Smell that? It’s the World Cup and it’s only two days away! Soccer crosses political, racial, and economic lines. In the Fifa World Cup, everyone gets a chance at collective participation – no matter who you are or where you live, you can be a part of this. What’s more, you should totally be a part of this!
Why should you care about the FIFA World Cup?
The world’s most important soccer tournament only comes around once every four years. The next time you have an opportunity to watch it, you’ll be old (comparatively). That’s reason enough to get involved.
Secondly, Brazil, this year’s location, is only two hours ahead of Chicago. That means no late night matches or way-too-early morning games.
Thirdly, the U.S. Soccer Team loves Chicago more than Cristiano Ronaldo loves Cristiano Ronaldo. They’ve named Lupe Fiasco as Music Director for the Men’s National Team. According to their site, “Chicago-born and Grammy-winning hip-hop artist Fiasco will collaborate with U.S. Soccer in a variety of areas during the Send-Off Series and the World Cup. He will be creating Spotify playlists, in collaboration with his DJ group the SNDCLSH, and handle in-game music programming during the Send-Off Series.”
Going even further, the U.S. team is hosting three World Cup viewing parties in Grant Park. Each party is free and open to the public. Oh, and the first one is kind of a big deal so make sure to be there Monday, June 16th!
Where can you watch the World Cup in Chicago?
Aside from the Grant Park viewing parties, the U.S. Soccer Organization has deemed some local spots “Official Soccer Bars”. Yes, it’s that serious. You can find that short list here.
No dis to that official list, but here is where I plan on watching a few matches:
The Globe Pub. It’s a soccer pub posing as a family-friendly neighborhood bar. The Globe goes out of its way to make foreign nationals feel at home. They’ve passed the prerequisite of wallpapering the place with flags from all over the world but they don’t stop there. Patrons come here for lagers, stouts, and ales favored back home, found scarcely in Chicago.
Eataly. River North’s Italian marketplace will have TV’s set up in its Birreria Restaurant, located on the second floor. Peruse the aisles for wine and cheese, find a spot, and watch the game with locals and ex-pats alike.
If you find yourself watching the game at these or other local pubs, or even at home, make sure to use hashtag #ChicagoingsWorldCup when sharing on social media!
UPDATE:
My favorite Brazilian restaurant in all of Chicagoland, Taste of Brasil Cafe in Oak Park, is co-hosting a World Cup party with Patrón’s Hacienda. Details:
