![\"FBL-WC-2026-MATCH89-PAR-FRA\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783225030_11_.jpeg\")
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Fans attend the 2026 World Cup round of 16 football match between Paraguay and France at the Philadelphia Stadium in Philadelphia on July 4, 2026. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Hilferty is the CEO of Comcast Spectator, Governor of the Philadelphia Flyers and co-chair of the Philadelphia Soccer 2026 bid, as he played a crucial role in securing these World Cup games in Philadelphia. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou can see it in how the world has shown up here. Our FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill has been packed match after match \u2014 fans from every corner of the globe, alongside Philadelphians, coming together in Fairmount Park to celebrate this tournament. That\u2019s exactly what we hoped for when we set out to host: not just matches at the stadium, but a citywide celebration that welcomes the world in. It\u2019s a point of tremendous pride for every Philadelphian. We\u2019re not just hosting a soccer match \u2014 we\u2019re hosting the world on America\u2019s birthday, in the place where America began. That\u2019s a once-in-a-lifetime alignment, and this city has risen to meet it.\u201d <\/p>\n
American friends dressed as the founding fathers traveled from Boston to be in Philly for the Paraguay vs France game. Like everyone else in Philadelphia this week, David Sparks, David Maffly-Kipp and Tyler Fuller were having a blast.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is amazing, on the 250th birthday of America, it\u2019s a really great experience, really happy to be here with my best friends. Happy to be around all of this energy as well,\u201d Tyler Fuller said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in Philly for 4th of July, we wanted to represent America at the World Cup and we\u2019ve had a great experience interacting with everyone else here from around the world. It is really, really cool,\u201d another friend dressed as a founding father added.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Fans go all out for World Cup in Philly on July 4<\/p>\n Joe Prince-Wright speaks with a few fans in patriotic garb about watching the World Cup on July 4 for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n In historic Philadelphia the lines were over two hours long to visit Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed 250 years ago. <\/p>\n While they stood around in the punishing sunshine people sang \u201cHappy Birthday to America!\u201d and chanted \u201cUSA! USA!\u201d after the national anthem was played by groups of musicians dressed in extremely impressive revolutionary era costumes. <\/p>\n When a tour guide pointed out that at one time the emblem of the British Crown hung in Independence Hall there was loud booing from tourists. <\/p>\n People from so many nations were visiting the Liberty Bell as they mingled with Americans traveling from Wisconsin, Vermont, Texas and beyond to be in Philly to celebrate the landmark holiday. <\/p>\n A drone show in the evening over downtown showed George Washington crossing the Delaware with a huge \u201c250″ lit up in the sky with major downtown buildings lit up in red, white and blue. Fireworks were going off each evening around downtown. Because, America. <\/p>\n \ud83d\udd14\ud83c\udf89\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 Hello from red-hot Philadelphia! <\/p>\n Brilliant party atmosphere here ahead of #Paraguay<\/a> v #France<\/a> for Philly\u2019s final 2026 #WorldCup<\/a> game + 250th 4th of July celebrations galore.<\/p>\n Everyone has been super friendly and is loving hosting the world. Incredible history. Loving it! pic.twitter.com\/JjK5puYrGI<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) July 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n While all that was going on, soccer fans were everywhere. Everywhere. There were huge lines to get in bars to watch World Cup games and the ones you could get in to were packed. Shirts from every nation and club team you could think of could be spotted in Philly. <\/p>\n \u201cOh my god, it\u2019s insane. I feel like there\u2019s people everywhere. Everybody\u2019s so excited and the energy is incredible. Everybody\u2019s excited to have it happen here,\u201d local Amrita Gupta explained. <\/p>\n Fans wearing France and Korea jerseys wandered around the Philadelphia Museum of Art and took photos with the famous Rocky Statue. Huge TV screen billboards were driving around downtown promoting the World Cup action. The World Cup has simply dominated Philly over the last month and it was all building up to this grand finale, with their final of six games coming up July 4th. <\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, it\u2019s been even crazier than what I thought it was going be. I thought it was gonna be wild and exciting but this has exceeded everything,\u201d local Nick Wehr explained. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JULY 04: Fans help cool of a vendor on the concouse level prior to a FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 16 match betwwen France and Paraguay at Philadelphia Stadium on July 04, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Howard Smith\/ISI Photos\/ISI Photos via Getty Images)<\/p>\n ISI Photos via Getty Images<\/p>\n In Reading Terminal Market flags welcoming every nation playing in Philly were hung from the ceilings saying \u201cwelcome\u201d in their native language as Brazil fans lined up and got a cheesesteak at Uncle Gus\u2019 and Germany fans sadly wandered the bustling aisles as their team was supposed to make it to Philly for this last 16 game.<\/p>\n Philly has been all-in on the World Cup. Especially this weekend. And they are all-in on welcoming the world. <\/p>\n Everyone gives you a recommendation for the best place to get a cheesesteak. At a packed bar, the Devil\u2019s Alley, locals traded tips with visitors as they halted their day to watch Australia vs Egypt in the last 16 over lunch and drinks. <\/p>\n Flags welcoming the world were everywhere and City Hall was dressed up to impress. Paraguay and France fans swarmed in to Philly and Paraguayan fans lined the streets outside their team hotel in the morning and at night to get a glimpse of Almiron and Co. as locals cheered them on. <\/p>\n A beautiful night spent watching the World Cup games here in Philadelphia. Lion Sports Bar was incredible. Total strangers from all over the world embracing in the beauty and drama of the #WorldCup<\/a>, creating lifelong memories together. This is what it is all about! pic.twitter.com\/mqBQkhJzk1<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) July 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cOh my god, it has been otherworldly. I met some incredible people, randomly out in the streets, I brought them back to watch the games and they\u2019ve become friends forever,\u201d Jennifer Gomes, a Brazil fan with family who hail from Londrina said. She was leading the chants, and blowing a whistle loudly, in the Lion Sport Bar with fans from Argentina, Cape Verde, Colombia, Ghana and many other nations. