among many others) are all great, but Loreley’s menu gives it the edge. Of course, they’re showing all the Germany games on 13 giant indoor screens, and they have a heated outdoor area, a big selection of German beers, and lively crowds -- all de rigueur. But with a special World Cup menu featuring foods from such soccer-mad lands as Spain, Italy, France, and England, they’re really going above and beyond to get in the spirit. Their German World Cup Sandwich is even served on a “soccer roll.”
Specials: World Cup menu featuring foods from Germany, Spain, Italy, France, and England

Best for Brasileros: Miss Favela

South Williamsburg
Brazil plays Switzerland on June 17 at 2pm local
The brightly decorated, adorably adorned Miss Favela is a true slice of Brazilian culture in South Williamsburg. And if you know anything about Brazilian culture, you know how inextricable it is from futebol. This no-reservations barroom fills up quickly. Beat the crowds, and you’ll be rewarded with Brazilian dancers, live samba music, delicious food and drink options, and three screens of World Cup watching.
Specials: Cash only. The opposite of a special. Sorry.

Best for the soccer fan who doesn't want to think too hard: Smithfield

Flatiron
Check their schedule here
You could have a list of where to watch soccer in NYC without Smithfield, but then half the comments would be like, “what about dmithfield’s tho?” [sic]. This is an NYC soccer institution, where Thrillist pals John Strong and Alexi Lalas from FOX Sports caught the MLS games last year. Smithfield hosts more than a dozen fan clubs from teams as disparate as the Portland Timbers and Bayern Munich. So if you’re a France fan without a home, or if you’re just looking for a madhouse experience with hordes of passionate soccer fans, Smithfield is your jam.
Specials: $5 cans of Modelo; $6 cans of Carlsberg and Bitburger; $10 “Deer and a Beer” -- a can of Modelo and a shot of Jagermeister

Best for international fans: The Halfway Line

Woodside
Everybody knows that Queens is the city’s meltiest pot, and the stretch between Woodside and Jackson Heights is as diverse as any patch on the planet. Soccer being the international sport that it is, neighborhoods rich with immigrant populations will naturally cater to soccer fans. The Halfway Line is among many Woodside sports bars screening the games. They’ll be doing it with eight plasma screens and a nice little patio, should you need a breather.
Check back for drink specials

Best for Park Slope stroller moms who love screaming at the television: Woodwork

Prospect Heights
The big Midtown sports bars always make these lists because they’re focal points for a number of fan clubs, with space for dozens of screens to play every match. In the outer boroughs, you’ll find much more laid-back, welcoming spots suited for passionate, dedicated fans of the sport itself. Neighborhood-y Woodwork (like Banter Bar to the north) is the epicenter to the soccer community in its corner of Brooklyn.
Specials: The Fuckit Bucket (five beers for the price of four); choose your own adventure (any $4 beer with any well shot for $8)

Best for fans of all things Spain: Circulo Español

Astoria
Spain plays Portugal on June 15 at 2pm local
Part cultural center, part bar-restaurant, Astoria’s Circulo Español has become the de facto home for fans of the Spanish national team. Spanish transplants and lovers of their culture can root for their team among comrades while sipping sangria and dining on paella and grilled octopus, all in surroundings reminiscent of home. This is the only place where you can stick around after a match and take a dance class in the center’s grand ballroom.
Specials: $5 Spanish beers

Best for agents of soccer chaos: Football Factory at Legends

Midtown East
Like Smithfield, the Football Factory at Legends in Midtown East is a bona fide soccer haven. It boasts one of the largest collections of soccer memorabilia in the country; screens more than 100 matches each week from nearly a dozen leagues; and hosts more than 30 team clubs. Couple that fervency with beer and classic bar food, and you’re looking at massive, passionate crowds filing in to watch the World Cup.
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Best for Anglophiles who woke up early for the Royal Wedding: ChipShop

