The 2014 FIFA World Cup kicks off today, and Gainesville bars are ready for the influx of customers during the month-long international soccer championship.
Gainesville House of Beer, at 19 W. University Ave., will open at 2 p.m. for the first match.
“We have a little bit of a reputation of being a soccer bar,” said Alex Whelpton, Gainesville House of Beer’s general manager. Customers who come to watch the game in a soccer jersey will receive $1 off of most draft beers, said Whelpton.
Gainesville House of Beer will provide free pizza during halftime for the kickoff game today, the three USA games and the final match.
NBC Sports Radio’s Florida Sports Talk will team up with Gainesville House of Beer and will cover those five games while giving away T-shirts and other prizes.
The Swamp Restaurant, at 1642 W. University Ave., will have food and drink specials during the games. General manager Nicholas Smith said customers who wear their team’s jersey while watching the game will receive 10 percent off of their check.
“That energy and that sense of pride... I think that is the best thing about national tournaments like this,” Smith said. “(It)brings a lot of people together that wouldn’t normally hang out together.”
Mother’s Pub and Grille, at 1017 W. University Ave., will not be having World Cup specials, according to one of the bartenders at Mother’s.
“The same specials will apply,” said bartender Zach Dauth. “We will be staffing heavier because we know there will be an influx of people.”
Vivian Soliz, a 21-year-old UF electrical engineering senior, said she is excited for the World Cup. She said she is rooting for Spain because she saw the team win during the 2010 World Cup, and she said she is hoping for similar results this time around.
“I will probably be watching it at Mother’s (because) that is the soccer bar here,” Soliz said. She said she also plans on streaming the games from class if necessary.
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 6/11/2014 under the headline "Watch the World Cup at these local watering holes"]
