2014 World Cup watching guide

Expect south Halsted Street to be jumping when Greece plays Colombia (June 14), Japan (June 19) and Côte d’Ivoire (June 24).

Only during the World Cup would you find the cultural cocktail of fandom that is on tap at this popular North Side soccer bar: Puma is sponsoring an outdoor beer garden in support of team Italy at an English pub that is hugely popular with fans of the U.S. Men’s National Team. So root for any team from the patio, which will be outfitted with TVs for alfresco viewing. 

Watch all the games at the Wicker Park sports bar over specials like an $11 Juicy Lucy and High Life, $4 drafts on Thursdays and $7 specialty cocktails on Fridays.

Watch the games, starting each day at 10:30am, with $6 16-ounce Carlsberg cans.

Chop Shop will be showing games on a 30-foot projection screen at its event space, 1st Ward. It's adding bleachers and tables to seat 200, and servers will take orders for drinks (and $3 Revolution beers). For snacks, there's a Chicago Fire sausage, the proceeds of which benefit the Chicago Fire Foundation, the Fire's charity. 

The self-dubbed “Home of International Soccer” in Ukrainian Village is a popular place to catch Chicago Fire games and will be a landing place for fans across the spectrum, including the Mexico and the U.S. cheering sections. 

If you want to cheer for team Germany in German (and be understood by the majority of people around you), Lincoln Square’s DANK Haus is your best bet. Admission is free,  and authentic German food and beer will be available for purchase as you cheer on the Deutsche Nationalmannschaft. This will be one of the best places to catch USA vs. Germany on June 26. Other German matches: Germany vs. Portugal on June 16 and Germany vs. Ghana on June 24.

With 64 matches to get through this month, more than a few games will inevitably take place during work hours. If you find yourself in the Loop, this English pub is the perfect place to catch all mid-day games without straying too far from the office. 

The Republic of Ireland didn’t qualify for this World Cup, but that hasn’t dampened the spirits of this River North Irish pub. Compete in a bracket challenge with local and nationwide participants for cash prizes, catch any of the tournament’s 64 matches live on TV, or take advantage of special game-day menus and drink specials. 

The Franklin Tap will be showing every game, and they'll also be hosting five watching parties throughout the World Cup. On June 16, watch the US kick off against Ghana at 4pm with $5 Bell's Drafts. On June 20 at 11am, there's a Peroni jersey giveaway and $5 Peronis for the Italy vs. Costa Rica game. On June 26 at 11am, there's a Krombacher sampling party for the US vs. Germany game. On July 1 at 3pm, Revolution Brewing hosts a tap takeover for the first round of World Cup knockout games. And on July 9, there's a Brewery Weihenstephaner World Cup semi-final party.