No Player Shall Gain an Advantage, 2026
Curtis Talwst Santiago
Uffner & Liu
Now that the New York Knicks have finally won the NBA Championships, sporting attention across the U.S. can turn fully to the FIFA World Cup 2026, which got underway on Thursday, June 11th, and runs through July 19th.
Spanning 16 cities across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, with 48 nations competing across 104 matches, the World Cup is in full swing. Artsy has already polled art world figures for their tournament picks and curated a collection of World Cup artworks for purchase, but the crossover doesn’t stop there: some of the U.S.’s most beloved cultural institutions are getting in on the action.
Galleries, theaters, and lawns are just some of the museum spaces being turned into unexpected and delightful watch party venues this summer. Whether you’re passing through via their permanent collections or want to add a bit of cultural finesse to your football fandom, here are seven museums showing games throughout this World Cup.
Guggenheim Museum
New York
Dates: select matches on Friday afternoons
Frank’s, the pop-up bar tucked inside the Guggenheim’s Wright restaurant, is screening select World Cup matches on Friday afternoons throughout the tournament. The space is freely accessible with museum admission.
It’s a civilized way to watch the game: a drink in hand under the gaze of Frank Lloyd Wright’s spiral rotunda (the bar is named after the architect). At the same time, the museum is also showing Zidane, the 2006 portrait film of the French legend by Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno, on continuous loop in the Peter B. Lewis Theater through July 19.
American Museum of Natural History
New York
Dates: select matches only
The American Museum of Natural History has gone all-in on the tournament with its “World Cup, World Cultures: Celebrating the Community and Science of Sport” programming series.
Watch parties (check which are showing here) are free with admission on the big screens in LeFrak Theater, Cullman Hall of the Universe, and the Global Sports Pavilion in Futter Gallery, running for the course of the tournament. The museum has also launched the “Goal Zone,” an interactive play space with digital simulators where you can test your striking and goalkeeping skills.
Hammer Museum
Los Angeles
Dates: select matches only
UCLA’s free museum in Westwood is hosting live screenings of 16 World Cup matches on big screens in its indoor-outdoor courtyard, running June 24th through mid-July.
Admission, as always, is free, with seating on a first-come, first-served basis. Between matches, you can wander the galleries, grab something from the café, or just linger in one of L.A.’s most underrated outdoor spaces. An RSVP via its website is recommended but doesn’t guarantee entry, so arrive early.
Dallas Museum of Art
Dallas
Dates: May 30 to July 19, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Dallas Museum of Art has turned its Eagle Family Plaza into Sideline, a pop-up café running through July 19th. The matches aren’t screened here, but at the Klyde Warren Park fan zone just steps away. The offering is summery in spirit: dirty sodas, soft-serve margaritas, loaded ice cream sundaes, lawn games, and music.
It’s not technically a watch party, but it’s the closest possible crossover between a world-class museum and live matches.
Whitney Museum of American Art
New York
Dates: Select matches only
The Whitney is pairing live match screenings with its flagship Biennial—an exhibition designed to take the temperature of American art—which, fittingly for a World Cup summer, features plenty of international artists as well as those from the U.S. Free Friday nights (5–10 pm every Friday) will also bring in DJ sets inspired by the nations competing in the tournament, cocktails, and terrace views over the Hudson. (Check here for screening details).
The museum is also running a citywide scavenger hunt in collaboration with artist Anastasia Inciardi, with a limited-edition soccer ball print waiting for anyone who completes it (check here for details).
Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
Santa Cruz, California
Dates: select matches only
Santa Cruz’s Museum of Art & History has transformed its iconic outdoor red ball sculpture into a giant soccer ball for the summer, and the watch parties inside match the bombastic spirit.
The museum is hosting multiple matches—including Spain v. Cape Verde on June 15th, Argentina v. Austria on June 22th, and the World Cup final on July 19th—with complimentary popcorn and hands-on art activities for all ages at each screening.
El Museo del Barrio
New York
Dates: World Cup Final, July 19th
In East Harlem, El Museo del Barrio is showing the end of the tournament. The museum screened the opening match in collaboration with its neighbour, Africa Center, on June 11th, and will screen the final on July 19th at El Museo itself.
The galleries are set to transform into a watch party from 1 to 7 p.m., free and family-friendly, with art activities and a set by DJ Pablo Romero. The event takes place at the same time as “Sophie Rivera: Double Exposures,” the museum’s first survey dedicated to the groundbreaking photographer. In its courtyard, through September, artist Ronny Quevedo’s large-scale soccer ball sculpture—one of 25 public artwork installations across the city for the tournament—makes for a fitting backdrop.
