{"id":220632,"date":"2026-06-16T18:34:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T18:34:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/220632\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T18:34:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T18:34:09","slug":"reading-preparing-for-its-world-cup-soccer-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/220632\/","title":{"rendered":"Reading preparing for its World Cup soccer moment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Standing on a small stage set up in the lobby of Santander Arena, Reading Mayor Eddie Moran playfully chided the crowd gathered in front of him for their lackluster energy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re about to see the biggest game in the world in a couple of days,\u201d the mayor exclaimed excitedly Tuesday, eliciting the fervent cheers he was seeking.<\/p>\n

Reading is about to be a part of something historic, Moran said. It\u2019s about to be a part of something special.<\/p>\n

The city is about to have its World Cup moment.<\/p>\n

With Philadelphia serving as a host city for the 2026 World Cup \u2014 which kicked off Thursday in Mexico City \u2014 Reading has been selected to be one of three official \u201cFan Zone\u201d sites across Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

That means that throughout the tournament the city will host a series of watch parties, block parties and other events to celebrate the world\u2019s most popular sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe impact of this moment will be felt across the commonwealth, and right here in the city of Reading,\u201d Moran said, adding that the city is being transformed into a destination for soccer fans from around the region.<\/p>\n

\"ReadingReading Mayor Eddie Moran says Reading’s World Cup Fan Zone will have something for everyone. (DAVID MEKEEL – READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

The celebration will kick off in Reading with free watch parties at Santander Arena for knock-out round matches on July 3 and 4. The arena will also host free watch parties for the bronze medal match on July 18 and the championship match on July 19.<\/p>\n

The games will be shown on the arena\u2019s huge, 40-foot screen and feature Spanish-language broadcast options.<\/p>\n

Outside of the arena on each of the watch party days, festivals will be held on Penn Street. They will include food vendors, live music, family-friendly activities, youth clinics, mini tournaments and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur fan zones will have something for everyone,\u201d Moran said. \u201cAnd, best of all, it\u2019s completely free.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the watch parties are free, those wishing to attend must register for tickets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Moran said gathering with other fans to watch World Cup games at the arena provides a chance to experience the amazing energy that comes from a shared sports experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt brings people together,\u201d Moran said. \u201cJoin us as we celebrate the world\u2019s game right here in Reading.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reading City Council President Donna Reed shared that sentiment, saying the city\u2019s World Cup role will bring families together, even if they\u2019re not big-time soccer fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we can all be excited about this,\u201d she said. \u201cAm I a big fan of soccer? No. But I\u2019m getting to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reed said she is also excited the events highlight all that Reading has to offer.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is coming together, and it\u2019s all because of some soccer balls and someone who created a sport long ago,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Meg Kane, CEO of Philadelphia Soccer 2026, said that\u2019s the whole idea behind the Fan Zones, an idea created by Gov. Josh Shapiro.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat an incredible opportunity this is for Berks County and for the community to come together,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople are yearning for a reason to come together, to build community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MegMeg Kane, CEO of Philadelphia Soccer 2026, says official World Cup Fan Zones provide communities like Reading with an opportunity to come together. (DAVID MEKEEL – READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

Kane said the World Cup experience in Philadelphia has been fantastic over the tournament\u2019s first six days, with instance after instance of people experiencing the best Pennsylvania and the U.S. have to offer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is absolutely unique,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

And, Kane said, that overwhelmingly positive experience is sure to continue in Fan Zones like Reading.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt creates a safe space for people to come together and to feel joy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For a complete list of Fan Zone events or to request tickets for watch parties in Reading, visit the Experience Reading and Berks County website at experienceberks.com\/worldcupfanzone<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Standing on a small stage set up in the lobby of Santander Arena, Reading Mayor Eddie Moran playfully…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":220633,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,182,139,28,128,130,129,289,706,2237],"class_list":["post-220632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-berks-county","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news","tag-things-to-do","tag-top-stories-reg","tag-world-cup-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220632","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=220632"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220632\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/220633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=220632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=220632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=220632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}