Split into four practical parts, this insider’s guide by expats covers the top viewing spots across Buda and Pest, plus a couple of leafy favourites on Margaret Island. It concludes with a handy tip on how to see matches online or on TV from the comfort of home in Hungary.

1. Big Screen Football Atmosphere in Pest

For a football festival atmosphere and a shared community experience, Pest's open-air venues draw the biggest crowds. The largest gathering point for public football watching is at Szabadság tér (Liberty Square, 1054) - pictured above and below to show how crowded it can get there.


This free venue draws a massive international crowd due to its huge LED screens and great atmosphere. The square is lined with food and drink stalls serving burgers, grilled dishes, and draught beer. For many expats it’s the default option for the tournament's biggest games.

Not far away, Akvárium Klub (Erzsébet tér 12, 1051) utilises its sunken terrace in the centre of the city as a major football match hub. Equipped with a large screen and step-seating, it is popular with a younger mix of locals plus many expats. Due to its central location near the Metro, tables fill up quickly, making early arrival a good idea for high-profile fixtures.

A big beer garden near Nyugati Railway Station, Zsiráf Pest (Teréz körút 53, 1062) provides another open-air option in Pest on Eiffel Square. It pairs its LED screen setup with flatbreads and a good bar menu, making it a very accessible spot for catching a match straight with street food and a mixed local and international crowd.

You’ll find a garden venue by the Danube to watch matches at Dürer Kert (Öböl utca 1, 1117). For the World Cup this concert venue shifts into match mode, airing games to a laid-back crowd that can enjoy cold drinks and Balkan street food. The venue often runs live music or DJ sets right after the final whistle, making it easy to turn a match into an all-night event.

Another big venue in the southern part of the city is Nagyszünet, an open-air area operating as a chilled-out extension of the massive Budapest Park concert venue (Soroksári út 60, 1095). Its a bit of a hike but big and not too expensive overall, with street food option available too.

For a rooftop view alongside the tournament action, TETØ (roof of Westend Mall, Váci út 1-3, 1062) provides a elevated urban panorama to accompany its football screenings. The space pairs live match broadcasts with craft beers and gourmet burgers - though it excludes Monday games and select late-night fixtures. Due to its skyline backdrop and limited capacity, securing a table ahead of time is recommended.

For a distinctly trans-Atlantic flavor to match the tournament’s North American hosts, head to Tereza (Nagymező u. 11, 1065). This stylish outdoor courtyard screens games that fall within reasonable European viewing hours, matching the football action with an upscale Mexican kitchen and specialty cocktail menus that lean heavily into the spirit of the host nations.

For fans looking for a maga culinary and cultural venue under one roof, Time Out Market Budapest inside the historic Corvin Palace (Blaha Lujza tér 1-2, 1085) offers the tournament excitement by screening matches on a massive projector wall. The expansive, comfortable dining hall can seat over 500 guests, giving viewers immediate access to three separate bars and over a dozen top-tier food outlets between halves.

2. Where to Watch Matches on Margaret Island

The newly reopened Holdudvar (Margitsziget, 1138) brings a summer garden party aesthetic to the tournament's games. Centered around a large projector setup, it pairs its screenings with fresh Neapolitan pizzas, wine spritzers, and decent cocktails. The venue keeps a light, sporty tone throughout the tournament, offering a festive open-air environment for fans who prefer a garden setting over a traditional pub.

Champs Garden (Margitsziget, 1138) also provides a parkland viewing experience right in the middle of the Danube. It functions as a spacious outdoor sports terrace with room for hundreds of fans, multiple giant LED walls, and nearly a dozen surrounding screens.

Beyond these larger venues, Margaret Island offers several smaller bars, terraces, and seasonal hospitality spots that screen matches. Taking a stroll around the island before kick-off can uncover quieter viewing options for expats seeking a more relaxed match atmosphere away from the biggest crowds.

3. Big Buda Venues to Watch World Cup

Expats living on the Buda side of the river do not need to cross into Pest to find a large screen outdoor setup. For scale on the Buda side, the Új Budai Parkszínpad (Tas vezér utca 7, 1113) near the Bottomless Lake (Feneketlen-tó) is one of the more established setups. It accommodates a large crowd in front of a 5×3-metre LED screen, providing a stadium-like echo during critical knockout matches alongside standard street food and beer options.

Zsiráf Buda (Kisrókus u. 16-20, 1024), located within Millenáris Széllkapu Park, replicates the screen-heavy focus of its Pest sibling but sets it in a greener, slightly more relaxed neighborhood environment on the Buda side.

Venture up the river to Óbuda for matches at Budapest Garden (Árpád Fejedelem útja 125, 1036). This sprawling space offers outdoor viewing with the practical benefit of covered areas if the weather becomes unpredictable.

Further up along the riverbanks of Óbuda, Miamor Rómaim (Római part 47, 1031) offers one of the most laid-back waterfront environments in the city. It pairs a massive projector screen with the picturesque backdrop of a Danube sunset, serving up street food and cold draught pints right by the water. Fans can also participate in interactive score-prediction games that offer a chance to win back the cost of their drinks.

