For every World Cup since 2014, ArtsQuest has turned the SteelStacks campus in Bethlehem into the Lehigh Valley’s living room for the beautiful game. SoccerFest is back through July 19, 2026, with free viewing of every FIFA World Cup match on giant outdoor screens, here’s how the tradition started, and the schedule for what’s left.
With Philadelphia hosting World Cup matches just down the road, the Lehigh Valley SoccerFest & Viewing Party gives local fans a free, communal way to be part of the world’s biggest sporting event, on the same ground where American soccer helped get its start more than a century ago.
A Bethlehem Tradition Since 2014
SoccerFest launched in 2014 for the men’s World Cup in Brazil, when ArtsQuest began broadcasting matches on big screens at SteelStacks, the cultural campus built on the former Bethlehem Steel site. It exploded the next summer: the 2015 Women’s World Cup viewing party drew more than 25,000 people across the tournament, including roughly 8,500 who packed the campus on July 5, 2015, to watch the U.S. women beat Japan in the final.
Since then, ArtsQuest has made it an every-tournament fixture, showing every match live on large outdoor screens for fans of all ages. The 2026 edition is the most expansive yet, running the entire length of the first 48-team World Cup.
Fans pack the SteelStacks campus to watch a World Cup match on the big screen during a past SoccerFest.
Rooted in Bethlehem’s Soccer Legacy
The location is no accident. Long before SteelStacks, Bethlehem was one of the cradles of American professional soccer: Bethlehem Steel F.C., bankrolled by the steelmaker, was among the dominant U.S. clubs of the 1910s and 1920s, piling up national championships. SoccerFest leans into that heritage with a special exhibit, “Forged in Steel: The Founders of Modern Day American Soccer,” at the Bethlehem Visitor Center at SteelStacks, where local historian Dan Morrison has given between-match talks on the city’s pioneering teams.
How It Works in 2026
Viewing is free and open to the public. Matches play on two outdoor screens on the SteelStacks campus, on the lawns at the Levitt Pavilion and PNC Plaza, with the festival running June 11 through July 19. Beyond the games, SoccerFest folds in youth soccer clinics, food trucks and concerts, turning match days into all-ages block parties.
The Viewing Schedule
Group play ran daily on both screens from June 11 and wraps up June 27. From there, the knockout rounds carry the party to the July 19 final. The times below are the scheduled local viewing times at SteelStacks and are subject to change; knockout-round matchups are set as the bracket fills in. The full, match-by-match list is on the official SoccerFest schedule page.
Group Stage (June 11–27)
Thu, June 11 (Levitt Pavilion), 3 p.m. Mexico v South Africa; 10 p.m. South Korea v Czechia
Fri, June 12 (Levitt Pavilion), 3 p.m. Canada v Bosnia & Herzegovina; 9 p.m. USA v Paraguay; 11:59 p.m. Australia v Türkiye
Sat, June 13 (PNC Plaza), 3 p.m. Qatar v Switzerland; 6 p.m. Brazil v Morocco; 9 p.m. Haiti v Scotland
Sun, June 14 (PNC Plaza), 1 p.m. Germany v Curaçao; 4 p.m. Netherlands v Japan; 7 p.m. Ivory Coast v Ecuador; 10 p.m. Sweden v Tunisia
Mon, June 15 (Levitt Pavilion), Noon Spain v Cape Verde; 3 p.m. Belgium v Egypt; 6 p.m. Saudi Arabia v Egypt; 9 p.m. Iran v New Zealand
