Restaurants inside and outside host cities can capitalize on visits from soccer fans
For U.S.-based fans of overseas soccer teams, watching the game usually means waking up at 4 a.m. and heading to the lone watering hole that opens its doors before dawn. For the next month, however, North America is playing host to the FIFA World Cup, and pizzerias could benefit as 48 teams square off in Canada, Mexico and 11 cities across the United States.
Restaurants such as Houston-based Coastline Pizzeria are welcoming out-of-town visitors and locals alike with special menu items, watch parties and extended hours. The pizzeria owned by Armando DiMeo typically is not open on Sundays, but it hosted a pop-up on June 14 to celebrate the first World Cup game played in Houston: Germany vs. Curaçao.
David Lam, director of marketing for Coastline Pizzeria, says a mix of regulars and newcomers filled tables for the two World Cup games played Sunday. “Our restaurant isn’t too far away from where the World Cup Fan Festival is happening, and so we’re in a good area for people to come get food,” Lam says, adding the pizzeria is “more convenient and easygoing than going to a loud sports bar.”
World Cup Menu
To commemorate the first World Cup held in the United States in decades – and the games scheduled at Houston’s NRG Stadium, in particular – Coastline collaborated with chefs Juan Gonzalez and Michael Miles from the cooking school at Central Market to create a menu inspired by countries participating in the World Cup.
A German Currywurst pizza, for example, features currywurst sauce, caramelized onion and sauerkraut as well as Central Market pork and veal bratwurst. The pie is an ode to Team Germany, which defeated Curaçao 7-1 during its inaugural 2026 World Cup game in Houston.
Lam says he finds it rewarding to see Coastline Pizzeria “staff just light up” when the team from Central Market joins them in the kitchen. “It really helps with growth for our kitchen, bringing the two teams together,” he adds.
Other featured pizzas at Coastline include Korean pork belly with caramelized kimchi– Team South Korea bested the Czech Republic on Sunday in Guadalajara – as well as a Moroccan chicken pizza featuring the North African spice ras el hanout, Moroccan olives, feta and a harissa vinaigrette drizzle. (The Moroccan team tied Brazil on Saturday at MetLife Stadium in Rutherford, New Jersey, and will face Scotland on Friday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.)
“We saw people ordering a majority – if not the entire special menu – for their table the entire day,” Lam adds of the pop-up experience. The special menu will be available for the duration of the World Cup.
Hosting Watch Parties
A short walk from Mercedez-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta, Max’s Coal Oven Pizzeria is hosting watch parties, such as one for the game between Spain and Cabo Verde on Monday. The pizzeria also will stay open an extra hour through July 15 – when semi-finals will be held at the stadium, marking the last day of games in the ATL.
In Miami, where Hard Rock Stadium will host seven World Cup games, Rubino’s Pizzeria e Ristorante has spent the past week posting to social media about its watch party schedule. Located about 30 minutes from the action, Rubino’s broadcast the opening ceremony held June 11 as well as the USA vs. Paraguay game the following evening.
For pizzerias that wish to host their own watch parties, the games are streaming on the Peacock app as well as FOX One, FS1 and Telemundo.
Offering World Cup Deals
With locations throughout Texas and Arizona, Pizza Patrón operates a storefront just a few miles from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where England will face Croatia this afternoon. The pizzeria is encouraging customers to fill out a World Cup bracket while enjoying pizza deals available exclusively through July 19 – the day World Cup finalists will compete top honors at Met Life Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey.
At Tony Pepperoni Pizzeria, a multi-unit business in Southern California, customers can partake in a World Cup special: a pitcher of beer and a large, two-topping pizza for $37.99. With walls featuring sports memorabilia from Princeton University Tigers to the Buffalo Bills and the Chicago Cubs, the pizzerias suit sports fans of all stripes.
Where Are World Cup Games Happening?
If you’d like to experience the World Cup in person, they are being played at the following locations. Matches marked “TBD” will depend on which team wins earlier games. For the most up to date information, click the stadium where you are interested in watching a game.
Atlanta Stadium (Mercedez-Benz Stadium): Through July 15
- June 18: Czechia vs. South Africa
- June 21: Spain vs. Saudi Arabia
- June 24: Morocco vs. Haiti
- June 27: Congo DR vs. Uzbekistan
- July 1: TBD
- July 7: TBD
Boston Stadium (Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts): Through July 9
- June 19: Scotland vs. Morocco
- June 23: England vs. Ghana
- June 26: Norway vs. France
- June 29: TBD
- July 9: TBD
Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas): Through July 14
- June 17: England vs. Croatia
- June 22: Argentina vs. Austria
- June 25: Japan vs. Sweden
- June 27: Jordan vs. Argentina
- June 30: TBD
- July 3: TBD
- July 6: TBD
- July 14: TBD
Houston Stadium (NRG Stadium): Through July 4
- June 17: Portugal vs. Congo DR
- June 20: Netherlands vs. Sweden
- June 23: Portugal vs. Uzbekistan
- June 26: Cabo Verde vs. Saudi Arabia
- June 29: TBD
- July 4: TBD
Kansas City Stadium (GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri): Through July 11
- June 20: Ecuador vs. Curaçao
- June 25: Tunisia vs. Netherlands
- June 27: Algeria vs. Austria
- July 3: TBD
- July 11: TBD
Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California): Through July 10
- June 18: Switzerland vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
- June 21: Belgium vs. Iran
- June 25: Turkey vs. USA
- June 28: TBD
- July 2: TBD
- July 10: TBD
Miami Stadium (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida): Through July 18
- June 21: Uruguay vs. Cabo Verde
- June 24: Scotland vs. Brazil
- June 27: Colombia vs. Portugal
- July 3: TBD
- July 11: TBD
- July 18: TBD
New York/New Jersey (Met Life Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey): Through July 19
- June 22: Norway vs. Senegal
- June 25: Ecuador vs. Germany
- June 27: Panama vs. England
- June 30: TBD
- July 5: TBD
- July 19 (final): TBD
Philadelphia Stadium (Lincoln Financial Field, South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania): Through July 4
- June 19: Brazil vs. Haiti
- June 22: France vs. Iraq
- June 25: Curaçao vs. Còte d’Ivoire
- June 27: Croatia vs. Ghana
- July 4: TBD
Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field): Through July 6
- June 19: USA vs. Australia
- June 24: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar
- June 26: Egypt vs. Iran
- July 1: TBD
- July 6: TBD
San Francisco Bay Area Stadium (Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California): Through July 1
- June 19: Turkey vs. Paraguay
- June 22: Jordan vs. Algeria
- June 25: Paraguay vs. Australia
- July 1: TBD
KATE LAVIN is Senior Editor at Pizza Today.