Easier to get to at Széna tér, Jégkert (Bakfark Bálint u. 2, 1027) transitions from its winter life as an ice rink into a massive, lively summer beer garden. It features multiple large screens broadcasting every major match, alongside an impressive tap list boasting 36 varieties of domestic and craft draught beers. Hearty pub classics, burgers, and bar snacks anchor the kitchen menu, while a fully covered outdoor section ensures that unexpected summer rain won't interrupt the viewing.

Up a bit in the Buda hillside, Hello Buda (Törökvész út 93/A, 1025) operates as a gastro courtyard and is equipped with giant screens that show most of the matches. This pretty pricy spot for food-loving football fans gathers together local vendors that dish out everything from smoky American barbecue and Neapolitan pizzas to Thai specialties and artisan pastries alongside a somewhat expensive cocktail list.

Set in the green expanse of Városmajor park, Majorka (Szilágyi Erzsébet fasor 16, 1125) functions as a classic local gathering point that expats in the loop also enjoy. It sets up two large projector screens to show all this tournament's fixtures, and of course serves up cold beers, plus burgers and snack baskets. The venue leans into match days with its own prediction games and prize draws, making reservations recommended for the final rounds of matches.

4. Classic Sports Bars and Traditional Pubs in Budapest

If you prefer an indoor environment, with easy access to say toilets and suchlike, all the city’s established sports bars, expat pubs and local hang-outs have World Cup broadcasts.

Champs Sport Pub (Dohány u. 20, 1074) in the Jewish Quarter is a multi-screen institution that has been catering to sports fans for decades. It serves good pub snacks and reliably screens all the matches.

Not far away, Score! Sport Bar (Dob utca 65, 1074) caters mostly to a younger international crowd. It features 15 screens lining a narrow basement layout, alongside billiard tables and dartboards for pre-match waiting. The vibe here is casual and focused on the matches themselves rather than any specific team allegiance since Hungary is not playing.

For expats looking for a history-steeped football environment, the 6:3 Borozó (Lónyay utca 62, 1093) is a local landmark. Named after the legendary 1953 Hungary vs. England match, it was once owned by hat-trick hero Nándor Hidegkuti. Today, it is run by a small team who have preserved its original retro character and football memorabilia while keeping prices reasonable.

For a traditional Irish pub atmosphere, Davy Byrne's (Sörház utca 4, 1056) is a central option that draws a steady stream of expats for its live sports broadcasts, standard Irish breakfast options, and friendly pub atmosphere. Hoff House (Nagymező utca 40, 1065) is an alternative no-frills basement setup for expats, which serves as a straightforward social space for folks looking to watch a game while enjoying a range of comfort food.

Conveniently located right by Arany János metro station, James Joyce (Podmaniczky Frigyes tér 4, 1054) provides a community-focused Irish pub setting for the tournament. It features several screens showing matches daily, backed by a dedicated group of expat staff regulars that keep the atmosphere lively. It is well-regarded for its solid kitchen - including a great full fried breakfast - and its summer terrace extends directly onto the public square outside which is great for people watching too.

A key venue for the expat community is of course Becketts (Liszt Ferenc tér 11, 1061), the long-running Irish bar located on this pedestrianized square run by Declan O'Callaghan. Expat football fans can sit indoors here to enjoy a traditional pie and pint, or grab an outdoor table on the lively terrace to watch the matches alongside the buzzing foot traffic of the square.

Tucked away on a historic corner near the city center, Jack Doyle's (Pilvax köz 1-3, 1052) also screens the football in an Irish style pub setting. Known for its special hospitality, the pub also boasts proper pints of Guinness, and expat grub like fish and chips.

To experience a dedicated German football atmosphere, Bajor Sport Pub on the Buda side (Margit körút 73, 1024) caters to a football-focused crowd with its Bayern Munich theme. The bar counter is shaped like the Allianz Arena, and the walls are covered with player murals. It pairs its match broadcasts with foaming pints of Paulaner, wheat beers, and hearty Bavarian sausage platters.

For fans seeking a reliable, large-scale sports bar experience, the Stifler Bar network - including its flagship Stifler Sports Bar (Erzsébet körút 19, 1073) - delivers a highly energetic environment along the Grand Boulevard. Operating late into the night with dozens of large, HD screens and the commentary audio turned up, it often draws a big chanting crowd for high-stakes matches.

Football obsessives can find their spiritual home at Ziccer – TrollFoci Sport Pub (Ó utca 66, 1066). Closely tied to the popular Hungarian football community platform, this pub draws a deeply passionate, highly knowledgeable local crowd that values tactical debates as much as a cold pint. Since it caters heavily to local supporters rather than a tourist crowd, it offers a remarkably authentic match atmosphere alongside a good beer selection at competitive prices.

For younger expat football fans, Treffort Kert (Múzeum körút 4, 1088), is said to be a cool courtyard hang-out for students that's attached to the Könyvtár Klub terrace. It centers its football screenings around a main projector lounge and a lively outdoor terrace

Final Tip about Home Viewing

Given the late-night kickoffs, for some matches you might like to watch a match completely free on Hungarian public television via M4 Sport. It is included in all standard local television packages and streams live in high definition directly on their website here: M4 Sport

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