Bay Area World Cup watch parties offer communal experience without steep ticket prices
Twenty-eight years ago, in France, about 40,000 people gathered outside City Hall in Paris to watch the 1998 World Cup final on a giant television screen. Four years later, in South Korea and Japan, fans similarly convened in public squares - in large numbers - to follow the action.
Then, in Germany in 2006, FIFA joined the fray by creating the first official Fan Fest (now called the FIFA Fan Festival). From Berlin and Cologne to Frankfurt and Munich, millions of people flooded venues in the 12 host cities, set up with 39 oversized screens.
A phenomenon formally was born.
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Now, as the World Cup comes to the Bay Area and other venues throughout North America, watch parties are part of the event's fabric. Large gatherings of passionate soccer fans seek a communal experience, exhorting their favorite country/team as it chases glory in the marquee tournament of the world's most popular sport.
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Even if those fans are not in the actual stadium.
Tickets to the 2026 World Cup are extraordinarily expensive, as you might have heard. On Thursday, the cheapest seats for the first match at Levi's Stadium - Qatar vs. Switzerland on June 13 - were listed for $297 each on stubhub.com, $355 on seatgeek.com and $416 on livefootballtickets.com. The most expensive ticket could cost you nearly $10,000.
So it's easy to understand why free-to-the-public watch parties have become popular. And soccer fans in the Bay Area will have no shortage of options over the next month as the World Cup unfolds in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, including six matches in Santa Clara.
Here are some notable fan zones and watch parties among the 30-plus locations throughout the bay, according to the Bay Area Host Committee:
San Pedro Market Square, downtown San Jose: The San Jose Earthquakes, in coordination with the BAHC and SJ26, are staging what they're calling a monthlong soccer festival. This will include interactive fan zones, exclusive merchandise giveaways and "World Cup-themed menu items and drink specials representing the participating nations."
Chase Center, San Francisco: Thrive City, the plaza outside the arena, will host a watch party next Friday (June 12) for the U.S. men's national team's opening World Cup game against Paraguay in Los Angeles. The activity starts at nearby Crane Cove Park at 4:30 p.m., with live music ahead of a "soccer fan march" to Chase. Thrive City will hold another watch party June 18 for the Mexico-South Korea match.
Raimondi Park, Oakland: The Oakland Sports Group is hosting a watch party at the home of the Ballers minor-league baseball team. The event kicks off at 5 p.m. on June 12, for the U.S.-Paraguay opener (which begins at 6 p.m.).
Other World Cup watch parties include:
- SF Pride House, San Francisco (June 11, 12, 19, 25 and July 1)
- Row Cup at Santana Row, San Jose (June 11-July 19)
- The Ruins Napa Valley, American Canyon (select dates June 11-July 19)
- Downtown Pleasant Hill (June 11)
- Downtown San Mateo (June 12, 25, July 1)
- Los Robles Ronald McNair Field, East Palo Alto (June 12)
- SS Red Oak Victory Historic Ship, Richmond (June 12, 25)
- Wheeler Parking Plaza, San Carlos (June 12, July 19)
- Downtown Berkeley (June 12)
- Pier 39, San Francisco (June 12-July 19)
- Spark Social SF, San Francisco (June 11-July 19)
- China Basin Park at Mission Rock, San Francisco (select dates June 13-July 19)
- Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton (June 19-July 11)
- Courthouse Square, Redwood City (June 23-July 19)
- Hyatt Regency, Santa Clara (June 13, 16, 19, 22, 25 and July 1)
- Treasure Island, San Francisco (June 19-20 and June 25-27)
- Presidio Main Parade Lawn, San Francisco (June 13)
- Hofmann Theatre, Walnut Creek (June 13)
- Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports Center (June 13)
- Great Mall, Milpitas (June 13)
- Team Mexico Soccer Fan March, Pier 48, San Francisco (June 18)
- Richmond Fan Zone, Richmond (June 18, 24)
- La Plaza, San Jose (June 18, 24)
- Oakland Marriott City Center (June 19)
- Cityline Redwood Square, Sunnyvale (June 20-21)
- Milpitas Community Center, Milpitas (June 20)
- Jack London Square, Oakland (June 23-25)
- Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (June 25)
- Central Park, San Mateo (June 25)
For more information on officially sanctioned fan zones and watch parties, go to www.sfbayareafwc26.com/bay-area-events
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This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 10:36 AM.