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If you've been looking for the closest thing to the World Cup without hopping on a plane, Rockefeller Center has you covered.
The NYNJ World Cup 26 & Telemundo Fan Village officially opened yesterday, turning one of the City’s most iconic public spaces into a soccer playground packed with giant viewing screens, interactive exhibits, games, giveaways and enough things to keep you busy through the tournament final on July 19.
The biggest transformation is happening at the famous Rink, which has traded ice skaters for soccer fans. Reimagined as "The Pitch," the space now features a first-of-its-kind mini soccer field alongside massive 26-foot LED screens broadcasting every match in Spanish via Telemundo. When games aren't on, the schedule includes youth clinics, themed activities, movie nights and other programming designed to keep the energy going all day. The Fan Village is open daily from 10 am to 11 pm on match days and until 8 pm on non-match days.
But watching matches is only part of the attraction. The free FIFA Museum brings nearly a century of World Cup history to Midtown with its "Legacies of Champions" exhibition, while Channel Gardens has become Champions' Garden, featuring oversized soccer-inspired art installations, floral displays by viral designer Mr. Flower Fantastic and an outdoor photo exhibition celebrating every World Cup-winning nation. Throughout the plaza, fans can swap PANINI stickers, build LEGO creations, test their skills in soccer challenges, customize friendship-style fan bracelets, pose with an 18-foot adidas World Cup match ball and even step behind the Telemundo broadcast desk to record their own dramatic goal call.
Between matches, three official FIFA merchandise shops are selling tournament gear, while restaurants and pop-up food vendors serve everything from stadium-inspired snacks to cocktails overlooking the action.
Whether you're following every knockout-round match or simply soaking up the atmosphere, Rockefeller Center has essentially become New York City's unofficial World Cup headquarters for the next two weeks.