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Between the rising popularity of the Oakland Roots, the recent unveiling of the Oakland Soul women’s soccer club, and the A’s looming exit, Oakland is increasingly becoming a fútbol town.
Now, East Bay fans of “the beautiful game” can look forward to a full month of international competition, with the FIFA Women’s World Cup set to kick off at midnight tonight with an opening match between New Zealand and Norway. The 32-team tournament will end with a final match between the top two clubs on Aug. 20.
This year’s games—which, like the men’s cup, take place every four years—are expected to be among the most competitive since the tournament began in 1991. The U.S. Women’s National Team has placed in the top three in each of the eight tournaments held so far and has taken the title four times, including the most recent games in 2019. But as women’s soccer has grown in popularity globally, a number of other women’s national teams in Europe and elsewhere have been gaining strength and appear poised to give the defending champs a run for their money.
This year’s tournament is being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, which means game times are less than ideal for fans in the East Bay. All games will happen between midnight and 10 p.m. Pacific Time, although the majority of matches, especially as the tournament moves into the later rounds, will take place in the very early morning hours. You can see the full game schedule here.
We’ve compiled a list of East Bay bars and restaurants where you catch all or some of the games, including the U.S. team’s opening match against Vietnam on Friday at 6 p.m.
This list is by no means exhaustive, and we’ll be updating it in the coming days. If you know of a local business that will be showing the games that’s not on our list, let us know by sending an email to hello@oaklandside.org.
The North Oakland’s outdoor beer destination will be open for ten first-round matches, including late-night clashes such as this Saturday night’s 10 p.m. Sweden-South Africa game. For the opening match of the U.S. Women’s National Team against Vietnam, the eatery has partnered with the Oakland Roots, Oakland Soul, and other soccer organizations to host a silent auction that will benefit Female Footballers, a nonprofit that provides leadership training for female athletes in low-income communities. We’ve heard some members of the Oakland Soul might be there in person. 4006 Martin Luther King Jr Way, Oakland
The Emeryville location of Arthur Mac’s has partnered with Bay Street, the retail business district, to promote its new community gathering spaces, especially its outdoor dining terrace, which features foosball tables, a fireplace, and other fun games. If you attend Arthur Mac’s at this location or the one in Oakland, you can fill out a card predicting who the top four teams will be and be placed into a contest that could net you free pizza for a year. Not bad! 5614 Bay St unit 238, Emeryville
Update: Aug. 1, 2023 — The Athletic Club announced that it will be closed during the month of August while it updates its space on Grand Avenue. Its sister restaurant, the San Francisco Athletic Club located at 1750 Divisadero St., remains open.
One of Oakland’s biggest sports bars will be showing games that occur during its regular open hours. This year, The Athletic Club is partnering with a fledgling organization called Women’s Sports Takeover, which seeks to have bars and restaurants show more women’s sporting events on TV by organizing a strong community of attendees.
