Quick answer: For USMNT matches → AJ Hudson’s (American Outlaws Chicago’s home). For England and the Premier League nations → The Globe Pub in North Center (home of the Chicago Gooners and Villans). For Mexico and El Tri → La Vaca in Pilsen. For a downtown pick near the Loop → Fadó Irish Pub in River North. For neutral, international match-day energy → Cleo’s in West Town.
The 2026 World Cup runs June 11 through July 19 across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and few American cities are better wired to watch it than Chicago. This is a town with its own American Outlaws chapter, a deep bench of Premier League supporters’ clubs, and a Mexican-American community in Pilsen that turns every El Tri match into a neighborhood party — a city that follows the world’s game in the world’s accents. Chicago isn’t a 2026 host city (the nearest tournament matches are a long drive away in Kansas City), but that hardly matters here: when it comes to packing a room for your nation, few places in the country do it better. From the USMNT’s unofficial headquarters to a British pub that’s anchored the Premier League for two decades, here are the five best bars to watch the World Cup in Chicago.
AJ Hudson’s Public House
Lakeview
3801 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60613
ajhudsonspublichouse.com
Open in Google Maps
AJ Hudson’s is the official watch-party home of American Outlaws Chicago, the 14th chapter of the national USMNT supporters’ group. The pub also hosts the Official Liverpool FC Supporters Club Chicago on match days, so the same room flips from Anfield red on a Saturday morning to Stars and Stripes for a midweek USMNT friendly. Originally opened as Ginger’s Ale House in 1992 and renamed in 2011, it’s the closest thing Chicago has to a national-team headquarters.
World Cup angle: Confirmed AO Chicago watch-party venue. USMNT group-stage matches will pack this room. If you only pick one bar for a USA game, this is it.
What’s on the screens year-round: Premier League Saturday and Sunday mornings, Liverpool especially, Champions League midweeks, USMNT friendlies and qualifiers.
Best for: USMNT diehards and Chicago’s Liverpool faithful.
The Globe Pub
North Center
1934 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613
theglobepub.com
Open in Google Maps
The Globe is a British-style pub that’s served as Chicago’s Premier League anchor for more than two decades (it opened in 2004), and it’s widely regarded as the city’s central hub for the English game. The pub openly hosts the Chicago Gooners (Arsenal) and Chicago Villans (Aston Villa) supporters’ groups, and posts a full Premier League viewing schedule season-round. Twenty-plus TVs, full sound on the big match, and a kitchen that takes English breakfasts seriously. That gives the spot serious soccer creds, so you know they’ll have all the World Cup action going, with a special emphasis on England.
World Cup angle: When England, Spain or any major European nation plays a group-stage match, this is the natural Chicago landing spot. The Gooners crowd carries the room.
What’s on the screens year-round: Every Premier League fixture live, Champions League knockouts, FA Cup weekends, and the occasional Six Nations rugby.
Best for: England supporters, but realistically anyone who wants to pop in and enjoy whatever game is on.
La Vaca Margarita Bar
Pilsen
1160 W 18th St, Chicago, IL 60608
lavacamargaritabar.com
Open in Google Maps
La Vaca is a family-run cantina on 18th Street in Pilsen, the heart of Chicago’s Mexican-American neighborhood, and it’s a regular fixture on local lists of the best places to watch Mexico. The bar runs sports on its monitors and is hosting World Cup watch parties, and a Mexico match on 18th Street feels like the right room to be in. Specialty margaritas, tacos, ceviche, and a packed patio when the weather holds. Note: this place is not family-friendly — it’s 21+ only with valid ID. One scheduling note: La Vaca opens at 4 p.m. on weekdays (earlier on weekends), so for a daytime El Tri match, check their watch-party schedule rather than assume walk-in hours.
World Cup angle: Mexico is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup, and Pilsen is the cultural epicenter of El Tri viewing in Chicago. La Vaca is one of the most-recommended cantina-style spots to take a Mexico match in with the community.
What’s on the screens year-round: Liga MX weekends, Mexican national team windows, Selección friendlies.
Best for: El Tri supporters and anyone who wants the match with margaritas in Pilsen.
Fadó Irish Pub
River North
100 W Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60654
fadoirishpub.com/chicago
Open in Google Maps
Fadó opened in River North in 1997 as an Irish-owned, Irish-operated pub, and it’s grown into one of downtown Chicago’s most reliable soccer rooms. It’s long drawn a Manchester United crowd — Fadó still bills itself as home of the Manchester United Fans of Chicago, though that supporters’ group now gathers downtown at Theory — and it remains a dependable spot for the Premier League and major internationals. Three floors, plenty of screens, full pints of Guinness, and a live sports schedule that runs Premier League, Champions League and major matches. One note: Fadó opens at 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and closes at 4 p.m. Sunday, so check kickoff times against the day (hours often extend for marquee matches).
World Cup angle: Downtown convenience pick. Walkable from the Loop, Streeterville and most River North hotels — the obvious choice if you’re staying central for a USMNT, England or any group-stage match.
What’s on the screens year-round: Premier League weekends, Champions League midweeks, Six Nations rugby, and GAA.
Best for: Downtown visitors and Premier League fans who want a soccer-first room near the Loop.
Cleo’s
West Town
1935 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
cleospub.com
Open in Google Maps
Cleo’s bills itself as Chicago’s home of international soccer, and it has the World Cup history to back it up. The Chicago Sun-Times documented the USA–England 2022 group-stage match drawing a packed house here. The bar is also a gathering spot for Chicago Fire supporters, runs outdoor bocce courts in season, and shows Premier League, La Liga, Champions League and MLS year-round. It’s the international-pub option — not tied to any single nation, but reliably full for the big match.
World Cup angle: Documented 2022 World Cup pedigree (the Sun-Times featured its USA–England crowd), a Chicago Fire supporter following, and a neighborhood mix of USA, Mexico, Germany and England supporters that makes neutral group-stage matches a good call.
What’s on the screens year-round: Premier League weekends, La Liga, Champions League knockouts, Chicago Fire home matches.
Best for: International soccer crowds and West Side fans who want the big tournament feel without picking a side.
