The FIFA World Cup starts Sunday, November 20 and runs through Sunday, December 18. Most years, it’s played during the summer, but this year, soccer’s top tournament joins the holiday season.
The U.S. Men’s National Team won twice in Columbus on their way to qualifying for the tournament, defeating Costa Rica and El Salvador at Lower.com Field. That moved their record in Ohio’s capital city to 9-1-2 in World Cup Qualifiers (10-1-3 overall). No American city has hosted more qualifiers than Columbus.
If you’re looking to watch the action locally, here are a few good options.
The Pub at Lower.Com Field
96 Columbus Crew Way, Columbus
The Pub at Lower.com Field is the one place in Columbus you can watch soccer on TV at the same venue as you’ve watched soccer live. The home of the Crew is also home of the World Cup this November and December. Learn more about the menu, details and special events at the Pub here.
Land Grant Brewing
424 W Town St., Columbus
Land Grant is the official home of the American Outlaws Columbus Chapter – as well as home to some delicious beers. It’s bound to be rowdy during USMNT matches. Plus, stick around for some post-game curling and other activities in the Wintergarden.
You can find their full World Cup schedule here but they'll be open for most of the 11 a.m and 2 p.m. matches, just not the early morning ones. Here’s the TL;DR
- Nov. 20-28 group stage* – Open for the 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. matches
- Nov. 29-Dec. 2 group stage – Open for the 2 p.m. matches
- Dec. 3-18 knockout rounds – Open for all matches (10 a.m. and 2 p.m.)
*Closed for Thanksgiving on November 24
Endeavor
909 W 5th Ave., Columbus
The city's first brewstillery will be open for nearly all the games except for the 5 a.m. slate. Even better, there will be Happy Hour pricing during all games! If you're hungry, Kenzie Hibatchi and Sushi will be open each day at 11 a.m. from November 20th-December 4th. The only exception to those dates are Tuesday the 27th and 29th when there's not food truck until 5 p.m.
Whistle & Keg
343 N Front St., Suite 125, Columbus
Whistle & Keg is the official home of Sammers SC and will be hosting watch parties for the USMNT matches.
Zaftig Brew Pub
119 E 5th Ave., Columbus
The Manchester United supporters come to Zaftig for many of their matches and so can you for the World Cup! Zaftig opens at 8 a.m. daily, so you can catch most of the morning matches there over breakfast.
Your Place
If you’re watching from home, here’s a list of all the matches, dates, times and channels from Fox Sports. Let us know if your living room is open for the 5 a.m. watch parties.
Other Options
We're waiting to hear more from a few local soccer spots and will update as we get more details.
