If those expensive tickets to World Cup matches are out of reach, there are still options to commune with fellow fans while watching the games.
From a floating pitch to Motley Crue, the World Cup fan festivals have something for everyone in addition to the soccer.
As is the custom for the World Cup, the 16 cities across Canada, Mexico and the United States that are hosting games will all have fanfests, or fan zones. The Associated Press counted some 78 fan fests sanctioned by the FIFA host city organizing committees.
But there are many more. Some 20 Major League Soccer teams are hosting events tied to the World Cup, with other teams partnering with the host city fan fests.
These are designated areas, often in parks and public squares, where fans can watch the games, enjoy food and beverages, take in some entertainment and buy official merch. It’s also a chance for cities to showcase local culture.
But this World Cup is unlike any of the previous versions. There are 48 teams, which means there are more games spread out over a longer timeline. Cities are already stretched thin by economic stressors like inflation and gas prices.
While cities got some federal dollars for the World Cup, those funds have not covered all the costs. As a result, some of the festivals are cutting back days of operation, and other are charging for tickets, guaranteed admission, seats or elevated experiences — like cabanas in the Houston heat.
In an effort to make sure the people of New York “don't feel overlooked," Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced free fan fests in each of the city's five boroughs. There is also a fan fest planned for Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey.
MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which will be dubbed New York New Jersey Stadium during the World Cup, will host eight matches, including the final.
“Every fan should be able to watch the greatest tournament on earth without dipping into their savings,” Mamdani said.
Concerns over costs to cities caused Toronto to float a plan to charge $10 for entry to the official fan fest scheduled for Fort York and the Bentway. But there was outcry.
Now some 16,000 tickets a day will be free, but nearly 4,000 premium tickets will also be sold. Organizers said the charge was necessary to prevent overcrowding and make sure the events didn’t go over budget.
“Toronto residents already paid $180 million to host the games, and tickets to the stadium are cost prohibitive for most people," Josh Matlow, a Toronto city councilor, said on social media. "At the very least, an event that was promised to residents, no matter their means, so that everyone can be part of the World Cup, will be free and accessible to all.”
The larger cities presented a challenge for the hosts, so rather than one fan fest, there are many.
In Los Angeles, a large fan festival will open the World Cup at the L.A. Coliseum from June 11-14, with tickets available at $10 apiece. Then there will be 10 other free fan fests scattered throughout the region, from Burbank to Venice Beach, on varied dates throughout the tournament.
The San Francisco Bay Area opted for a more grassroots approach, where it partnered with different groups, including the NBA's Golden State Warriors, for watch parties. The biggest celebration will be in San Pedro Market Square in downtown San Jose, a partnership between the San Jose Earthquakes and the Bay Area Host Committee.
In Mexico City, there's an official fan fest in the Zocalo, the renowned public square in the heart of the city, but Mayor Clara Brugada announced plans for 18 other free community events where locals can watch the matches.
The last time the United State hosted the World Cup in 1994 it led to the launch of Major League of Soccer. Now the league's teams are hoping for a World Cup bump, holding their own “Soccer Celebration” fests to draw new fans.
MLS has a record 44 players on various national teams in the tournament.
“Historically, after every men’s World Cup that the U.S. men’s national team has participated in, we’ve seen about a 10% to 20% growth in interest in MLS,” said Camilo Durana, the league's chief business officer. "The idea that this World Cup, in its expanded form, played on home soil with MLS playing such an important role from a hosting perspective, we think it can have an even greater impact, and that’s the opportunity for us."
In Seattle, the Sounders, the Reign of the National Women’s Soccer League and their partners announced a floating floating fan zone and soccer pitch on a barge off Waterfront Park’s Pier 62 on Elliot Bay, drawing on the city's seafaring past.
Many fan fest concerts are free, but most are first-come, first-served, and require advanced registration. There are options for paid premium seating.
The lineups run the gamut of musical styles and tastes.
In Vancouver, British Columbia, Flo Rida, Ziggy Marley and Motley Crue are among those performing at the city's fan zone in PNE Grounds at Hastings Park.
Kansas City's fan fest will have performances by the Chainsmokers, Sheryl Crow, the All-American Rejects and others at the National WWI Museum and Memorial.
Imagine Dragons and Enrique Iglesias are among the acts at Parque Fundidora in Monterrey, Mexico.
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
A person walks past temporary fencing with FIFA World Cup 2026 signage outside SoFi Stadium, Friday, June 5, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Fans celebrate during the announcement of the United States men's national soccer team roster, Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in New York, ahead of the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the threat of a tsunami had largely passed about five hours after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in the southern Philippines sent waves onshore in the region Monday morning.
Waves of 1-meter (3-feet) were monitored in the Philippine provinces of Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani by land-based tsunami watch stations, Teresito Bacolcol, the director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology told The Associated Press.
Smaller waves were recorded in Indonesia and Malaysia. After the PTWC said the threat had largely passed, it still urged people to stay alert and to heed warnings from local authorities as sea levels may fluctuate for a few more hours.
The quake damaged buildings and infrastructure in the southern Philippines, causing at least four deaths and more than 200 injuries. The impact of the tsunami was not immediately clear.
“It’s a major earthquake and we’re expecting damages and we’ve already some damaged buildings based on videos we’ve seen,” Teresito Bacolcol told AP.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — An offshore magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocked the southern Philippines early Monday, damaging buildings and a key access bridge in a large southern city and setting off a 1-meter (3-foot) tsunami that washed ashore on nearby coasts. At least four people were killed and more than 200 others injured, officials said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged people to immediately go to higher ground in Philippine areas vulnerable to a tsunami, and Indonesian and Malaysian authorities also issued warnings to their nearby coastal areas.
