San Diego Has Been Ready for This World Cup
A few Sundays ago I was running through North Park at around 6:30 in the morning. I'd been cutting through mostly empty blocks for the better part of two miles when I turned a corner at Upas and 30th and nearly stopped mid-stride — a bar was packed, jerseys everywhere, beers already in hand. At 6:30am on a Sunday.
I didn't stop (I thought about it). But I spent the next few miles running through Balboa Park turning the scene over in my head.
That bar was Bluefoot Bar & Lounge, and as it turns out, a packed bar at 6:30am (or earlier!) is a completely normal Sunday for them. Bluefoot opens early on weekends for soccer. That’s central to their identity. The bar hosts over a dozen supporters' groups representing clubs like Arsenal, Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, and more, plus local fans backing San Diego FC and San Diego Wave FC. This community has been building for more than a decade.
That particular morning they'd opened at 6:00 a.m. for the Champions League Final — PSG vs. Arsenal in Budapest. Arsenal took the lead in the sixth minute through Kai Havertz, and it looked for a while like it might actually be their night — until Dembélé equalized and PSG won 4-3 on penalties in heartbreaking fashion. So to the Bluefoot crowd that morning: condolences.
I'm not the most regular soccer fan. But moments like that one make it clear that San Diego has been a soccer city for a long time, just without a lot of fanfare about it. The community doesn't need the first U.S. hosted World Cup in 30 years to show up. They’re already there.
Speaking of the World Cup, the tournament kicked off across the continent last week — anyone making the trip up to L.A. for a match? — and I've been curious how and where the rest of the city plans to show up. The Bluefoot crowd will obviously be in full force. But what about everyone else? Where do the people who've been on the outside of San Diego's soccer scene go to plug in.
Now that it's here, the watch party landscape is worth navigating thoughtfully. There's a difference between showing up to watch the World Cup somewhere that happens to have a TV on and showing up somewhere that's thought about the food, the drink, and the whole shape of the experience. A few spots worth knowing:
Bluefoot Bar & Lounge (3404 30th St, North Park) — The baseline. Bartender Rodney Styles, who grew up in England and helped build Bluefoot into a nationally recognized soccer destination, said ahead of the tournament: "We're ready. We've got the specials, the games, and the fun." If you want to be in a room full of people who have been waiting for this specific summer since 2022, this is it. FOX 5 San Diego
Novo Brazil Brewing / Eighteen Threads (Multiple Locations) — Novo Brazil is showing every major game and offering drink specials and special brews throughout the tournament. If you’re at the Mission Valley location, Novo Brazil is co-hosting with Eighteen Threads, San Diego FC's official team store next door. They’ll screen EVERY game. The Goal Post Garden outside is set up as a family-friendly fan zone with a soccer activity area for kids and photo ops. Times of San DiegoSan Diego
Carté Hotel Rooftop (401 W. Ash St, Little Italy) — The rooftop is hosting watch parties throughout the tournament with a game-day menu that runs from mini poke bowls and wagyu cheeseburgers on the savory side to coconut panna cotta and flourless chocolate cake for dessert. Maybe more of an occasion than a neighborhood watch party, but the food sounds great and the views don't hurt. There San Diego
Princess Pub & Grille (1702 India St, Little Italy) — Princess Pub has been holding down Little Italy since 1984, with eighteen taps of European ales, domestic brews, and local craft beers. They’re also the city’s “official” home for Liverpool fans.The kind of place where watching a match at 9 a.m. doesn't feel strange because it happens all the time. There San Diego
Shakespeare Pub & Grille (3701 India St, Mission Hills) — Shakespeare has been hosting serious soccer fans long before the World Cup cycle — one of those spots that was built for this moment and has been ready for years. Times of San Diego
Haven’t picked a team to root for? The New Zealand national team selected San Diego as its home away from home for the tournament! Let’s give them a warm welcome. It might surprise you, but San Diego has many Kiwi eateries and bars. Try checking one out:
Dunedin New Zealand Eats (North Park)
Queenstown Village (La Jolla)
Queenstown Public House (Little Italy)
What's interesting about how San Diego is approaching this summer isn't just the volume of watch parties but that a lot of the better ones are treating the food and drink as central to the experience rather than incidental to it. Drink specials tied to match outcomes. Game-day menus built around the tournament.
El Chingon in the Gaslamp is offering a reserved seat plus a $25 food-and-drink credit specifically for Mexico group-stage matches. These are operators who understand that the person who comes in for a 7:00am kickoff is going to want a Bloody Mary and something to eat, and have planned accordingly.
That 6:00 a.m. crowd on a quiet Sunday in late May — before the tournament, before the noise — that's the San Diego I find most interesting. No performance, no occasion. Just North Park doing what it does on a weekend. Everything else this summer is the rest of the city catching up. Where are you planning to watch the World Cup?
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