Lackawanna County Courthouse Square in downtown Scranton will serve as one of three \u201cPennsylvania World Cup Fan Zones\u201d and host a number of FIFA World Cup watch parties between Independence Day and July 19, the date of the 2026 World Cup Final.<\/p>\n
Gov. Josh Shapiro and Visit PA, in partnership with Philadelphia Soccer 2026, the nonprofit host committee planning and executing World Cup matches there, announced Thursday that Scranton, Pittsburgh and Reading will host fan zones when the much-anticipated international tournament kicks off this summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cBranded under Pennsylvania\u2019s dynamic \u201cVisit PA\u201d tourism office, these Fan Zones will amplify and complement Philadelphia\u2019s 39-day FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill Park \u2014 extending the World Cup\u2019s energy and economic impact far beyond Southeastern Pennsylvania,\u201d organizers said in a press release. \u201cEach Fan Zone will offer large-screen broadcasts of FIFA World Cup 2026 Knockout Round matches, live entertainment, interactive soccer fan experiences, and food and beverages \u2014 all free of charge and designed to be accessible to fans of every background.\u201d<\/p>\n
The United States, Canada and Mexico are jointly hosting the 2026 World Cup, with Philadelphia serving as one of the U.S. host cities.<\/p>\n
\u201cPennsylvania is excited to host some of the best games of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and these Pennsylvania World Cup Fan Zones will bring the action directly to Pennsylvanians all across our Commonwealth with free events where fans can watch the games, gather with friends, and enjoy food, drinks, and live entertainment,\u201d Shapiro said in the press release. \u201cHosting one of the biggest sporting events in the world is an incredible opportunity for our businesses, our communities, and our people. The Commonwealth is all in and we look forward to showing the world what Pennsylvania is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n
It also quotes Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan, who said officials are \u201cthrilled to transform Lackawanna County Courthouse Square into a global stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis Fan Zone gives our community a front-row seat to the excitement of the World Cup at one of the region\u2019s most beautiful outdoor landmarks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti echoed that sentiment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re grateful to Philadelphia Soccer 2026 for recognizing what we\u2019ve always known: Scranton is a city that knows how to show up, welcome people, and create something special,\u201d she said in a statement. \u201cTo be selected as an official destination for World Cup fans puts Scranton on a global stage, and it\u2019s something our residents should be proud of. In a year when we\u2019re celebrating 160 years as a city alongside America\u2019s 250th birthday, this recognition means even more. It also means a real boost for our local economy, with more visitors supporting our small businesses, restaurants and hotels.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re ready to welcome people from around the world, show off who we are, and make sure World Cup fans leave with a great impression of Scranton,\u201d Cognetti said.<\/p>\n
Scranton Fan Zone events include:<\/p>\n
Saturday, July 4, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.1 p.m.: Round of 16 Knockout Match5 p.m.: Round of 16 Knockout Match
\nSunday, July 5, 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.4 p.m.: Round of 16 Knockout Match8 p.m.: Round of 16 Knockout Match
\nMonday, July 6, 1 p.m. to 11 p.m.3 p.m.: Round of 16 Knockout Match8 p.m.: Round of 16 Knockout Match
\nSaturday, July 18, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.5 p.m.: World Cup Bronze Final
\nSunday, July 19, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.3 p.m.: World Cup Final<\/p>\n
Check back for updates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lackawanna County Courthouse Square in downtown Scranton will serve as one of three \u201cPennsylvania World Cup Fan Zones\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":149124,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[201,182,139,28,178,180,179],"class_list":["post-149123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-lackawanna-county","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149123\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/149124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}