Where to watch the FIFA World Cup in Macon: big screens, deals, ticket raffles

A worldwide summer of soccer is nearly underway and Macon restaurants are preparing to attract FIFA World Cup enjoyers with big screens, giveaways and themed menu items. 

The FIFA World Cup will begin on Thursday, June 11 and continue through Sunday, July 19. Forty-eight countries will compete in games played across the United States, Mexico and Canada, including matches in Atlanta.

Here are a few Macon businesses that are doing something special to celebrate the global sporting event.

Bearfoot Tavern

Pubs are synonymous with international soccer culture and downtown Macon gastropub Bearfoot Tavern is no different.

Bearfoot Tavern will show every game of the FIFA World Cup tournament and will even stay open past its normal operating hours if a game is on late, according to general manager Mark Bell.

“It’s part of the environment, it’s part of the atmosphere. It’s part of what Bearfoot is,” Bell said. 

Bell said the restaurant plans to hang flags for all participating countries in the tavern downstairs and the simulation experience Flight Time upstairs. Garlands with soccer jerseys also hang throughout the dining area and bar.

Bearfoot ordered specialty FIFA-branded beer glasses and will offer food and drink specials during matches. The gastropub will also show select games outside in their Beer Garden, including the final match on July 19.

Amici Macon

For fans trying to see the action in person, customers have the opportunity to win tickets to a FIFA World Cup match in Atlanta at Amici Macon located off of Mercer University Drive. 

The restaurant will host a FIFA World Cup party in partnership with Anheuser-Busch on Friday, June 12, to celebrate the United States’ opening game against Paraguay.

Anyone who purchases a Michelob Ultra, NUTRL seltzer or any other Anheuser-Busch product will be entered into a prize giveaway.

“A distributor’s going to come out, and they’re going to have coolers, t-shirts,” Amici Macon bar manager Colquitt Henderson said.  

Henderson said they will also have a small goal set up for customers to compete in a “shoot-out.” Those that participate in the competition will be entered to win two pairs of tickets to the June 18 South Africa vs. Czechia match in Atlanta.

The Amici Macon event will start at 6 p.m. ahead of the 9 p.m. match start time. 

Amici also plans to offer food and drink specials during games throughout the tournament and will show matches that broadcast during normal business hours.

Ocmulgee Brewpub

Ocmulgee Brewpub in downtown Macon plans to celebrate the World Cup with all new brews and menu items. 

The restaurant and brewery, which has branded itself as “Macon’s Official Watchparty Headquarters,” plans to unveil new dishes as well as a specialty beer crafted by their brewmaster to fuel soccer fans throughout the tournament. 

551 Hospitality Group, which represents Ocmulgee Brewpub and several other Macon restaurants, director of marketing Peyton Jeter said Ocmulgee is “ready for soccer all summer long.”

Ocmulgee will release a new specialty craft beer named “GOOOOOOL!,” which Jeter described as a refreshing, light lager with a citrus infusion.  The brewpub also will serve specialty dishes from around the world to represent the global event, like fish and chips for England, patatas bravas for Spain and other international food items, Jeter said.

Customers can fill out a raffle ticket every time they watch a game in house for a chance to win a FIFA themed prize pack giveaway at the end of the tournament.

The restaurant plans to show the World Cup matches that are on during their normal operating hours and plans to have a late night bar menu for games that play after the kitchen closes.

‘Only 90 minutes away’

Macon played a role in FIFA tournaments in the past and some hope that this year’s tournament will attract visitors already visiting the state. 

FIFA selected Atlanta as one of the tournament’s 16 host cities, one of 11 in the United States. Mercedes-Benz Stadium was rebranded as “Atlanta Stadium” for the tournament and will host eight World Cup matches in June and July, including five group stage matches and a semi-final match.

Mercer University hosted Major League Soccer team Los Angeles Football Club, or LAFC, last summer ahead of their competition in Atlanta at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

Mayor Lester Miller announced in a June 2025 press conference that Macon was approved as a practice site for this summer’s World Cup, but was ultimately not matched with a national team.

However, Macon’s proximity to Atlanta prompted a marketing campaign to attract World Cup attendees south as a side trip destination. 

“Visit Macon has proactively executed a comprehensive, multi-channel strategy to ensure Macon-Bibb County captures a meaningful share of the international visitation, overnight stays and economic impact generated by Atlanta’s host-city status,” said a memo from the tourism organization. 

The “90 minutes” campaign equates Macon’s distance from Atlanta as the same distance as the length of a soccer match and features attractions like The Big House and Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park. 

Visit Macon shared that advertising messages will be placed in locations including Atlanta’s FIFA FAN Zone, the baggage claim in Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and inside the Georgia World Congress Center.

“I do think having the games in Atlanta, where we have now like a tangible proximity to the games, I think that excitement will be even more than we’ve seen before,” Jeter said. “I’m encouraged and super excited that I think we’ll have a lot of visitors just coming to town because they’ll be in Atlanta and they’re looking for other fun things to do to fill their time.”

Where else to watch

Other Macon restaurants that plan to show World Cup matches throughout the summer include:

• El Sombrero Mexican Restaurant
• La Bella Morelia Mexican Restaurant
• Taco Mac Macon

For those who prefer to watch the games from home, fans can find all matches on FOX or FS1, as well as the FoxSports website and streaming service. The opening match between Mexico and South Africa, as well as the United States’ first match, can also be found on streaming service Tubi for free.

NBCUniversal announced that their streaming service Peacock will show all World Cup matches in Spanish throughout the tournament through Telemundo.

The FIFA World Cup will open with Mexico vs. South Africa at 3 p.m. EST. The United States will play their first match against Paraguay on Friday, June 12.