You’re not a soccer fan? Neither am I but I know a good party atmosphere and here’s what you need to know before walking into a World Cup watch party or bar.
By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Sports Editor
Okay it’s soccer. You don’t understand it and probably don’t even like it. I get it. You may have apathy toward World Cup 2026. But look at it another way: a golden opportunity to take part in a great party atmosphere has just landed in your lap. Take advantage of it. All you have to do is go to a local World Cup watch party or a bar to be a part of it.
Yes, World Cup rules can be as hard for an American to understand as the US tax code. But that doesn’t matter. Don’t know the difference between a striker and a midfielder? Don’t give it another thought.
To many stick-and-ball Americans, soccer is a strange curiosity. It resembles hockey on a big grass field. The players get penalized for using their hands, they kick the ball to each other seemingly oblivious to the fact there is a net at the far end of the field where they could possibly score a goal, the clock runs forward and not backward and when the time expires they keep playing. This seems as silly to Americans as Europeans not eating dinner until 10 o’clock in the evening. But that’s how things work in soccer.
What I am here to tell you is why you should go to a bar or World Cup watch party to watch a few matches. I will answer the question: “Why should a non-soccer fan go to a World Cup watch party or bar?”
For one thing, Europeans know how to party. And most of them – rowdy British soccer fans aside – do it in a sophisticated way that’s doesn’t scream drunk college student. Sure, they may start drinking beers at 8 a.m, but they can handle it. Plus, you don’t even have to worry about that because the majority of World Cup matches are in the American time zone, meaning they start at Noon or in prime time. The first match of Team USA is at 9 p.m., ET. That’s prime party time.
Here’s what the non-soccer fans should do at a World Cup watch party or a bar showing a World Cup match. Show up without an attitude and be open to something different. Wear a shirt the color of one of the teams, preferably the color of the team if a bar caters to a particular country. It’s the same if a stranger shows up to a your college or NFL team’s sports bar in the proper-colored shirt. Or the wrong-colored shirt.
Grab a beer and find the most fun people and stand next to them. Cheer when they cheer and sing when they sing. Be a part of the scene. Don’t be afraid to – in a very friendly manner – to ask what is happening. Say you don’t understand it but are willing to learn. Smile a lot and drink beers. Be a part of the scene and don’t act like an outsider. This is a great opportunity to strike up conversations and, if you are single, to get the ball rolling with someone who caught your eye, so to speak. Hey, this is PubClub.com where the singles scene matters.
Be careful not to bother someone during a critical moment, which is something I pointed out in this article of how women can meet men in sports bars. Pick your spots. That’s hard to know in soccer because there are no breaks or pauses in the action. A goal can happen at any time and fans tend to get excited whenever the ball approaches the opposing net. Most of the time, nothing happens and that’s the frustrating thing for non-soccer fans. The players usually wind up start kicking the ball back toward midfield instead of toward the goal and you have to bite your tongue to keep from yelling “hey, the goal is THAT way – kick the damned ball!”
It’s like an American football team running a draw play on third and long. The old Woody Hayes “three yards a cloud of dust” approach. But that’s the game. There’s no spread offense in soccer. If it bothers you then just take another swig of your beer.
I write from experience. A few years ago, when Budweiser as a big sponsor of PubClub.com, the local group organized a party bus to go bar hopping to their big clients in L.A. They passed out those narrow red horns which made what I can only describe as “that soccer sound.” I had not idea what was happening on the field but I had a blast. And I can’t wait to do it again for World Cup 2026.
I’m telling you, this is a party you don’t want to miss.
Common World Cup Soccer Questions
• What exactly is offside?
• Why does the clock keep running?
• When do the games actualy end?
To be honest, I don’t know the answers to any of them so those who do know, please answer them in the comments section.
• What is the group stage and what is the lockout stage?
Now this I I do know, although I had to consult a soccer-loving friend to know the answer. The group stage is in June in which every team plays three games and the top two in each group advances to what in soccer is called the knockout rounds. That’s the equivalent of the playoffs in American sports.
Related Articles:
• A PubClubber’s World Cup Survival Guide
• Why Soccer Will Never Catch On In America
• What Happens In Sports Bars During The World Cup?
• PubClub.com At A World Cup Game
• Best Places To Watch World Cup 2026 in San Diego, Where Two World Cup Teams Are Training
Kevin Wilkerson is the founder of PubClub.com, an award-winning journalist and nightlife expert who has covered sports – but not soccer – for more than two decades. While working as a sports newspaper reporter, he received an Associated Press award for investigative journalism.
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