I'm Checking Off One Thing Every Day Until the World Cup Final — Join Me ⚽☀️🌍
The Greatest Summer of the Decade.
Somewhere around Day 3 of the World Cup I made a decision: I was not going to let this summer pass by in a blur of half-watched matches and half-eaten snacks while I scrolled through everyone else's World Cup content. I was going to actually be IN it. Fully present. One intentional thing per day from June 11 all the way to the Final on July 19.
So I made a list. Thirty-nine days, thirty-nine things. Some are big (go to a fan zone, attend a match). Some are small (learn the offside rule, make the punch). All of them are real invitations to be present for one of the most remarkable summers North America has ever hosted. And I am sharing the whole list here — because I think you should join me.
Things to WATCH — Bucket List Items 1–10
Watch a USA match with a crowd — in person or at a fan zone
The USMNT playing on home soil is a once-in-a-generation moment. Find the biggest screen, find the most passionate crowd, and be in the room when it happens.
Experience a penalty shootout in real time
Nothing in sport matches the collective tension of a penalty shootout. Find a room full of people who care deeply and hold your breath together. You will never forget it.
Watch Messi play — his likely last World Cup
Lionel Messi. Arguably the greatest to ever play the game. Watch every Argentina match you can. Decades from now you will want to have been watching in 2026.
Watch a match at a free public fan zone near you
Every host city has a free FIFA Fan Zone — giant screens, no ticket required, fans from every nation. Seattle has a four-story LED screen. NYC has 100+ free events. See the full list below.
Host a proper themed watch party at home
Pick a match, pick a country, cook the food, invite your people. The watch party you host this World Cup is the one they'll still be talking about when the tournament is long over.
Watch an upset and feel every second of it
Every World Cup delivers at least one jaw-dropping upset. Be watching when it happens. The collective shock and celebration in those moments is genuinely unlike anything else in sport.
Watch a Quarterfinal — the best football of the tournament
July 9–11. Four matches. The eight best teams left in the world. Quarterfinals are where World Cups are truly decided. Clear your schedule for at least one.
Watch a morning match over a leisurely brunch
Most group stage matches kick off in the morning US time. There is something genuinely lovely about watching international football over good food with good company. Make it a recurring ritual.
Watch the Semifinal on a big screen outside
July 14–15. Atlanta and Dallas hosting. Find an outdoor big screen — rooftop bar, park fan zone, outdoor restaurant — and watch the final four fight for a place in the New York Final.
Watch THE FINAL on July 19 — fully present, phone down
The World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium, New York. However you watch it — put your phone down for the 90 minutes. Be completely present. This is history. Be there for it.
Things to EAT — Bucket List Items 11–18
Cook food from every country you watch
Brazil plays → pão de queijo. Mexico plays → street taco bar. Argentina → empanadas. One country, one dish. Cook your way around the world from your own kitchen this summer.
Build a proper World Cup charcuterie board
A beautiful grazing board is the ultimate watch party centrepiece. Cheeses, fruits, crackers, sweets in your team's colours. Photograph it before anyone touches it. Then eat everything.
Try food from a country you've never eaten before
With 48 nations in this tournament, the World Cup is a genuine invitation to try cuisines you may never have explored. Order from a restaurant you've always walked past. Let curiosity lead.
Make the World Cup punch for a watch party
Orange juice, pineapple juice, grenadine, ginger ale, orange slices, glass pitcher. Five minutes. Looks incredible. Tastes like summer. Make it for every watch party from now until July 19.
Eat at a restaurant from a competing nation
Make a reservation at a Brazilian churrascaria, French bistro, Japanese ramen spot, or Mexican taqueria the night of their match. Eat the culture, not just the scoreline.
Attempt homemade empanadas from scratch
The dough. The filling. The folding. A Saturday afternoon project that pays off enormously in both deliciousness and smugness. This is the one I'm most proud of so far. Do it.
Have champagne ready for July 19 — and pop it
Buy the bottle. Chill it. Have it ready. Pop it at the final whistle of the World Cup Final. Whether your team wins or not — you made it to July 19 and that is always worth celebrating.
International brunch spread on Final morning
The morning of July 19 deserves a special meal. Make a brunch spread representing both finalists. One dish from each country playing for the title. Then watch history together.
Things to WEAR — Bucket List Items 19–24
Wear your team's jersey — styled as a dress
The jersey over bike shorts with chunky sneakers and a bucket hat. This is the most effortlessly chic athletic look of the summer and it absolutely deserves to be worn at least once this tournament.
Create a flag-inspired outfit without the jersey
Your team's colours, interpreted through real fashion. Blue and white for Argentina. Yellow and green for Brazil. Red and blue for France. Build a proper outfit around the flag palette and see how elevated game day dressing can be.
