Rowdies announce fourth World Cup watch party at Al Lang Stadium

The Tampa Bay Rowdies will host a fourth USA Soccer watch party at Al Lang Stadium on Wednesday, July 1, with $10 tickets and a portion of the proceeds going to Ocean Aid 360 and The Williams Park Partnership. The club is again teaming with PMB Events and Michelob Ultra, using the Round of 32 match as another chance to turn its waterfront home into a summer soccer destination while USL Championship play sits in the league’s midseason stretch.

This is the fourth watch party in the Rowdies’ tournament partnership with PMB Events and Michelob Ultra, following earlier gatherings at Al Lang Stadium, Jannus Live and Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill. The first event drew more than 3,000 fans, a turnout the club now appears intent on matching as the knockout rounds begin. The Rowdies have framed the series as more than a one-off viewing party: it is a way to keep supporters coming back to Al Lang even when the club is not playing.

The setup for July 1 is also built for a bigger crowd. The Rowdies said the event will feature a larger main screen, two additional screens positioned in front of each dugout suite and the main videoboard carrying the match so fans can follow every moment. That matters in a venue like Al Lang, where sightlines and atmosphere are part of the sell. The club has called the stadium home since the 2011 season and regularly points to its downtown St. Petersburg waterfront setting as one of the strongest backdrops in North American soccer.

The marketing push is not subtle, and it is not accidental. Al Lang was the site of the Rowdies’ 2012 NASL Soccer Bowl title, won on penalties before a sold-out crowd, a reminder that the stadium has already delivered a signature national moment for the club. The Rowdies have also been promoting a Michelob Ultra Fan Zone and a World Cup ticket giveaway tied to the July 3 Round of 32 match in Miami, extending the tournament into another game night and another reason for casual fans to show up.

The club has also tied the watch-party run to its own history, publishing a June 25 feature on its Fourth of July tradition and a June 18 retrospective on the original Rowdies’ July 4 exhibition against the U.S. Men’s National Team. For a team whose 2026 USL Championship season runs from March 7 to October 24, the World Cup break has become a useful bridge, keeping Al Lang active and building habits that could turn a TV crowd into ticket buyers later in the summer.