Read for 5 minutesUpdated: June 17, 2026 08:54 PM IST
On a boulevard near 42nd Street in Times Square, a group of Colombians, their nation’s flag wrapped around their bodies, watched the Argentina-Algeria game on smartphones. They had come thinking it was a free watch party. There was no one there. Fashion advertisements flashed across monstrous billboards; Most sports bars and pubs were full. So they had their own watch party — on the street, with their phones.
A swarm of Argentines joined them, miniature World Cup trophies in hand, cutting the gap between them and uniting a five-foot-seven silhouette. “We have our differences, politically and ideologically, we can be rivals on the football field, we love local football and we argue that we are the best. But we all agree that Messi is the best player in the world,” says Fernando Arcucci, a member of the Albiceleste NYC.
The impromptu party was a riot of emotions, their mood set by Messi. They erupted in just five minutes. Messi had found the net. They screamed his name, which merged with countless other screams. Then silence. The assistant referee raised his flag for offside. Some nearly smashed their phones on the cobbled pavement. “It’s unfair.” He shouted that this is injustice. But they sensed that, on a quiet New York night, something special would happen.
Watch parties and World Cup special offers are prominently advertised in almost every restaurant. Flags of all nations hang from the ceiling. Paul McEwan of Hipsters Junction brought in three television sets and remodeled his storeroom to accommodate more tables. (Express Photo | Sandeep G)
When one of his colleagues did not go to him, he called them “traitors”, “useless”. When he was fouled, he shouted, “Send, send.” Bedlam then descended when Messi scored in the 17th minute. Some imitated the goal-cry of Latin America. “Goaaaaal.” He watched and watched again until he was completely satisfied. “The truth is, we never get tired of watching. You can watch him forever,” says Arcucci, an Argentine born and raised in the United States. The party grew. There were Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe in shirts, they were in New York Knicks tees. Culture unclear.
Stalls lining the streets sell Messi replica shirts rather than beer and tacos. Fans seek seats in pubs to watch the game and their idols. Many people lingered outside restaurants and bowed their heads to television screens.
About 70,000 people watched the game live at Kansas City Stadium. Almost as many people were in Times Square or nearby streets. The local Argentine diaspora flocked to the Buena Vista restaurant and bar on Ninth Avenue, booked weeks in advance. There were joints in Jackson Heights and Elmhurst in Queens. “We don’t like to watch sports alone or just with family. But we like to play together with friends, relatives, neighbors and even strangers,” Arcucci says.
Stalls lining the streets sell Messi replica shirts rather than beer and tacos. Fans seek seats in pubs to watch the game and their idols. Many people lingered outside restaurants and bowed their heads to television screens. (Express Photo | Sandeep G)
A few ways down is the main football watchers cubicle. Austin Franklin and Kevin Akoto, two fans chosen from thousands of applicants, are each paid $50,000 to watch every football game for 40 days, create social media content, record their reactions and engage with fans. Their cubicle is equipped with two massive 4K TVs and attracts a crowd of its own.
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Watch parties and World Cup special offers are prominently advertised in almost every restaurant. Flags of all nations hang from the ceiling. Paul McEwan of Hipsters Junction brought in three television sets and remodeled his storeroom to accommodate more tables.
“The crowds are mostly for Argentina and Brazil games, where the halls are like soccer stands, packed and filled with noise and color,” he says. He has a nightmare: “If someone in the crowd breaks a glass and accidentally hits someone on the head or eye.”
When Messi scored the second goal, chatter filled the restaurant hall and spilled into the street. At Chika and Donna’s, even non-customers came to watch the replays and lingered hoping for a hat trick. And so he did, leaving the audience in raptures. Messi stood timeless in Times Square, when he blurred languages and cultures.