Photograph courtesy The Mercantile Immersive and Lightborne
To celebrate the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Mercantile Immersive, a 360-degree immersive event space located within downtown’s Mercantile Center, will host watch parties for upcoming matches, beginning on Friday.
The 14,000-square-foot venue will host watch parties of select World Cup games, beginning with the June 19 match between the United States and Australia. The venue will livestream the games on floor-to-ceiling LED screens and offer food and drink catering and varying seating options for lounging, according to Don Vonderhaar, CEO and co-owner of DelightMore, the catering and hospitality management company operating the Mercantile Immersive.
“What’s really cool with the space is that it can be customized to anything you want, so we have a library of different scenes and so forth that can be throughout the room,” says Vonderhaar.
The U.S. match against Australia begins at 3 p.m. at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, according to FIFA. Tickets for the watch party, which runs from 2 to 9 p.m., can be purchased through Eventbrite.
“It’ll be a picture-in-picture setting, or pictures of the actual live matches on the LED screens in the building and event space,” says Vonderhaar.
Following a 4-1 victory over Paraguay on June 12, the U.S. Men’s National Team is currently tied for first place in its group with Australia, who defeated Turkey 2-0 on June 14, according to FIFA. Whichever team wins Friday’s match will lead the group and almost certainly advance to the round of 32.
The USMNT has a significant tie to the Queen City for the first time as well, as FC Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson was announced as part of its roster on May 26.
This achievement for Robinson followed four years spent recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon injury and subsequent surgery in 2022, according to FCC.
“It’s a moment I’ve been waiting for for a long time, especially after four years ago, not being able to play, so it’s definitely something I’ve worked hard for my whole life,” Robinson said for FCC. “I’m excited to be a part of this group and help push this group in the right direction.”
Robinson was not among the starting lineup for the U.S.’s first World Cup match against Paraguay, and it is unclear whether he will play during Friday’s game.
Vonderhaar says FCC’s involvement in the World Cup only enhances excitement around the city. “I think people are more excited because the people in the Cincinnati market here can then relate, because they have members of the SG team representing them,” he says. “They feel a sense of connection to that.”
The Mercantile Immersive’s watch parties will feature a variety of amenities for attendees to enjoy throughout the evening, including high-top tables and chairs and soft seating, a climate-controlled environment, and a rotating menu, according to Vonderhaar.
For the match between the U.S. and Australia, Mallory Hemmer, executive chef for the Mercantile Immersive, says they will serve sliders and flatbreads themed on each country.
For the U.S., the venue will serve a smokehouse slider featuring brisket and a bourbon BBQ sauce, as well as a deluxe cheeseburger flatbread. For Australia, they are preparing an Aussie lamb slider with red onion jam, arugula, and cucumber yogurt, and an outback shrimp flatbread with shrimp, scallions, a lemon and garlic aioli, and an herb salad.
Vonderhaar says he expects the watch parties to be a fun and energetic experience for attendees. “Soccer is something everybody can play, or has played at one time in their life, and it’s something that anybody can do. There’s so much excitement, and I think FCC is a big part of that too. That’s why I think the World Cup is more popular in this area, because FCC has such a strong presence in our Cincinnati market.”
The Mercantile Immersive will also host watch parties for certain World Cup matches occurring June 25 to 27. Watch party announcements for July matches will be released closer to the dates.
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