With just days to go until England's first game, a brand new World Cup fan zone has been confirmed in a familiar location in Gateshead. It looks set to be very busy on Wednesday night, as Thomas Tuchel's side begin their group fixtures with a tricky tie against Croatia.
England's World Cup Journey
Two years after the heartbreak of losing the Euros final 2-1 to Spain, having got back on level terms thanks to an amazing strike from Cole Palmer, England will be aiming to impress over in America. The last time they played in a World Cup was in the run up to Christmas in 2022, when they were knocked out by France in the quarter finals, while in 2018 they came close to making the final in Russia.
The team who crushed their dreams? None other than Wednesday's opponents Croatia. The Three Lions and their fans will descend on Dallas for the first Group L tie, which will kick off at 9pm UK time. There are some great places to watch it in and around Newcastle, with fan zones in the likes of Times Square, STACK, the newly opened Freight Island and the O2 City Hall, which will have a Fan Zone for the first time.
New Fan Zone at Summer on the Southside
And now there's another one to add to the list, just over the river in Gateshead. Having been very popular for previous Euros and World Cups and following the re-opening of Summer on the Southside (formerly By The River Brew) for 2026, the HWKRMKT part of the well known site is now gearing up to welcome England fans for every one of their matches.
Confirming the opening of the World Cup Fan Zone in a social media post, Summer on the Southside wrote: 'Yup, we’ve been busy the past week, clearing & cleaning the infamous HWKRMKT/HWKRLAND - bringing back the benches, installing new beer lines, and of building our mega screen, ready for England’s World Cup journey! (Showing all England games, and maybe a few Scotland knock out games).'
Entry to the Fan Zone is £7.50 a ticket, including a free beer. It will be sheltered and heated - so whatever weather the British summer throws at us you'll be fine. And let's hope there'll be plenty of chances to go there to watch England!