Tue, June 16 (Levitt Pavilion), 3 p.m. France v Senegal; 6 p.m. Iraq v Norway; 9 p.m. Argentina v Algeria; 11:59 p.m. Austria v Jordan
Wed, June 17 (PNC Plaza), 1 p.m. Portugal v DR Congo; 4 p.m. England v Croatia; 7 p.m. Ghana v Panama; 10 p.m. Uzbekistan v Colombia
Thu, June 18 (PNC Plaza), Noon Czechia v South Africa; 3 p.m. Bosnia & Herzegovina v Switzerland; 6 p.m. Canada v Qatar; 9 p.m. Mexico v South Korea
Fri, June 19 (Levitt Pavilion & PNC Plaza), (PNC) 3 p.m. USA v Australia; 6 p.m. Scotland v Morocco; 9 p.m. Brazil v Haiti; (Levitt) 11:59 p.m. Netherlands v Sweden
Sat, June 20 (Levitt Pavilion), 4 p.m. Germany v Ivory Coast; 8 p.m. Ecuador v Curaçao; 11:59 p.m. Tunisia v Japan
Sun, June 21 (Levitt Pavilion), Noon Spain v Saudi Arabia; 3 p.m. Belgium v Iran; 6 p.m. Uruguay v Cape Verde; 9 p.m. New Zealand v Egypt
Mon, June 22 (Levitt Pavilion), 1 p.m. Argentina v Austria; 5 p.m. France v Iraq; 8 p.m. Norway v Senegal; 11 p.m. Jordan v Algeria
Tue, June 23 (Levitt Pavilion), 1 p.m. Portugal v Uzbekistan; 4 p.m. England v Ghana; 7 p.m. Panama v Croatia; 10 p.m. Colombia v DR Congo
Wed, June 24 (Levitt Pavilion), 3 p.m. Switzerland v Canada and Bosnia & Herzegovina v Qatar; 6 p.m. Scotland v Brazil and Morocco v Haiti; 9 p.m. Czechia v Mexico and South Africa v South Korea
Thu, June 25 (PNC Plaza), 4 p.m. Ecuador v Germany and Curaçao v Ivory Coast; 7 p.m. Tunisia v Netherlands and Japan v Sweden; 10 p.m. Türkiye v USA and Paraguay v Australia
Fri, June 26 (PNC Plaza), 3 p.m. Norway v France and Senegal v Iraq; 8 p.m. Uruguay v Spain and Cape Verde v Saudi Arabia; 11 p.m. New Zealand v Belgium and Egypt v Iran
Sat, June 27 (PNC Plaza), 5 p.m. Panama v England and Croatia v Ghana; 7:30 p.m. Colombia v Portugal and DR Congo v Uzbekistan; 10 p.m. Jordan v Argentina and Algeria v Austria
Knockout Rounds
Round of 32
Sun, June 28, 3 p.m. (Levitt Pavilion)
Mon, June 29, 1, 4:30 & 9 p.m. (Levitt Pavilion)
Tue, June 30, 1, 5 & 9 p.m. (Levitt Pavilion)
Wed, July 1, noon, 4 & 8 p.m. (Levitt Pavilion)
Thu, July 2, 3, 7 & 11 p.m. (PNC Plaza)
Fri, July 3, 2, 6 & 9:30 p.m. (PNC Plaza)
Round of 16
Sat, July 4, 1 & 5 p.m. (PNC Plaza)
Sun, July 5, 4 & 8 p.m. (Levitt Pavilion)
Mon, July 6, 3 & 8 p.m. (Levitt Pavilion)
Tue, July 7, noon & 4 p.m. (Levitt Pavilion)
Quarterfinals
Thu, July 9, 4 p.m. (Levitt Pavilion)
Fri, July 10, 3 p.m. (Levitt Pavilion)
Sat, July 11, 5 & 9 p.m. (PNC Plaza)
Semifinals
Tue, July 14, 3 p.m. (Levitt Pavilion)
Wed, July 15, 3 p.m. (Levitt Pavilion)
Third-Place Match & Final
Sat, July 18, 5 p.m., third-place match (PNC Plaza)
Sun, July 19, 3 p.m., World Cup Final (Levitt Pavilion)
Why It Matters
SoccerFest has grown from a novelty into one of the Lehigh Valley’s signature summer gatherings, a free, walkable, all-ages way to share a global moment. That it happens in the shadow of Bethlehem Steel’s blast furnaces, on a site that once produced both steel and championship soccer teams, only deepens the connection.
Lehigh Valley SoccerFest at a Glance
Where: SteelStacks campus, Bethlehem (Levitt Pavilion & PNC Plaza lawns)
When: June 11 – July 19, 2026
Cost: Free and open to the public
Watch: Every World Cup match live on giant outdoor screens
Extras: Youth soccer clinics, food trucks, concerts and the “Forged in Steel” exhibit
The Final: Sunday, July 19, 3 p.m. (Levitt Pavilion)
History: Launched in 2014; drew 25,000+ during the 2015 Women’s World Cup
