With each edition of the World Cup, cafes, restaurants and public squares turn into vibrant collective spaces, filled with giant screens, cheers, tears and shared joy, and the current edition is expected to witness an audience no less than the previous one.
The number of followers of the Qatar World Cup 2022 reached about 5 billion people around the world across various platforms and devices, while the final of France and Argentina alone recorded 1.42 billion viewers, becoming the most watched in the history of the tournament. FIFA expects the number of viewers for the World Cup in 2026 to reach about 6 billion people.
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But despite the ease of watching matches from home, millions of fans continue to prefer cafes, public squares and fan zones. What makes the World Cup a collective experience rather than just a sporting event?
Belonging before results
During the World Cup, many people feel that they are part of a larger group, whether they are supporting their country’s team or experiencing the tournament atmosphere in general. This sense of belonging is one of the most important reasons that drives fans to watch matches in cafes and public squares instead of sitting alone in front of the television.
When your team scores a goal among dozens of people jumping and screaming at the same moment, the match turns into a collective emotional experience. Even sadness after a loss becomes lighter when shared by everyone. This participation gives the fan a feeling that he is not alone, and that his emotions are understood and shared with others.
Research in sports psychology indicates that following sporting events within groups enhances emotional integration and raises the level of enthusiasm, as humans tend to interact more strongly within social environments. Group cheering and joint interaction also contribute to enhancing the sense of collective identity and belonging to the group.
In a joint scientific study conducted by researchers from the University of Connecticut in the United States, the University of Oxford and the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil, and published in 2022 in the journal Nature, the physiological responses of basketball fans were compared between those who attended the matches inside the stadium and those who watched them on television.
The results showed that watching matches in crowds generates higher levels of emotional interaction and a sense of integration with others compared to watching individually, which makes the experience deeper and more influential and enhances the sense of belonging to the group. The study concluded that the social impact of sports is not only related to viewing, but is primarily shaped by human interaction within a shared atmosphere.
The café turns into a playground
Cafes during the World Cup do not just provide a display screen, but rather become an integrated experience that you live with all your senses. The decorations, songs, chants, team shirts, flags that fill the place, and sound systems that make you feel like you are in the heart of the stadium, are all elements that create real “miniature stadiums” in the heart of cities.
Some fans also prefer this environment because it gives them a sense of real presence inside the event, even if they are thousands of kilometers away from the stadium. Group encouragement creates an energy that is difficult to replicate inside the home, no matter the quality of the screen or sound system.
Also, watching the matches in the middle of a large audience makes the decisive moments more exciting, and the final penalty kick or the fatal goal in the last minutes does not remain just a television shot, but rather turns into a collective explosion of screams, emotions and celebration, and these shared feelings are an essential part of the “World Cup magic” that fans are looking for.
Escape from screens
At a time when single screens dominate most activities, watching matches in groups is a rare means of direct human connection. Many fans do not see major tournaments – such as the World Cup – as just a sporting event, but rather a social occasion that brings together friends and families, and allows for acquaintances between new people who share the same passion or friendly discussion about matches.
Researchers believe that the continued decline in direct communication and the increase in the time individuals spend in front of digital screens has contributed to the growing feeling of isolation among many people, and makes gatherings associated with sporting events an opportunity to restore direct human interaction.
This social dimension explains the crowding of cafes and public squares even during matches in which no local team participates, as the experience is not only linked to football, but rather to the feeling of collective participation in a single moment. True enjoyment does not come from watching alone, but from the interaction and shared emotion among attendees.
These gatherings also contribute to enhancing social cohesion and reducing feelings of isolation, as they give individuals a sense of belonging. The chants and spontaneous moments turn into shared memories that remain linked to the tournaments for many years, as it makes the experience deeper than simply following a sporting event.
The World Cup…an economic opportunity
The effects of the tournament are not limited to the fans only, as economic estimates related to the 2026 World Cup indicate billions of dollars in revenues for the host cities and sectors related to hospitality, restaurants, and entertainment.
Cafes and restaurants have become well aware of the economic value of the World Cup, so they are investing heavily in preparing viewing areas during the tournament. Many venues set up huge screens, offer special shows, and organize match-related events to attract crowds.
On the other hand, fans believe that these places provide a viewing experience that is difficult to provide at home, especially with large screens and an enthusiastic crowd atmosphere. Therefore, the tournament turns into an important economic season for the cafes and restaurants sector, especially in cities that love football.
With the expansion of the culture of mass viewing, some cities have begun to organize huge fan areas that receive thousands of fans daily, and it reflects how football has turned into a social and entertainment industry that goes beyond the boundaries of the sport itself.
It may be easy to watch a movie or series alone, but the World Cup feels different. The World Cup is not just 90 minutes of play, but rather a human experience based on participation and collective emotion.
The synchronized chants, the tension before a penalty kick, and celebrating with strangers after a surprise goal are all moments that make group viewing richer and more impactful than individual viewing.
The teams we support may differ, but the moment of the goal unites everyone in one reaction. Perhaps precisely for this reason, the World Cup is still an event that people prefer to experience together rather than watch individually.
