Where to watch the 2026 World Cup in Manchester this summer

Manchester’s cavernous industrial beer hall is going all-out for the five-week schedule with a huge 5,000-capacity fan zone complete with giant LED screens, live DJs, football legends, dancers, street food traders and a two-hour pre-match show before every England fixture.

Dubbed World Cup Nights, the space promises one of the city’s biggest football atmospheres with immersive sound and lighting, repeater screens throughout the venue and bars running at full tilt all night long.

England group stage fixtures kick off from Thu 17 Jun, with knockout screenings to follow.

Billed as a landmark collaboration, Freight Island and Depot Mayfield have joined forces with 4TheFans for We Are Football Festival 2026, a colossal fan park takeover spread across two of Manchester’s biggest event spaces.

Expect giant screens, live DJs, Sky Sports presenters, street food, bars and a stadium-style atmosphere for every England game throughout the tournament.

Demand will inevitably be massive, so read more and grab your tickets below.

If you want to pair the World Cup with some of Manchester’s finest pints, then the fantastic Track Taproom has just the thing. The team has shared a schedule of all games that’ll be shown, though it’s worth noting that it’ll only be England’s matches that will be played with sound. It’s walk-ins only, so it’s worth heading down with plenty of time.

An equally solid choice if you’re after an excellent array of craft beer, Cloudwater’s taproom will be kitted out with screens for the games. To mark the occasion, the team will be bringing back their delicious Helles, plus some limited-edition merch.

One of Manchester’s best food halls transforms once again into a World Cup hotspot with giant screens, more than 40 taps pouring craft beer and a £1,000 sweepstake running throughout the tournament.

Fans who buy selected beers can enter the competition via QR code, with the eventual winners splitting a grand for the final.

Society will show all England games plus the latter knockout stages.

Undoubtedly Manchester’s coolest ‘sports bar’, Libero in Altrincham’s King’s Court is basically Italia 90 laced with excellent craft beer.

More akin to watching the game in your mate’s front room, England games will inevitably fill up immediately (if not already booked up), but it’s as good a spot as any to watch two nations you know nothing about face off against each other at 10pm.

The ever-popular city centre tennis, basketball and beer garden hangout is screening every England game across indoor and outdoor screens as part of its Summer of Sport series with Aperol – with a pile of the more reasonably timed group stage games thrown in for good measure .

Alongside the football, there’ll be quizzes, live entertainment, food specials and flowing drinks throughout the tournament.

Early release tickets start from just £5.

New Century is giving fans three options for how they can watch the game. There’s the upstairs Hall, which is priced at £8 with a can on entry; the Yard, which will be filled with outdoor seating, priced at £6, also including a can; or the Kitchen, which will operate on a first-come-first-serve basis.

As well as showing games at the taproom, Cloudwater’s wonderful little sibling, Sadler’s Cat, will have the World Cup shown on a plentiful array of screens in the pub. Back of the net.

Over at MediaCity, Kargo MKT food hall will be screening World Cup fixtures throughout the tournament. Tickets are priced at £10 per person and include a guaranteed seat within the designated viewing area, along with a drink up to the value of £7. Fans can also take advantage of £5 Pravha in the hour before kick-off, while pre-match DJs and football shirt pop-ups will form part of the matchday offering

If a night spent wedged into a packed sports bar like kit-clad sardines sounds like your worst nightmare, Electric Shuffle offers a slightly more civilised alternative.

Groups of up to 12 can book private viewing screens with a shuffleboard session before kick-off, while tables in the main bar area come with full table service and uninterrupted screen views throughout the match.

Food and drinks are delivered directly to you, meaning there’s no risking the queue at the bar during key moments.

Chorlton’s longstanding party pub is teaming up with Fireball for a full-scale England fanzone experience complete with giant screens, DJs, giveaways and complimentary Fireball shots every time England score, in a promotion that’ll have you pining for the Group of Death the next morning.

The venue will also be decked out in full England décor with foam hands, wigs, glasses and merch giveaways across the tournament.

Free tickets are available for early birds, while later releases include drinks packages from £7.

Dirty O’Sullivans, Manchester’s latest fixture in an illustrious landscape of lively Irish bars, is marking the World Cup by giving away 1,000 free pints of Guinness to fans who pre-book tables for selected fixtures.

Expect packed crowds, flowing stout, Baby Guinness shots and live entertainment around the biggest games of the tournament.

A £40 minimum spend applies for England fixtures, fully redeemable against drinks on the day.

The slick Deansgate games bar is screening the tournament throughout its venue with giant screens spread across the gaming areas, so you can carry on playing darts and shuffleboard without missing a moment of the action.