Try a flag-inspired makeup look for match day
As subtle as an accent eyeshadow pop or as bold as full face paint — flag makeup is one of the most-searched beauty trends every World Cup and it photographs beautifully every single time.
Wear a silk scarf tied in your team's colours
Around your bag handle, in your hair, at your wrist. The most elegant and versatile World Cup accessory possible. Works with every outfit. Zero effort. Maximum visual impact.
Plan your actual Final watch party outfit now
July 19 is coming. Make it memorable. Start pulling the look together now so you are not scrambling the morning of the biggest watch party of your summer.
Wear a bucket hat to an outdoor World Cup event
Functional for summer heat, genuinely cute in every photo, and available in every colour. The bucket hat is the unofficial headwear of World Cup summer and I am fully embracing it.
Free World Cup Watch Locations Near You 🆓🌍
This is the thing I want every person reading this to know — you don't need a ticket to experience the World Cup this summer. Every host city has completely free fan zones and public watch parties running all tournament long. Here is exactly where to go:
Places to GO — Bucket List Items 25–32
Attend a free FIFA Fan Zone in your nearest host city
Giant screens, international food, fans from every nation, no ticket required. This is a day trip worth taking. The full free events list by city is above.
Attend an actual World Cup match in person
Group stage tickets are still available. Use the free trip calculator below to see the realistic cost of attending a match near you — it might be more achievable than you think.
Go to NYC for Final week atmosphere — July 15–19
Even without Final tickets, New York in Final week will be one of the most electric places on earth. The streets, bars, fan zones — the whole city will be hosting the world.
Watch a match at a rooftop bar in a host city
Miami rooftop. Dallas rooftop. New York rooftop. Football on a big screen with a city skyline behind you and a cold drink in your hand. This is the summer experience.
Road trip to a host city you've never visited
The World Cup is an extraordinary excuse to visit an American city you've always meant to explore. Combine football atmosphere with actual tourism the day before the match.
Find a bar full of international fans for one match
Find the Brazilian community bar showing the Brazil match. The pub packed with English fans. Watching a World Cup match surrounded by fans of one of the competing nations is an entirely different experience.
Try the Seattle four-story LED screen experience
If you are anywhere near Seattle this summer, Pacific Place's four-story LED screen for World Cup matches is one of the most impressive free sports viewing experiences in the entire country.
Take yourself to an LA County free park watch party
Blanket, snacks, whoever you love spending time with, summer evening, football on a big screen in the park. This is exactly what the World Cup was built for.
Calculate Your Trip Budget First
Things to FEEL & DO — Bucket List Items 33–39
Learn the offside rule — actually properly understand it
Look it up, understand it genuinely, then explain it to someone at the next watch party. The act of explaining cements it. You will feel extraordinarily accomplished. I promise.
Fill in a World Cup bracket and compete with friends
Predictions for every knockout stage result. The person with the most wrong answers cooks the next watch party dinner. Football becomes completely addictive once you have skin in the game.
Document your World Cup summer in a dedicated album
Every outfit, every spread, every fan zone visit, every score you celebrate — photograph it and keep it in one album. This summer is worth remembering properly. Start the album now.
Pick a second team and genuinely follow them
Based on heritage, a country you've visited, or just the most beautiful jersey. Check their scores. Learn a player name. Feel the wins and losses. This is exactly how football converts new fans.
Watch a match with someone who has waited their whole life for this
Find the lifelong fan, the immigrant who brought their love of the game to America, the parent who has followed this sport for 40 years. Watch with them. Let their experience deepen yours.
Let yourself feel the heartbreak and the comeback
When a team you love gets knocked out — feel it fully. When an underdog comes back from the impossible — let yourself erupt. These emotional swings are the World Cup's greatest gift.
Watch the July 19 Final fully present — phone down, completely there
The last item. The most important one. On July 19, for 90 minutes, be completely present. No scrolling. No half-watching. Just you, the greatest football match on earth, and the people you're with. You will never regret it.
Thirty-nine items. Thirty-nine days. One extraordinary summer. I genuinely hope you find at least one item on this list that makes you show up more fully for the greatest sporting event North America has ever hosted. If you tick off even five of these — you'll have stories you are still telling when the next World Cup comes around in 2030. 🌍⚽☀️
Your complete mega-guide to the 2026 World Cup — host cities, free fan zones, fashion, food, and the free trip budget calculator. Bookmark this one for the entire tournament.
Read on Opulence Source →New York is simultaneously hosting the World Cup Final AND the Knicks are in the NBA Finals. The city is having the summer of its life and this guide covers everything you need to live it fully.
Read on Opulence Source →Before you book your match day adventure (bucket list items 25–32), use this completely free tool to see real cost estimates for tickets, hotels, travel, and visa costs across all 16 host cities.
👉 worldcuptripplan.base44.app — Open the Free Tool →
