Where to watch the FIFA World Cup in Sydney
Where to catch all the action in Russia, time zones be damned
It's time for the world game to unite us all in sleeplessness as the FIFA World Cup tournament gets underway in Russia and we acclimatise to strange sleeping hours to catch those 4am games. Luckily Australia's draw is slightly kinder to diurnal types, with Australia vs France screening at 8pm on Sat Jun 16, Australia vs Denmark at 10pm on Thu Jun 21, and Australia vs Peru at midnight on Wed Jun 27. These are the venues where you can cheer on the Socceroos, and maybe catch some of the big ticket games with a beer in hand.
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Need a coffee because you're sleep deprived? Here's the best coffee in the CBD. Fancy a kick around? Try one of Sydney's best parks.
Where to watch the FIFA World Cup in Sydney
24/7 Sports Bar
The casino's 24-hour sports bar will be showing the World Cup games on their extra big screens, and to add to the general excitement there will be cheerleaders, giveaways, football jugglers, guest appearances from Terry McFlynn and Paul Peid, burger specials and DJs until late. Doesn't matter if the game is at 10pm or 5am, they'll have the tellies on.
Civic Hotel
They're opening up the rooftop cinema for the Australia games, plus they're showing any matches that kick off before 2am on the big screens downstairs in the pub.
Coogee Bay Hotel
Selina's at the Coogee Bay Hotel will become a World Cup hub, with screenings of the big games in the tournament on the 250-inch projector, with more screens in the sprots bar. To amp up the excitement there will be burgers, arcade games, foosball tables, bands, DJS, FIFA gaming comps, a single mixer, trivia nights and a pageant in the fan zone.
The Oxford Tavern
The Oxford Tav will be showing the three Australia games with commentary on. The First match against France will be in the Dive Bar, with the following Denmark and Peru games up on the big screen. Plus they'll be offering $5 tinnies during the games.
Paddo Inn Bar and Grill
This revamped Paddo pub will be showing all three Australia games, with special extended hours to ensure you don't get cut off halfway through the Peru match that starts at 12am.
Strawberry Hills Hotel
The Strawberry Hills Hotel are going to be making good use of that 6am license during the FIFA World Cup when they will be screening all the games with the commentary on. Last drinks is at 5am so you should just get a 4am game in, but if overtime kicks in you can pop down the road to the Madison.
The Enmore Theatre
Forget indie rock, you can buy a ticket to see the Australia vs France game on a big projector screen in Sydney's most charming music venue.
Clovelly Hotel
This beachside hotel will be showing the Australian games with extended trading hours to get you through to the final buzzer on the Peru game.
Madison Hotel
This 24-hour pub is going to be a sure bet when you need to watch a World Cup match at an inconvenient time. Sure, you may not sleep for the full tournament, but who needs sleep when there's glory to be witnessed.
Keg and Brew
Not only will the Keg and Brew be showing all the Australia matches in the FIFA World Cup, but they'll also be slinging $6.50 All Star IPAs to keep your vocal chords prepped for yelling at the refs.
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The year starts with cricket, and once the test commentary has faded we move on to the tennis, followed by the AFL, NRL, and Union, with some basketball, soccer and netball thrown in for good measure. And now that Australians have also developed a taste for international leagues and tournaments, we also try to follow the NFL, the NHL, the NBA and the English Premier League. What we're trying to say is that there's a whole lot of excellent sport to be watched, and if you don't have cable, or like the atmosphere that only fans en masse creates, this is where to watch it in Sydney.