From San Francisco’s East Cut to Oakland neighborhood festivals, bars and public spaces have seen steady crowds gathering to watch matches on big screens, turning international soccer into a local economic driver.
SAN FRANCISCO - World Cup watch parties across the Bay Area are doing more than bringing soccer fans together - they’re giving local businesses a noticeable boost as Team USA’s tournament run continues.
From San Francisco’s East Cut to Oakland neighborhood festivals, bars and public spaces have seen steady crowds gathering to watch matches on big screens, turning international soccer into a local economic driver.
At The Crossing at East Cut, fans gathered Saturday to watch Ecuador face Curacao, taking in the World Cup atmosphere while businesses nearby reported increased foot traffic.
Businesses see surge in demand
Local establishments say the tournament has translated into consistent business growth throughout the week.
At The Greyhound SF, manager Arthur Orola said the demand has been unlike typical weekends.
"We've seen lines thirty to forty for multiple hours, like at a time, which is a lot for a small shipping container bar like this. You know, we're talking like big, big time numbers for a little shipping container bar," he said.
Orola added that the current World Cup run has rivaled some of the biggest sporting events he’s seen.
"I'm seeing upwards of 500% like absurd. Like make your, make your whole entire quarter type of numbers, right?" he said.
Meanwhile, fans say the experience goes beyond just the matches themselves.
"What’s really interesting is we’re getting to meet people from different countries that we don’t necessarily get to meet, you know... people from French Guiana, people from Iran, people from Morocco," said Lou Perrelli of San Francisco.
"To see everybody come together and not worry about nothing, no politics, just enjoy the soccer game. Futbol, you know. Everybody flying from different countries, and it's beautiful. They're enjoying the food, they're enjoying the America, you know, the city. How beautiful. beautiful it is. Beautiful weather," said Carmen Gomez of El Cerrito.
Rising ticket prices push fans toward local watch parties
Interest in watch parties has grown alongside Team USA’s success in the tournament, with fans increasingly opting for public viewing as ticket prices surge for upcoming matches.
After Team USA’s recent win over Australia, resale prices for the team’s highly anticipated Round of 32 match at Levi’s Stadium have climbed sharply, with some upper level tickets listed upwards of $3,300 and premium seats surpassing $20,000 on SeatGeek.
"I'm not even paying attention to ticket prices right now, because you know we have gas prices, we have other things to worry about, but we have the TV right here in the East Cut. Everyone come down to East Cut. Let's party over here on July 1," said Steven Henkes of San Francisco.
The Source: Interviews with fans and local businesses