FIFA World Cup watch parties draw fans to Savannah restaurants

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Soccer fans gathered at local restaurants Thursday to watch the FIFA World Cup, with venues offering special deals as players compete on U.S. soil.

The tournament features some of the sport’s most recognizable teams and players. Thursday’s matches included South Africa vs. Mexico, which kicked off at 3 p.m.

Fans wore team jerseys as restaurants hosted watch parties throughout the day. Local establishments are offering World Cup specials and working with different distributors to support the events.

“Every four years, we do what we have to do to come out here and enjoy the sport we love,” one fan said. “And, you know, what a great time to spend with our family, our friends, and just be out here. We’re very excited.”

Restaurants are capitalizing on the tournament’s presence in the U.S. One manager said their venue is running World Cup specials from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. each day.

“I think we’ll have good crowds for all the big matches,” one said. “We have pretty big turnouts for the European tournaments throughout the year, so I think we can kind of expect the same for the World Cup.”

Fans from different countries attended the watch parties, representing their teams. Another attendee said the soccer crowds already generated in the area should translate to large turnouts for World Cup matches.

“This is World Cup, you know, it’s the full thing, so we’re going to celebrate the entire day,” said McDonough’s co-owner Joseph Lee.

A second match was scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Thursday.