Where to watch the World Cup in Florence

Start with the honest part: Italy isn't in this World Cup. The four-time champions lost their March 2026 play-off to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties, a third straight tournament missed (UEFA). That's why there's no city fan zone or piazza big screen this summer — the Comune's program has none. But the football is still very watchable here, in three registers: the Irish pubs, a couple of open-air screens on the Arno, and the final as a ticketed event. And every remaining match — the quarter-finals through the final — is free-to-air on Rai 1 (and RaiPlay), with DAZN streaming all of them too, so you don't strictly need a venue at all — though it's more fun with a crowd (Goal.com Italia). This is a football city in its own right, home to Fiorentina, the viola — so even without the Azzurri to cheer, there's an audience and no shortage of screens.

The remaining schedule

The knockout rounds run to the final on Sunday 19 July. All times below are Italian (CEST) as of publication; double-check on the day, as broadcasters occasionally shift slots.

Schedule: FIFA. One honest warning — because the matches are played in North America, one quarter-final kicks off at 3 in the morning Italian time. Which bars stay open for it is genuinely unpredictable, so treat that one as a night-owl gamble.

The Irish pubs — the reliable core

For a guaranteed screen and a crowd, the Irish and sports pubs are the safe bet — but book ahead for the 21:00 and 22:00 games, because they fill. Florence has a solid cluster of them across the centre: The Fiddler's Elbow by Santa Maria Novella, The Joshua Tree nearby, Finnegan up towards San Gallo, and — the two with the most screens between them — The Lion's Fountain in Santa Croce and the Red Garter on Via de' Benci, both of which take reservations and show everything.

These are the places to plan around for a big evening game. For the quarter of town each sits in, the Santa Croce walk covers the Lion's Fountain end.

Outdoors on the Arno

If the weather's right, the best way to watch in July is outside, by the river. The standout is Atollo, the open-air venue with a giant screen down on the Arno at Lungarno Aldo Moro — the closest thing Florence has to open-air World Cup viewing, and the most distinctive spot on this list. A smaller riverside option is Surf Ventura, over in San Niccolò on the south bank. Watching under the open sky with the river sliding past is a different thing from a dark pub, and in a Florentine July it's the obvious move when the fixture and the weather line up. Both are summer-only venues, so they suit exactly this window — but check their social pages the day of a match for the screening and any late-night hours.

The final as an event

The final, Sunday 19 July at 21:00, is the one match worth turning into an outing. Two organised options stand out.

Fiorentina's Viola Park — the club's training complex in Bagno a Ripoli — hosts a ticketed Watch Party Finale Mondiali: a friendly match and a "Summer Village" through the afternoon, then the final on the big screen with a giro pizza, from around 16:00. It's €35 for adults and €25 for under-14s, sold through the club (ACF Fiorentina). Book through the official site — and note it's out of the centre, so plan the trip back (see getting around Florence).

In the centre, Hard Rock Cafe on Piazza della Repubblica screens the final on a giant screen with a match-themed menu and reservable seating (The Florentine) — the easy in-town option if you'd rather not leave the city.

Watching it right

A few practical notes, honestly held. Because the knockout games are free-to-air on Rai 1 and DAZN streams the lot, a great many bars will have a match on (Goal.com Italia) — so if the pubs are full, an ordinary café bar may well have it on too. For the evening kickoffs, reserve: the pubs above take bookings, and a 21:00 match on a warm night fills a place fast. For the late ones — the 23:00 games and that 03:00 quarter-final — which venues stay open is uncertain, so message the bar the same day rather than trusting a listing.

We haven't sat in these bars this week, so we won't pretend to report the atmosphere; what we can say is which places have the screens and take bookings, and that the river venues are the ones worth the walk in July. Hungry before kickoff? See where to eat in Florence — one of our Florence guides.

Plan how to reach the venues → getting around Florence