The strongest quake to strike the Philippines this year was centered at sea about 13 kilometers (8 miles) southwest of General Santos, a city of more than 700,000 people that is a hub for tuna processing and other commerce in the southern Mindanao region of the archipelago nation.
The Philippine leader said disaster-response agencies were on standby to respond. “The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind,” Marcos said.
Numerous aftershocks followed the 7:37 a.m. Monday quake, which was felt in nearby Malaysia. Tsunami waves were also detected in Indonesia and Malaysia.
At least three people were killed and 130 others were injured in General Santos, where at least a few small buildings partially collapsed and several structures, including a key access bridge, sustained dangerous cracks, Rod Sosmeña, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense, told The Associated Press.
The Department of Health said another person died in Davao Oriental province due to the quake.
There were no immediate reports of people being trapped in partially collapsed structures in General Santos due to the quake, said Sosmeña, who was being driven to work when the ground violently shook.
“Our pickup truck suddenly jerked and I thought we had a flat tire,” Sosmeña the AP by telephone from General Santos. “People dashed out of houses into the streets.”
The international airport in General Santos was temporarily shut due to the earthquake and 17 domestic flights were canceled, civil aviation officials said.
Ednar Dayanghirang, director of the Office of Civil Defense in a nearby southern region, said more than 100 students attending morning flag-raising ceremonies sustained bruises and some fainted in panic at different grade and high schools.
“I myself could hardly stand and keep my balance when the ground shook as I was leaving my house,” Dayanghirang told the AP by telephone from southern Davao, a major port city in the soutehrn Philippines.
DZRH radio station in Manila reported that a small commercial building housing its provincial branch partly collapsed and staffers dashed to the ground floor without injuries. It wasn’t clear if other people were trapped in the rubble of the four-story office building. Debris also fell from other buildings, hitting tricycle taxis parked below.
The quake was caused by movement in the Cotabato Trench at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
“It's a major earthquake and we're expecting damages and we've already some damaged buildings based on videos we've seen,” institute director Teresito Bacolcol told AP.
Waves of 1-meter (3-feet) were monitored in the Philippine provinces of Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani by land-based tsunami watch stations, Bacolcol said. Smaller waves were monitored in at least one other province, he said.
“Please heed the tsunami warning. Move to higher ground now. Do not wait. Your life is more important than anything left behind,” Marcos told people in quake-hit provinces.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said tsunami waves up to 3 meters (10 feet) were possible on some coasts of the Philippines. Waves up to 1 meter (3 feet) were possible on some coasts of Indonesia and Malaysia.
Malaysia’s Meteorological Department issued a tsunami warning for Sabah state on Borneo island. Sabah is just a boat ride away from southern Philippines. An 83-centimeter (2.7-feet) tsunami was measured by a gauge off Indonesia's Sulawesi island.
Smaller sea changes were possible in Japan, Papua New Guinea and several island nations and territories in the western Pacific. An advisory for Guam was lifted about two hours after the quake and there was no threat to Hawaii, the PTWC said.
Aftershocks up to 6.5 magnitude were measured by the U.S. Geological Survey. It reported the depth of the original quake at 55 kilometers (34 miles). Variations in measurements by different agencies are common in the immediate aftermath of an earthquake.
The Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, is often hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the ocean. The archipelago is also lashed by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year.
Associated Press journalists Edna Tarigan in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this report.
A building is damaged after an earthquake in General Santos, Philippines, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
A building is damaged after an earthquake in General Santos, Philippines, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Debris lies on a road after an earthquake in General Santos, Philippines, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
A building is damaged after an earthquake in General Santos, Philippines, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Residents pass by a collapsed structure after an earthquake in General Santos, Philippines on Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
This photo provided by Philippine Coast Guard, shows a Coast Guard member joins operations at a collapsed building following an earthquake in General Santos, Philippines, Monday, June 8, 2026. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)
A policeman looks at an abandoned building that collapsed after an earthquake struck in Matanao, Davao del Sur province, Philippines on Monday June 8, 2026.(AP Photo/Nycel Basillote)
Residents takes a picture of a collapsed structure following an earthrquake, in General Santos, Philippines on Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Residents pass by a collapsed structure after an earthquake in General Santos, Philippines on Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
An official of the Japan Meteorological Agency speaks near a monitor showing a tsunami advisory during a news conference at the agency in Tokyo, Monday, June 8, 2026, following a powerful earthquake in Philippines. (Miyuki Saito/Kyodo News via AP)
This image from a video shows dust and debris outside a building after a powerful earthquake in General Santos city on the island of Mindanao, Philippines Monday, June 8, 2026. (Ernesto Torres Jr via AP)
This image from a video shows people gathered outside a damaged building after a powerful earthquake in General Santos city on the island of Mindanao, Philippines Monday, June 8, 2026. (Ernesto Torres Jr via AP)
This shows vehicles damaged by debris after powerful earthquake in the Mindanao region, Philippines Monday, June 8, 2026. (Ernesto Torres Jr via AP)
This image from a video shows dust and debris outside a building after a powerful earthquake in General Santos city on the island of Mindanao, Philippines Monday, June 8, 2026. (Ernesto Torres Jr via AP)
