The top spots to watch the World Cup in the City That Never Sleeps
Watching soccer around New York is a colourful and diverse as the city itself. Fans from the competing nations gather in their respective neighbourhoods, huddled around TV screens in bars, restaurants and corner shops, with spontaneous celebrations spilling out onto the streets.
This vast global metropolis is overseen by a mayor who has supported Arsenal since boyhood. Against a backdrop of justifiable negative talk of extortionate ticket and transport prices for the World Cup, Zohran Mamdani at least managed to secure 1,000 match tickets for New Yorkers to buy at $50 each for games at the MetLife Stadium, with free transport thrown in, as well as organised affordable buses to take supporters with regular tickets out to New Jersey.
The Women’s World Cup 2031 is just around the corner and New York/NJ is sure to be bidding for yet another final, after the one it is now due to stage on July 19.
For fans visiting this summer, sticking pretty much to Manhattan, we’ve pick out a selection of soccer-focused bars, most popular during the regular season when early weekend opening hours allow for the live screening of Premier League games.
As elsewhere in America, you need to be 21 or over to enter bars here – some restaurants relax this policy during the day.
1 football factory at legends
As legendary as the name it trades under, Jack Keane’s vast football emporium sits in the shadow of the Empire State Building on W 33rd St. Opening early at weekends to screen the Premier League, Football Factory at Legends welcomes more than 30 supporters’ groups – a Leicester fan need never watch the Foxes alone in the Big Apple – and is pulling out all the stops for the World Cup, with all games being shown live. Irish breakfasts are flying out of the kitchen and decent pints of Guinness are being poured as slowly as ever.
Up to 5,000 fans pass through its doors of a busy Saturday to watch live action from Bavaria to Buenos Aires, including in the large space outside. Before big games, the buzz at this three-floor soccer mecca should be off the charts. Will Jack retire after the last of the tickertape is being cleared from 33rd St on July 20?
In place since the eve of the 1994 World Cup, located here for at least 15 years and after six weeks of carousing, he certainly deserves to. Then again, as a United fan, he probably enjoys the occasional visit by Sir Alex.
Football Factory at Legends, 6 W 33rd St.
2 O'Hanlon's
Operating from breakfast time until 4am, O’Hanlon’s is a near round-the-clock football-first operation on E 14th St, and one still recovering from the Arsenal title celebrations. Premier League action is usually shown on 11 screens, beer (O’Hanlon’s own Lite and Ale, Modelo, Brooklyn IPA and, naturally, Guinness) poured from 12 taps.
Pub quizzes, pool and darts make this a real home from home, frequented by the city’s soccer fraternity for podcasts, watch parties and general football buzz. Late opening allows for flexibility if games are being beamed from the other side of the planet.
O’Hanlon’s, 349 E 14th St.
3 turnmill
Near 28th Street Station on the East Side, Turnmill attracts a younger, hipper NoMad crowd, pushing closing times to 2am for three nights a week, and offering happy hours of Mon-Fri 4pm-7pm to boot – steady on the Moscow Mules. Proud home of NYC Evertonians, the pub is promising drink specials for every game of the World Cup. Beer drinkers have plenty of draught options, including house Light and IPA, Brooklyn Lager and Coney Island Mermaid Pilsner, with Downeast Original cider a handy alternative.
Turnmill, 119 E 27th St.
4 SMITHFIELD HALL
A classier option on W 25th St, Smithfield Hall is all about the action around the long, long bar counter, parallel to which runs a long row of TV screens above the back bar. During the regular season, this spot near 23rd Street Station offers a full schedule of European soccer, including weekend Premier League games over breakfast, or one of numerous draught options by the pint or pitcher, including Coney Island Mermaid Pilsner from Brooklyn. For the World Cup, a special menu includes all-day Irish breakfasts, bratwurst and Jameson wings. Bar seats available are on a first come basis, email hello@smithfieldnyc.com for reservations.
Smithfield Hall, W 25th St.
5 SLÁinte
Over on the Bowery, not ten paces from where CBGB’s used to be, Irish-run Sláinte has long welcomed followers of the beautiful game, a projector and 14 TVs beaming Premier League and European games amid the bare brick and tricolours. Of the two dozen beer taps, you’ll find Guinness, Smithwick’s, Harp and various US craft IPAs. No reservations for the World Cup – stake your place and get stuck in. Closes at 3am Thur-Sat. Next door, the trendier 310 Bowery Bar opens later and is hosting World Cup watch parties during the tournament.
Sláinte, 304 Bowery.
6 carragher's
On John Street, ‘Your Liverpool Home’ near the Financial District, Carragher’s packs out for LFC games, when a $40 minimum spend is required per person, no away colours. This apart, it’s a convivial Irish American basement pub, where happy hour starts at 10am (!) and this summer you can bag a weekday lunch (10am-3pm) of an entrée and beer/wine for $20.
Among the 30 beer taps are Blue/Point Toasted Lager from Long Island and Merman IPA from Coney Island, plus popular brands from Germany, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands. Anfield iconography features throughout, with pub merchandise also for sale. Opening hours until 4am four nights of the week.
Carragher’s, 17 John St.
7 mCHALE'S BAR & GRILL
Close to Broadway and the Gershwin Theatre, McHale’s Bar & Grill opens 9am at weekends, 10.30am weekdays, to serve affordable pints of Heineken and Coney Island IPA among other options, plus house shepherd’s pie, Irish style curry and Donegal fish & chips. Its 100-inch projector screen is being pressed into service this summer. A mainstay of the city’s darts fraternity and a major Celtic outpost.
McHale’s Bar & Grill, 251 W 51st St.
8 kelly's
On Avenue A, this branch of Kelly’s goes big on hockey and basketball, much like its sister on 2nd Ave in the Upper East Side – both open at noon, daily, so no breakfast-time Premier League action – but promises non-stop World Cup action throughout in the tournament in a lively sports bar atmosphere. For downtime between games, there’s a pool table
Kelly’s, 12 Avenue A; 1154 2nd Ave.
