Growing up, my nighttime slumbers would be interrupted by this: Handball! Handball! Chết mồ! ( Vietnamese for sh*t.) It was always dad, cheering/jeering as he watched FIFA World Cup matches broadcast from France/South Korea/Germany/South Africa, late at night. Every four years, around June, a night of uninterrupted sleep was a rare thing. Damn those time zones.
If only dad had read a handy article like this, he could have gotten out of the house and watched World Cup matches in the company of fellow *vuvuzela-wielders and left his sleeping children in peace.
Assemble the crew and (let’s be real) keep your children/spouses/neighbours sane. Head to these places to see the Socceroos play in the World Cup this year because FYI they’re due to play on the following Sydney times and days:
Saturday 16 June – France vs Australia (kick-off 8pm) Thursday 21 June – Denmark vs Australia (kick-off 10pm) Tuesday 26 June – Australia vs Peru (kick-off 12am)
Keg & Brew
Surry Hills
We’re not going to snub a humble tinnie, but we’re not going to snub a craft beer, either. Beer and sports go hand-in-hand, and Keg and Brew have the amber stuff, quite literally, on tap. Thirty taps, in fact. They’re screening all the Australian World Cup matches, and in the ultimate act of sports-patriotism, are also offering $6.50 schooners of All Star IPA by Australian Brewery. More details here.
Alfred Hotel
Camperdown
Apparently, heart attack incidents go up during the World Cup. Ergo, the Alfred Hotel, in close proximity to the Royal Prince Alfred hotel, and is the safest place to watch the World Cup. Plus, you’ll no doubt be cheering on with the nurses and docs who’ve clocked off their night shift and everyone knows health workers are a damn good time. This art deco pub is showing all the Aussie matches, so make sure you keep your fluids up (you might think that means beer, and you’d be absolutely right).
Enmore Theatre
Enmore
Don’t just watch the World Cup. Watch it on a massive 9 x 6 metre screen with a concert-quality sound system. Normally a live music venue, the Enmore Theatre will open its doors to Socceroos fans for all the Australian matches and this is probably the most OTT way to watch The Cup. Tix are $11 and a portion of all ticket sales will be donated to the Johnny Warren Football Foundation, an organisation dedicated to developing the next gen of young soccer players in NSW. And yes, the bar will be open. More details here.
DOG Hotel
Randwick
They’re promising it’ll be live, and it’ll be loud. Sorry, LOUD. Like their sister hotel Keg & Brew, they’ll be slinging the $6.50 IPA specials while screening the Australian matches. And if that doesn’t wet your whistle, they’ve got a total of 59 beer taps across their massive venue, too. Grab all the deets here.
Cheers
Sydney CBD
It’s a classic Sydney sports-watching venue, so you can always guarantee an enthusiastic football crowd and excellent atmos. There are plenty of television screens spread across their floors, and decent pub food by the 80 Proof kitchen. They’re also primed to show all the World Cup games (including the fight-your-body-clock 4am match between Portugal and Spain). More details here.
Bankstown Sports Club
Bankstown
It’s a micro-foodie universe at Bankstown Sports Club, boasting nine eateries and four drinking holes. Bankstown’s not the most likely suburb to open a microbrewery, but this sports club did just that in November following a massive refurbishment. They’re showing all the World Cup matches in their TAB area, but we’re most looking forward to the Australian matches which will be shown in the more charismatic Basement Brewhouse. More details here.
The Civic Hotel
Sydney CBD
It’s the pub kitchen that those My Kitchen Rules twins took over, but it’s also a venue for ALL THE FIFA MATCHES that you can throw a spatula at. Like, all of them. Even Serbia vs Switzerland at some ungodly hour. They’ll be screening, you’ll be screaming, we’ll all be screaming at the rooftop cinema. Details here.
*In case you’re wondering, a vuvuzela is a loud, LOUD horn. You know the ones.
If you're looking for the rest of our favourite pubs? Head here.
Image credit: Fauzan Saari