April 2, 2025 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

World Cup Watch Parties to be Held in LA for Opening Game

 

The World Cup begins tomorrow, June 12.
The World Cup begins tomorrow, June 12. (Swide)

Watch parties for ESPN’s telecast of Thursday’s opening game of soccer’s World Cup between Brazil and Croatia will be held at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills and the St. Anthony Croatian Catholic Church in downtown Los Angeles.

A noon rally will be held outside the church at 712 N. Grand Ave. preceding the 1 p.m. telecast of the game from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

“The World Cup is a religion around the world that has finally reached the United States,” said Ante Kvartuc, the founder and editor of CroatianSports.com, a website covering Croatian sports in English.

“The time has come to treat the World Cup here in Los Angeles like it is treated in many parts of the world as the quintessential global unifier.”

More than 300 Croatian fans, dressed in the team’s colorful checkered jerseys, will be joined by a group of Brazilian fans in watching the game on a 22-foot projection television screen in the church’s parish center, according to party organizers.

Many of the tournament’s games will be shown at the Paley Center for Media, 465 N. Beverly Drive, on a big screen television through the championship game July 13. Admission is free and open to the public.

Croatia qualified for its fourth World Cup by defeating Iceland, 2-0, in a two-game, total-goal series in November. It is 18th in the rankings compiled by FIFA, soccer’s worldwide governing body, 15 spots behind Brazil.

Croatian players played for Yugoslavia until it Croatia declared its independence in 1991. The team, whose nickname translates into the Blazers in English, finished third in its World Cup debut in 1998, but failed to advance past the group stage in the 2002 and 2006 tournaments. It failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

Brazil has won the World Cup a record five times, most recently in 2002. It lost to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the 2010 tournament. It qualified as the host nation.

Brazil defeated Croatia, 1-0, in a group play game in 2006 in the only previous World Cup game between the two nations.

Related Posts

(Video) Spending an Afternoon at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

Go To Pacpark.com For Tickets and More Information. Go To https://t.co/fDDgcY6b3e For Tickets and More Information.#amusementpark #rides #rollercoaster #summer #spring...

Matū Kai to Debut in Brentwood With Grass Fed Wagyu and Global Flair This Week

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

Farm-To-Fork Beef, Wood-Fired Flavors, and Sustainability Meet on San Vicente The team behind Beverly Hills’ acclaimed steakhouse Matū has expanded...

Mid-City Freeway Death Under Investigation After Caltrans Workers Find Blanket-Covered Body

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

Woman Discovered on 10 Freeway Shoulder Identified; CHP Launches Probe Caltrans workers discovered a woman’s dead body around 9:00 a.m....

Community Support Saves Beloved West Hollywood Café from Closure

March 31, 2025

March 31, 2025

Packed Tables and Emotional Messages Helped Keep the Doors Open Le Petit Four, the popular Sunset Boulevard café known for...

Egg Beaters Recalled Over Possible Chemical Contamination

March 31, 2025

March 31, 2025

Massive Liquid Egg Recall Includes California Shipments Cargill Kitchen Solutions is recalling approximately 212,268 pounds of liquid egg products after...

Los Angeles County’s Measure A Raises Sales Tax On April 1, And It’s No Joke

March 31, 2025

March 31, 2025

Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Culver City, and Malibu Will See Higher Increases Starting April 1, Los Angeles County residents will...

Robbery Boast on Instagram Helps Send Beverly Hills Heist Suspect to Prison

March 31, 2025

March 31, 2025

Flashy Post, Federal Time: Smash-and-Grab Mastermind Sentenced Ladell Tharpe, 39, received an 84-month sentence from U.S. District Judge George H....

Culver City Rolls Out Hi-Lo Siren to Warn Residents During Emergencies

March 31, 2025

March 31, 2025

Hi-Lo Warning System Activated: Culver City Adds New Evacuation Tool In an effort to strengthen emergency preparedness and public safety,...

Union Workers at UCLA to Strike April 1 Over Staffing Shortages, Labor Disputes

March 31, 2025

March 31, 2025

Healthcare and Research Staff at UC to Strike, Alleging Unfair Labor Practices More than 20,000 healthcare, research, and technical professionals...

School of Rock Students Shine in Winter Performance Despite Widespread Fires

March 31, 2025

March 31, 2025

Summer Camp Registration Opens Now By Susan Payne Wildfire devastation wreaked havoc in areas of Los Angeles this January with...

Full House Creator’s Cielo Drive Estate Returns With Massive Price Drop

March 30, 2025

March 30, 2025

Franklin’s Mansion, Once the Site of the Manson Tragedy, Back on Market Full House creator Jeff Franklin is returning to...

Santa Monica, Beverly Hills See Real Estate Shifts After L.A. Wildfires

March 30, 2025

March 30, 2025

Beverly Hills and Brentwood Listings Triple in Wake of January Fires Home sales and listings have shifted dramatically across Westside...

Deputies Open Fire on Suspect in West Hollywood, Triggering Street Closures

March 30, 2025

March 30, 2025

Suspect Shot by LASD in West Hollywood Domestic Violence Response Authorities are investigating a shooting that occurred Saturday evening in...

West Hollywood Resident Returns, Vandalizes Property, 30 Minutes After Eviction

March 30, 2025

March 30, 2025

“Neighbor From Hell” Tried to Re-Enter His Apartment and Damaged Property Valentino Lopez, a 41 year old, male Hispanic, was...

New Deadline, More Access: LA County Debris Program Expands Scope, Extends Signup

March 30, 2025

March 30, 2025

Officials Broaden Scope to Help More Residents, Encourage Early Submission Los Angeles County officials have announced that FEMA has agreed...