Brooklyn Heights
England plays Tunisia on June 18 at 2pm
The Union Jack is festooned to the ceiling, an England banner hangs behind the bar, and the place has 16 different British drafts, God save the queen. ChipShop screens English footie year-round, and the scene naturally kicks up come World Cup time. “Health-conscious Americans” can order sundry fried fish options baked in white wine instead, but maybe save that for the US Open.
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Best for soccer fans looking for an old Brooklyn dive: The Soccer Tavern

Sunset Park
An Irish pub located in the city’s largest Chinatown on a stretch that was once a Norwegian enclave; nothing speaks to Brooklyn’s internationalism quite like The Soccer Tavern. This understated, cash-only neighborhood dive is full of years-long regulars and soccer fans from all corners of the world. Combine your watch party with a dim sum field trip: There are abundant Chinese food options nearby.
Specials: $4 Domestic beer, $5 imported beer, $5 for mixed drinks during the game, maybe some free shirt giveaways?

Best for fans of Belgium: BXL Cafe

Midtown
Belgium plays Panama on June 18 at 11am local
Times Square is no one’s first choice as a destination, unless you’re looking for a musty 6-foot Elmo to snuggle. But old New York holdovers like Jimmy’s Corner, Margon, and BXL Cafe have long been bucking the area’s Disneyfication. BXL Cafe, in particular, has been trading in Belgian delights for nearly 15 years with its beer and food. It’s also a soccer bar and will screen the World Cup for the Midtown after-work set and homesick Belgians alike.
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Best for fans of authentic Mexican fare and fútbol: Guadalupe Inn

Bushwick
Mexico plays Germany on June 17 at 11am
Bushwick’s self-proclaimed “home for World Cup soccer” opens early Friday-Sunday throughout the tournament. From 10am, fans can “work from home” with all manner of margarita (grapefruit, watermelon, mezcal pineapple, lime) and tacos (vegetarian, chicken, pork, steak, fish) in a swanky, supper club-like environment with multiple projection screens and a killer sound system.
Specials: “Viva Mexico” quesadillas are green, white, and red

Best for Argentinian die-hards: Boca Juniors

Elmhurst
Argentina plays Iceland on June 16 at 9am local
There are a few Argentinian bar-restaurants in NYC (Buenos Aires in Alphabet City is especially noteworthy), but none go as over-the-top as Elmhurst’s Boca Junior. I mean, it’s literally named after a football club in Buenos Aires. Its aesthetic screams fandom: Walls are tiled with team photos and jerseys, flags hang from the ceiling, and the team’s yellow and blue are everywhere. Hinchas will feel right at home.
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Best for fans with canine companions: Nowadays

Bushwick
Now in its third year, this multi-purpose indoor/outdoor venue straddling Bushwick and Ridgewood hosts dance parties, film screenings, Pride BBQs, literary events, and now World Cup matches from June 15 (Portugal vs Spain) through the tournament. One half of Nowadays’ founders hails from Northern Ireland, so you may perceive a UK slant here, but the general vibe is regionally agnostic. A food truck slings Caribbean bites like jerk chicken thighs, spicy salt fish, and plantains. Entry is free and dogs and kids are welcome.
Specials: Happy hour doesn’t overlap with any of the match times, but Nowadays has plenty of beers in the $5-$7 range

Best for rooting for the underdog: Harlem Tavern

Harlem
Senegal plays Poland on June 19 at 11am
African countries have had an interesting go at the World Cup lately, none better than Senegal’s out-of-nowhere run to the 2002 quarterfinals, a run that included a first-round win over France, the defending champs. Well, Senegal are back and looking to recapture the magic. There’s no better place to root for the underdog (as well as the other African countries in the tournament including Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Nigeria) than Harlem Tavern. Located in Harlem’s Little Senegal, this neighborhood staple features abundant outdoor seating, an elevated bar food, and, of course, all the matches.
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Find out where to watch the World Cup games with all the soccer fans in your city with our list of the best World Cup bars in LA, SF, Chicago, DC, Miami, Houston and more.

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