Megan Andrews, one of the founders, told The Oaklandside they want to force bars out of their “default” position of showing men’s sports. “We want to show people that having women’s sports on at their businesses can be profitable,” she said. The first game of their partnership will be the U.S.-Vietnam first-round game, which kicks off at 6 p.m. this Friday. There will also be drink specials inspired by members of the U.S. Women’s National Team and surprise giveaways. They’ll do it again on July 26 for the U.S. team’s second group-stage game against the Netherlands. 59 Grand Ave., Oakland
This classic pizza pub on University Avenue near UC Berkeley will be showing all of the World Cup games that take place during its regular hours. Bobby G’s will b open every day at 11 a.m., except on Mondays, and you can expect to see international students cheering on their teams here late into the night. 2072 University Ave, Berkeley
One of Piedmont Avenue’s most popular bars known for fun trivia nights, multiple burger options, and a good beer selection, Cato’s will have games on throughout the tournament during their normal operating hours. The bar is open between 11:30 a.m. and 11 p.m. on Sunday and Monday and from 11:30 a.m. to midnight Tuesday through Saturday. Trisha Grover, the bar’s general manager, told us that if the U.S. team is involved deep into the tournament, they might open at other times. “We will be happy and proud to show Women’s World Cup games,” Grover said. 3891 Piedmont Ave., Oakland
A relatively new option for East Bay bar-goers, Danny Murry’s will be showing the World Cup on several of their TVs during its regular hours, which are Monday through Thursday from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. The pub recently started serving an authentic Irish menu that includes a beef stew, a corned beef panini, and Tullamore Irish Whiskey buffalo wings. The kitchen is open at 5 p.m. every day. Owner Jim Murry told us he might open the bar if there are big games that fall during times outside their normal schedule. 1680 Washington Ave., San Leandro, CA
Hamei Hamedi, the owner of this popular Berkeley mezcal bar and eatery, told The Oaklandside that El Patio won’t be showing games until Aug. 4 due to the fact that he’s currently busy opening a food trailer in San Jose. Once they do begin showing the games, patrons can catch the action from the outside patio or from inside the restaurant. Those interested in renting out a private room upstairs are encouraged to contact the restaurant directly. 2056 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley
A popular bar in North Oakland during recent Golden States Warriors playoff runs, the Golden Squirrel will be open for most first-round games during their regular operating hours, Tuesday and Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. On Sunday, the bar closes at 9 p.m. If the U.S. team advances in the tournament, the owner told us, they will consider opening outside these hours. 5940 College Ave, Oakland
The pub on Telegraph Avenue is always a great place to watch a game, with several TVs on the walls of inside and outside bars. Kingfish said that it will open for all games during regular hours and will consider opening earlier and closing later once the tournament gets into its later knockout stages. 5227 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland.
This boutique downtown sports lounge promises patrons a “premium viewing experience.” The lounge will be showing games that happen during its regular open hours of Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 1 p.m.; and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. 1814 Franklin St., 5G, Oakland
The best community movie theater in Oakland will be screening several of the U.S. Women’s National Team matches, with the owner committing to showing the final at 3 a.m. on Aug. 20. Adult tickets are $10 each, while students and seniors are $8. We suggest adding a variety of hot sauces to your popcorn if you go. 474 24th St, Oakland
If you want to hang out with a fun Brazilian delegation in Oakland this summer, seeing matches at this corner spot on Park Avenue is probably your best bet. With the Brazil team on its screens throughout the tournament, you can count on seeing entertaining games featuring the country’s all-time-best player, Marta, who will be playing her last Cup. Oddsmakers say the team won’t get out of the first round, though. Paulista will be showing all matches scheduled between its 8:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. hours. 4239 Park Blvd., Oakland
Like the World Cup last winter, the 2023 Women’s World Cup will be primarily available for English-speaking viewers on the Fox network and its associated cable channel Fox Sports 1 (FS1). For Spanish-speaking viewers, Telemundo will be covering the tournament. If you’d like to watch and record games and do not own a cable or satellite subscription (who does anymore?), you can access Fox’s and Telemundo’s coverage on streamers such as Fubo TV, Peacock, Hulu, and YouTube TV.
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Jose Fermoso covers road safety, transportation, and public health for The Oaklandside. His previous work covering tech and culture has appeared in publications including The Guardian, The New York Times, and One Zero. Jose was born and raised in Oakland and is the host and creator of the El Progreso podcast, a new show featuring in-depth narrative stories and interviews about and from the perspective of the Latinx community.
Jacob Simas is Managing Editor of The Oaklandside. He joined us from Univision, where he led social-impact initiatives and established the Rise Up: Be Heard journalism training program at Fusion for young people and community organizers in underserved areas of California. He was a senior editor and director of youth and community media at New America Media, where he led a community news network that amplified student and youth reporting in California news deserts. He is an advisory board member for Youth Beat, a graduate of UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, and a former producer with KPFA’s First Voice apprenticeship program.
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