To mark the tournament and celebrate sixty years since our World Cup triumph – and the ceaseless anguish that has formed the majority of our national footballing identity ever since – Black Cat has also launched a special ‘1966’ menu with themed food and drinks deals priced at £19.66, including burgers, pitchers and sharing plates.

For those who’d like their penalties with a side of paneer, Zouk is screening every England group stage game from its mezzanine level with reserved seating, table service and a fabulously unique curry-and-cocktails package to accompany the tournament.

Tickets cost £29pp and include poppadoms, a curry or biryani with rice, naan or chips and a drink ranging from Cobra beer to cocktails and wine.

For football and funk in equal measure, Blues Kitchen is opening up its concert hall again for all of England’s World Cup fixtures this summer.

Expect a lively atmosphere, first come first served seating and Southern-inspired comfort food including buffalo wings, burgers and brisket sandwiches served before and during the matches.

Doors open from 7pm, while DJs will keep things moving after the final whistle for selected games.

The iconic Peter Street music venue and Grade II-listed former chapel is screening England’s clash against Ghana on Tue 23 Jun with full venue sound, big screen coverage and free pints for the first 100 through the doors.

Tickets are just a fiver, so grab yours below.

Down in Stockport, Edgeley Park is refitting The County Courtyard as another super-sized open-air fan zone with 12 big screens, live music, street food and bars for every England group stage game.

Food specials take inspiration from the tournament’s North American hosts, including buffalo wings, tacos and maple-bacon mac and cheese, while tickets are priced at just £5.

Knockout games will also be screened if England progress.

Situated in the heart of Spinningfields, Lawn Club’s large outdoor screen, along with a handful of indoor screens, will be showing games during the World Cup. England games will be ticketed at £10, which includes a welcome drink and live DJs. VIP table packages can also be booked, which include food sharers, table service and your own dedicated area in the bar.

Indie event space, bar, and kitchen, The New Cross, has a cracking setup for live sports. There’s a stellar selection of beers and cocktails available, and the brilliant Mit Alles kebab/falafel kiosk, which adjoins the bar, has all your food needs covered.

Full ticket info is yet to be released for England’s matches, but the venue has confirmed it’ll be showing the World Cup again. Keep an eye on the team’s Instagram for further details.

NYC pizza specialists Nell’s will be hosting free screenings of every England match across all sites (Chorlton, Altrincham, Kampus, Northern Quarter, MediaCity), complete with pre-match entertainment from DJs and live musicians.

No booking is necessary, but for groups bigger than 7, you can secure your spot below.

Fresh from its gorgeous traditional pub-inspired refurb, iconic Northern Quarter haunt, now going by The Trof, will be showing all England games downstairs. No bookings or tickets are required, just get down early to bag a spot.

Beforehand, we highly recommend heading upstairs and trying the new food offering; it’s seriously good.

Another Northern Quarter stalwart, The Pen and Pencil, will be getting in on the action. If football fever hasn’t quite set in yet, the team will also be hosting a special football quiz on Tue 23 Jun. Food and drinks packages, along with private room bookings, are available. You can find a bit more info below.

Gorilla will have games on the venue’s hefty LED screen, accompanied by full PA sound, pre-match build-up and half-time entertainment.

Seated tickets are £20; for that, you get full table service, complimentary food on the night, and your first drink thrown in, while standing tickets are £10 and also include a drink on entry.

The huge House of Social food hall becomes a buzzing fanzone for the World Cup. Five big screens will be installed throughout the venue, with all kitchens open for every England game. England matches will be ticketed, with a free drink included in every ticket. Plus, fans can enjoy pre-match parties in the House of Social Garden before each England game, featuring live music and a margarita truck.

Situated on the corner of Afflecks, live music spot and Oasis fan bar Definitely Maybe is showing the action with three large screens, while offering a variety of food and drink packages, tables, standing options and a Green Room that can hosts private screenings for parties of up to 60.

Tickets are a fiver, and they’re fully redeemable at the bar.

If you want to take in the game with sweeping panoramic views of Manchester’s skyline, then 20 Stories will be screening all England matches live from the rooftop, with full sound. Tickets are £5 and include a beer on arrival.

Locke Hotels is marking the World Cup with a series of watch parties at the Whitworth Locke, and is doing so through a nostalgic 90s Americana lens. There’ll be large-screen viewings, 90s-inspired decor and a special food and drink menu inspired by American stadium culture.

Newly-launched motel and diner, Mollie’s, is screening 19 fixtures throughout the tournament, including England’s group stage matches, knockout rounds and the final. Alongside the action, guests can enjoy dedicated Matchday Menus, £5 pints and reserved viewing areas for selected fixtures.