World Cup watch parties bring communities together in Rhode Island

PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island General Treasurer James Diossa didn’t mince words Thursday when he described the World Cup parties and teams coming to Rhode Island during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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“That’s a big effin’ deal,” he said during the opening of the PVD Fan Zone in Providence.

Stepping up to the podium, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley joked, “That’s shorthand for ‘Big footballin’ deal.’”

Following a ribbon cutting and greeting from state and local officials, fans began trickling into Rhode Island’s official World Cup site just after 2 p.m. Thursday to watch Mexico play South Africa in the first game of the tournament.

The city-hosted and FIFA-sanctioned Fan Zone, at Station Park near the State House, was filled with soccer-related games and skill challenges, official merchandise, food trucks, and a main stage with a huge screen showing the World Cup matches.

While the city has hosted large events in the past, “We’ve not done them 39 days in a row, and so this is a test of endurance for our team, but we know we are up for the task,” Smiley said in an interview.

Fans sat under beach umbrellasin the water-starved grassor gathered under tents.

Jose Fermin of Worcester, Mass., went to the fan zone to watch the opening match.

“You get to meet a lot of cool people, get to be around cool people,” said Jose Fermin, who came to the Fan Zone from Worcester, Mass., to watch the first game. “I’m not from Mexico, but today I’m supporting Mexico because you get to be around amazing people.”

Fermin, who plays soccer at Assumption University, said he hopes Portugal wins the World Cup.

“Cristiano Ronaldo, hope he wins it,” he said.

Visitors from around the world turned up to watch the first match, includinga congregation from Scotland, who stood out in their kilts.

At nearby Waterplace Park, a popup gathering spot for House of Portugal fans will feature host former players, who fans can meet, each Sunday.

“It’s a great opportunity for our businesses,” Governor Dan McKee saidduring Thursday’s press conference. He said the state has invested about $500,000 in addition to money raised by Ocean State 2026, a nonprofit established to promote the World Cup in Rhode Island.

“Simply put, the fan zone is going to revolutionize the way Rhode Islanders watch the World Cup,” he said.

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McKee said he bought a jersey, also known as a kit, at the House of Portugal pop upand had it signed by a Portuguese soccer legend.

“I actually got one of the top soccer players in Portuguese history to sign, just like a kid, getting an autograph from Mickey Mantle way back when,” McKee said. “I wear it proudly.”

Allan Ritchie, 58, of Scotland, said he has tickets for both of Scotland’s games in Boston as well as their game against Brazil in Miami. He said he and other Scotland fans will be in Providence for about 10 days.

“We originally thought about Boston, but some of the prices in Boston were a bit pricey, and some of the Tartan Army were organized in Providence. So, we’ve ended up here,” he said. He’ll be in the the school bus convoy Tartan fans organized to get to the games at “Boston Stadium” in Foxborough, Mass.

“Scottish fans are like no others. You’ll find out in the next few days,” he said. “We like to win, but if we don’t win, we still celebrate our team…. I’m sure you’ll hear some great tunes coming when the Scottish fans start.”

Rhode Island has prominent Columbian, Guatemalan, Dominican, and Mexican, Portuguese, and Cape Verdean communities. In Central Falls, a Latino-majority city, a special partnership with Telemundo, the Spanish-language TV station, allows city-hosted watch parties to show the World Cup games, according to Mayor Maria Rivera. Telemundo is scheduled to air more than 700 hours of World Cup programming through July 19, when the tournament ends.

“Central Falls is really not getting a lot of visibility for what we are doing here,” Rivera said. “My parks and recreation director Mavy Pineda is the one who organized all of this. We got a lot of sponsorships, which raised about $75,000.”

La Casona restaurant in Central Falls was permitted to sell alcohol at the event because it is paying for security and safety details, the mayor said. Other sponsors are helping pay for a kids zone that includes bounce houses and a command center is on site to help people keep people safe and health-related issues. Soccer fans can also pick up special food passports, available only at watch parties, that feature 13 local businesses where fans can collect special stamps.

Central Falls’ first watch party on Thursday afternoon drewhundreds of fansfor the match between Mexico and South Africa. Rivera said theysang, danced, and cheered for Mexico’s national team, nicknamed “El Tri,” or “The Tricolor,” a nod to the Mexican flag. Mexico won the match 2-0.

“I really didn’t expect the turnout that we had because of the time,” Rivera said. “It was an early game. The energy was amazing. There were no chairs left for people to sit.”

The Central Falls watch parties open two hours before scheduled matches, and stays open after each match for music and dancing. Similar to the Providence Fan Zone, big bags, beverages, water, coolers, or weapons of any kind are prohibited. The next watch party is scheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m., for the match between Brazil and Morocco.

“Everybody is so happy, everyone is interacting for everyone, and we are looking out for each other,” Rivera said. “It’s the energy of a community coming together and appreciating what we are doing for them. It’s not just about soccer.”

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