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve met these people, some Scotsmen who were here even when there wasn\u2019t a Scotland game in Philly, Brazilians, Haitians… Like, the world is here and we are ready for them!\u201d<\/p>\n The Lion Sports Bar in Chinatown perfectly summed up Philly\u2019s love for the World Cup and welcoming the world on this special weekend and over the last month.<\/p>\n Owned by Mark Prinzinger, he set up the bar as a soccer bar for everyone and he\u2019s created something special. This place, like Philly, has amazing energy. Crowds crammed in to watch Cape Verde\u2019s almost upset of Argentina and went bonkers for it as American flags hung over the road in the streets for several blocks outside.<\/p>\n Prinzinger explained that the legacy of this World Cup will be about how many casual soccer fans are now all-in on the sport. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been packed for every single game. It has been phenomenal tournament so far,\u201d Prinzinger said. \u201cA lot of these folks come here every single weekend for Premier League at 7am, so we have a lot of regulars, but we have a lot of new people too that have never watched soccer before and they come down here and I hope they now love soccer too.\u201d<\/p>\n JP Gola, who grew up in India idolizing and watching Diego Maradona with his father, traveled to Philly from Ashburn, Virginia for Paraguay vs France. He was watching Argentina\u2019s game against Cape Verde in the Lion Sports Bar with his Lionel Messi jersey on and at one point he ran through the bar shouting \u201cUFB! UFB!\u201d and explained later it stood for \u201cUn-F******-Believable!\u201d<\/p>\n Gola was going wild with his new friends from Brazil and Argentina and was celebrating Cape Verde\u2019s goals just as hard as Argentina\u2019s. He didn\u2019t care who won. He just wanted to be with people and enjoy the games. The respect and love was strong. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all about love, freedom, do what you like, do what you want to do,\u201d Gola explained. \u201cIt\u2019s all about freedom, you know, support the sport. Enjoy. Everyone is here together. Enjoy the game. Enjoy the sport. All peace.\u201d <\/p>\n Freedom, love and enjoyment sums up the spirit in Philadelphia well this week more than any other. <\/p>\n Prinzinger added that having France in this special Fourth of July game in Philadelphia is extremely fitting. <\/p>\n \u201cWith July Fourth, if we can\u2019t have the USA playing here the fact we can have our brothers from France playing here, who helped us found the United States,\u201d Prinzinger said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of things going in Philadelphia right now for America\u2019s Independence Day, 250, but if you ask anyone in this bar they would say the France vs Paraguay game is the number one thing going on this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n Loved chatting to Mark Prinzinger, the owner of Lion Sports Bar in Philadelphia. He\u2019s created something really special and the energy and atmosphere has been electric for #WorldCup<\/a> games. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been packed for every single game. It has been phenomenal.\u201d <\/p>\n Full interview \u2935\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/4d9cKnP5iY<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) July 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Being in Philadelphia this week, the noise of games being played in outside bars and the reaction of fans reverberated around downtown.<\/p>\n Wandering around South 17th street, a lone air guitar playing the national anthem could be heard as Americans were dressed as the statue of liberty and George Washington and had shirts with stars and stripes all over them and screaming eagles with flames. <\/p>\n \u201cHappy July Fourth!\u201d said Philly native Shani Zaritsky with a huge smile on her face. <\/p>\n \u201cI really hope this is only the beginning and Philadelphia is going to get much more in to soccer because soccer is the best game in the world.\u201d <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Philly fans feel the pride around World Cup<\/p>\n Joe Prince-Wright checks in with a couple of Philadelphia fans to talk about watching the World Cup on July 4 for the U.S’s 250th anniversary and the showcase the event has been for their home city.<\/p>\n Mixing a World Cup last 16 game with these huge Fourth of July celebrations was a masterstroke from whoever came up with this idea. Even Paraguay wearing red and white stripes and France wearing blue worked for the visuals. Well done. <\/p>\n There have been record numbers at the Philadelphia fan fest in Lemon Hill and the hope is that this is only the start for people visiting and exploring this historic city. <\/p>\n \u201cYou just need to come to Philly because you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re missing,\u201d Pompan added. \u201cIt is the most walkable city in the United States of America. It\u2019s historical. It\u2019s incredible. Come on down. If you haven\u2019t been, you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re missing.\u201d <\/p>\n And the support from locals to those visiting their city has been overwhelming. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re all fans. We\u2019re all here supporting the teams and having fun. That\u2019s what Philly\u2019s about, community,\u201d Wehr smiled. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve met so many people from all over the world and had such great conversations. One memory that really stands out, even though Scotland didn\u2019t play in Philadelphia, we\u2019ve had Scottish fans here throughout the tournament. The first day of the tournament they had their suitcases and they came right here from the plane… I\u2019m a big Scott McTominay fan because I support Napoli. The next day they came back and bought me a kilt!\u201d Prinzinger laughed. <\/p>\n![\"Paraguay](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783225031_28_.jpeg\")
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![\"Paraguay](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783225032_747_.jpeg\")
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