The 2026 World Cup has The Bronx draped in flags, and the borough threw its own party to prove it. On Wednesday, June 24, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson hosted a soccer watch party at One Fordham Plaza in Fordham Manor, with kids as young as one and elderly residents packed in for the music, the warm weather and the games. The scene, and the fans across the borough behind it, were reported by the Norwood News, which spent weeks tracking supporters as the tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, got rolling.
The watch party was a joint production with the Office of the Mayor, the NYC Department of Transportation and New York New Jersey 2026, the local organizing body for the games. Attendees grabbed free swag: soccer towels, bottle openers, Fordham-themed bags and portable water bottles. Ben, Omar and Benji stopped to load up. One attendee, Maria, said it was very interesting to be there.
Off the plaza, the borough turned into a rolling map of national pride. On June 11 in Bedford Park, Michelle Vazquez carried takeout home in a Mexican jersey on the day Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 in their opening Group A game. “I’m American but my parents are Mexican, from Pueblo Tulcingo,” she said. “I’m actually surprised that they actually won today 2-0, so hopefully, they win the World Cup ’cause they really need it but I’m so happy!” She named Alexis Vega and Raúl Jiménez as her favorite players.
On June 23, a group of Colombian fans visiting for the tournament posed on Jerome Avenue in Norwood in their jerseys, hours before their Group K match against the Democratic Republic of Congo. “We’re going to win, 3-1!” one man predicted. Asked for Colombia’s best export, he rattled off a list: “El Vallenato, the music Vallenato, our own music, the Cumbia, the people!” Another shouted, “The food, the food!” As they posed, the group called out, “Viva Columbia!” They said they usually watch in fan zones, including one in Queens.
The same weekend brought a whole United Nations of sidewalk fandom. On June 11, Melissa, Michelle, Mckenzie and Michael rode the D train through Kingsbridge decked out for Team USA. On June 28, two elderly men watched Senegal thump Iraq 5-0 on an outdoor screen outside Prime Grocery & Vegetable on East Gun Hill Road in Norwood, while Brazilian fans rolled down Jerome Avenue flying a giant Brazilian flag off the back of their car. A young deli worker at Jerome Avenue and Mosholu Parkway told the paper he was backing Portugal to go all the way.
By the time the knockout stages opened on June 30, the friendly rivalries reached borough government. At Bronx Community Board 7’s final meeting before summer break, held at the New York Botanical Garden, George from Council Member Oswald Feliz’s office wore Mexico’s colors, Neil from Assembly Member Yudelka Tapia’s office backed Ecuador, and Sari from State Sen. Gustavo Rivera’s office also went in for Mexico ahead of that night’s clash between the two countries. Neil said it was good to have any Latin American team advance; George wouldn’t call a score but was confident of a win.
Earlier that evening on East 204th Street and Bainbridge Avenue in Norwood, Ecuadorian sisters Evelin and Anita Conteron were gearing up for the same game. They named Panchito as a favorite and praised a striker, Moises. “He’s a good player,” Evelin said. “We have a lot of trust in him.” Anita, on the mood in the Ecuadorian community: “We’re really happy to be in this World Cup, hoping that Ecuador will win!” Mexico took the match 2-0, with goals tied in part to Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez.
The tournament also gave one team an unlikely adopted home across the East River. Cape Verde qualified for the World Cup for the first time, and its squad includes Roberto “Pico” Lopes, the Irish-born Shamrock Rovers captain who plays for the African archipelago through his father. With Ireland knocked out in a March playoff, QNS reported that Astoria bar Honey Fitz became a de facto Cape Verde supporters’ pub after owner Sean Doran threw the bar’s weight behind Lopes and the post blew up when the player shared it. “We put up a post about it… and he shared it, and it kind of just blew up from there,” Doran said. “It’s just taken off. We’re a bit overwhelmed.”
New York New Jersey 2026 keeps a running list of fan zones, transit to the matches and event details at its fan events page.
Featured image: photo on Jerome Avenue in Norwood on Election Night, June 23, 2026
