10 Best Bars to Watch the Game in New York

The closest thing New York has to a stadium concourse. Two floors under Legends near Penn Station run more than 20 big screens and host over 30 official supporters clubs, so a Champions League night here means singing, scarves, and the broadcast audio turned all the way up. It is loud and partisan by design, and it covers NFL with the same volume on a Sunday. Find your club's section before kickoff and you have a home for the season.

A more grown-up room than the Midtown soccer barns, Smithfield runs 26 screens and 27 tables across reclaimed wood and brick on West 25th Street. It is the official home of the NYC Barca Pena, with Manchester United and West Ham crowds claiming their own corners, so the sound follows whichever match owns the room that day. The kitchen uses local ingredients and the bar pours real cocktails, which makes it the rare game-day venue that doubles as a proper night out afterward.

Brooklyn's soccer headquarters for 15 years, Banter opens at 7:30am on Saturdays so you never miss a 10am London kickoff. It runs every major league and competition with 24 craft taps and indoor and outdoor seating, and it packs out for big matches with a knowledgeable crowd that came for the game and nothing else. CNN once named it one of the 10 best sports bars in America. If you live in Brooklyn and follow a club abroad, this is your room.

On Bleecker Street, The Red Lion shows every Premier League fixture, every Champions League match, every FA Cup round, and the major international tournaments across 10-plus HD screens. It is the official New York home of Brentford FC, and unlike the cavernous Midtown rooms it takes reservations for the bigger games, which makes it the smart downtown choice when you want a guaranteed seat. Live music takes over later, so it works as a full evening rather than just 90 minutes.

Two blocks south of Madison Square Garden and Penn Station, this Irish-run room has poured for sports crowds since 1995. More than 20 HDTVs run across two floors with premium surround sound and a sweeping 99-foot lower-level bar, so the audio carries wherever you sit. It reliably shows the Premier League, Champions League, World Cup, Bundesliga, and La Liga alongside the American slate, which makes it a safe bet for almost any fixture before or after a Garden event.

Stout runs four Manhattan rooms near transit hubs and treats NFL and college football as the main event. More than 20 screens and tall ceilings mean there is no bad seat, and a live DJ works every football Sunday from 1pm to 6:30pm to keep the energy up between games. The tables sit far enough apart that you get personal space even on a packed Sunday, which makes it the choice for a group that wants the noise without the crush. See our full Stout NYC profile for hours by location.

The Ainsworth pairs wall-to-wall screens with a full bottomless-brunch operation, which is the combination a lot of New York groups actually want on an NFL Sunday. The Chelsea, Gramercy, and Midtown rooms all carry plenty of TVs and the kitchen keeps food coming through the early window, so the table that came for mimosas and the table that came for the 1pm games end up in the same place. It is louder and more social than a pure sports bar, and that is the point. Our Ainsworth profile has the full rundown.

A Southern BBQ joint on Third Avenue that becomes an alumni clubhouse on a college football Saturday. Brother Jimmy's is a known watch home for several Southeastern and ACC schools, so the room picks a side and gets loud for it, then pivots to the NFL on Sunday. The draw is the crowd as much as the screens: if your school has a New York chapter, there is a decent chance it gathers here. Pitchers and ribs do the rest. See the Brother Jimmy's profile for the alumni schedule.

An Irish-influenced sports bar on Avenue B with about 20 TVs covering almost every inch of wall. It carries all NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL plus college football and the Premier League, which makes it a reliable catch-all when your game is buried on an obscure channel. It is a known home for Eagles fans, and the people who block off entire college Saturdays end up here. Honest pub food and cheaper prices than the Midtown rooms keep it a neighborhood favorite.

Boxers is New York's best-known gay sports bar, and it takes the sport seriously. The three-level Hell's Kitchen flagship runs more than 20 flatscreens plus a 1,500-square-foot roof deck, and the Chelsea location adds pool tables and a VIP lounge. It shows pro and college football, basketball, and the rest every night, and it is the meeting place for many of the city's LGBTQ+ sports leagues, so the crowd is welcoming and genuinely into the game.