Chicago Fire and Recess hosting all 104 FIFA World Cup matches
Chicago Fire hosting official FIFA World Cup watch party at Recess
If you want to feel like you're at the World Cup in Chicago, we may have just the place for you. The Chicago Fire is hosting the official FIFA World Cup watch party at Recess in West Loop.
CHICAGO - If you want to feel like you're at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Chicago, there's a venue hosting a watch party for all 104 games.
The backstory:
Recess in West Loop is partnering with Chicago Fire FC to host their official Chicago "soccer celebration."
Chicago-area soccer fans packed Recess in West Loop Thursday. The event featured dozens of televisions, a massive outdoor jumbotron and giveaways as supporters gathered to watch the tournament's opening match. Organizers hope to recreate the World Cup experience in Chicago despite the city not hosting any matches.
From the moment players entered the pitch, fans inside Recess were fully invested in the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Cheers erupted after the tournament's first goal, then again after the second, as supporters from different backgrounds and countries celebrated together throughout the match.
"It's indescribable, it really is. It's amazing," said Julian Delreal from Elburn.
Another attendee described the experience as deeply personal.
"I felt very emotional. I felt like I just got to be with my roots," said Arely Diaz, from Aurora.
The watch party is the Chicago Fire's official FIFA World Cup viewing event and will continue throughout the tournament.
"For the next six weeks, all 104 games of the FIFA World Cup will be on more than 30 TVs inside as well as on the jumbotron the Chicago Fire created outside on the patio.
Dan Moriarty, the Chicago Fire's chief marketing officer, said the tournament's popularity extends far beyond any one country.
"From a global scale, it's the biggest game in the world, it's the most watched, it's the most participated game on a global scale and the U.S. for the last couple of decades has been really embracing that and jumping on board," said Moriarty.
He also said the team wanted to create a World Cup atmosphere in Chicago even though the city is not hosting any matches. Fans can also participate in giveaways during the tournament, including a chance to win a Jeep.
"We've gone very old school. We're filling it with soccer balls, as we speak, and the fans have to guess how many soccer balls are in there for a chance to win," said Moriarty.
For many fans, the World Cup is about more than soccer. When Fox Chicago asked what brings not only Chicago together but cultures together during the tournament, Delreal pointed to national pride.
"Country pride, I think is what it is, it doesn't matter who you go for, or where you're from if you have a team in it, it means a lot more when your country is in it and you have pride like Mexican with me, United States as well because I was born here I just love it, it's amazing," said Delreal.
Diaz also said the atmosphere inside the watch party felt like a family gathering.
"It feels like a big family we're all united even though everyone is in their own little bubble, but we're just like all together and all united and so I'm very happy with it it's like a 10 out of 10 atmosphere."
What's next:
Recess and the Chicago Fire will host watch parties throughout the FIFA World Cup, showing all 104 matches over the next six weeks.
Organizers hope fans from across Chicago and beyond will continue gathering to celebrate the world's most popular sport together. It is 21+ to drink, however, Recess is allowing children inside, as long as they're accompanied with their parent or legal guardian.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX Chicago's Bret Buganski.