On June 27, broadcast on the TVs at the Little Five Points location of Brewhouse Cafe, England captain Harry Kane taps midfielder Jude Bellingham for the assist from Metlife Field’s corner, the ball lobbing into Panama’s net. A cluster of tipsy Three Lions fans shout, chant, and break into song, singing the iconic bridge from “Hey Jude” by The Beatles. Camaraderie forms among strangers. Buckets of beer and platters overflowing with tater tots make their way to tables throughout the Atlanta soccer bar.
Considered the “best soccer bar in the US,” both locations of Brewhouse Cafe in Little Five Points and South Downtown are enjoying a boon from World Cup watch party events. And Brewhouse Cafe isn’t alone.
Other soccer-leaning bars, breweries, and restaurants adjacent to large fan events like Decatur Watchfest and Fifa Fan Festival in downtown Atlanta are also benefiting from the boost in sales from World Cup traffic.
Atlanta and Decatur
Owners of Decatur Square restaurants and bars say they are especially grateful for the added foot traffic this summer after months of construction led to a significant decline in sales. The city’s historic square underwent a renovation ahead of the World Cup and Decatur WatchFest, where free concerts, match screenings, and an open-container policy bring much-needed revenue to area businesses.
Weekend matches and USMNT games create the biggest draw, said Narit Narajit McCrary, owner of Siam Thai on Sycamore Street in Decatur.
“Every time [Team] USA has a game, my restaurant is always packed and sold out,” he said.
McCrary even instituted a uniform change for his restaurant staff during the World Cup. All of Siam Thai’s employees are wearing Team USA jerseys with the restaurant’s name and opening year emblazoned on the back.
Neighboring O’Sullivan’s Irish Pub – a popular spot for watching soccer on Decatur Square – replaced and upgraded its projector and projector screen ahead of the World Cup tournament. Across the square at Brick Store Pub, the beer bar created a World Cup watch party setup in its biergarten.
Dave Blanchard, co-founder of Brick Store Pub, called the combination of Decatur WatchFest’s proximity to the bar, its backyard biergarten, and throngs of soccer fans “lightning in a bottle.”
“People have been coming out for every single match,” he said. “After the first weekend of matches, all of our planning just completely went out the window. It was just so much busier and bigger than anything we expected.”
More World Cup coverage:
• FIFA World Cup Atlanta party guide
• 2026 FIFA World Cup stories
Argentinian restaurant Belen Bistro enjoys a customer influx whenever the country’s team, La Selección, plays. Winning the 2022 FIFA tournament in Qatar, coupled with Lionel Messi’s World Cup swan song this year, now make every Argentina match historic.
Further afield of the big FIFA fan fest events, restaurants and bars are seeing bumps in sales from the World Cup. Manny’s in Grant Park and Halfway Crooks Beer in Summerhill open early on World Cup match days for fans decked out in team jerseys arriving hours in advance of kickoff to down a few pints.
But World Cup excitement spreads far beyond the confines of Atlanta’s Perimeter.
Dunwoody and Tucker
In Dunwoody, Funwoody Restaurants turned the courtyard into a destination for fans looking to cheer on their teams closer to home. Owner David Abes said the complex welcomed around 800 people during one weekend of matches, with supporters filling the restaurants and courtyard from kickoff to the final whistle.
“It’s been incredible,” Abes said. “Sales have been through the roof, compared to what they would be during the summer.”
As Argentina’s watch house in Dunwoody, BAR{n} Booze {n} Bites has gone beyond simply showing the matches. The restaurant brought in an Argentine chef to prepare traditional dishes, and stocked Quilmes beer, a popular Argentine lager, for fans.
Related story:
Funwoody fosters community in Dunwoody
For Abes, though, the biggest takeaway has been seeing people from across metro Atlanta gather in one place.
“My favorite part is really the community all coming together,” he said. “Everybody is cheering together… People of all ages – it’s families, it’s adults, it’s all types of people.”
The World Cup tournament has also introduced his restaurants to new customers from surrounding cities, like Roswell, Alpharetta, Chamblee, and Brookhaven, who come to watch matches without having to travel into Atlanta.
A similar atmosphere has taken hold at Local No. 7 in Tucker, where every World Cup match has been shown with the audio on since day one of the tournament.
Owner and manager Luis Finley said the World Cup is bringing a mix of regulars and first-time customers to Local No. 7. Fans stop by the restaurant and bar for a bit of soccer on their lunch breaks, or to hang out with their friends and watch matches in the evenings.
“We definitely had lots of new faces coming through to watch some matches,” Finley said.
While evening games tend to draw the biggest crowds, Finley said the excitement lasts throughout the day.
“The night games bring in more people dedicated to their team,” he explained. “But the bar is usually full throughout the day… everyone’s just cheering, so it doesn’t even matter who’s playing.”
For Finley, that’s been the best part of hosting World Cup watch parties. He hopes the excitement extends beyond the 2026 tournament, saying neighborhood watch parties give communities a chance to come together and support local businesses like his.
“A lot of people just want to watch a good match,” Finley said. “They just want to watch soccer.”
