World Cup watch party brings Northeastern students together for global event
The Center for Intercultural Engagement is hosting World Cup watch parties, bringing together students no matter who they root for.
This post is part of NGN Offside, a blog about the 2026 FIFA World Cup, powered by data science.
From the corner of an otherwise silently studious Curry Student Center at Northeastern University, a chorus of “Ohhh!”s rang out.
Cape Verde’s goalkeeper Vozinha, whose full name is Josimar José Évora Dias, had saved yet another goal in the country’s FIFA World Cup debut against powerhouse Spain. And the nearly dozen football fanatics and casual observers who watched Monday’s match from Northeastern University’s Center for Intercultural Engagement couldn’t contain their excitement.
“He’s carrying that team!” said Lydia Lutake, a 20-year-old studying data science and design.
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Ultimately, Cape Verde held off Spain’s seven shots on goal, ending the match 0-0.
Lutake follows the professional soccer team FC Barcelona, and several players also are part of Spain’s national football team. But she was supporting Cape Verde because her country, Tanzania, didn’t make the 2026 World Cup. She had planned to watch the match regardless, but decided to spend it with others at the center’s first of four World Cup watch parties.
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The center will be hosting three other watch parties at the Curry Center: June 23 for a Portugal against Uzbekistan match, and for yet-to-be-revealed competitions on July 1 and July 7.
“The FIFA World Cup represents this very unique shared experience across the world and I think that really represents our community, so it felt like a natural fit,” said Cindy Nguyen, the center’s director. Between finals week and the summer season, she said these watch parties serve as an opportunity to relax, reflect and meet people across other cultures.
Pulliwar was drawn to the sport during the 2014 World Cup that pitted Argentina against Germany in the final. He said there are great international players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski, but Argentina’s Lionel Messi is special.
“It’s really fun to watch Messi. When you see a player dribble past five, six players, that’s really interesting for me,” he said.
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In 2022, when Pulliwar watched with a group of friends in India as Messi finally clinched his first World Cup win, the student called it “the best day of my life.” So, if Argentina doesn’t pull it off again this year, there’s no stress, he said.
Still, he said he was particularly looking forward to Tuesday’s match when Argentina, and Messi, will play Algeria.
As the scoreless game ticked on, World Cup watch party attendees ate popcorn and chatted about access to sports, football rules and the new technology that allows viewers to see from the referee’s point of view. They drew silent, leaning forward in their seats, as the five minutes of extra time started to run out.
Amisi Angwi, 21, doesn’t consider herself a football fan by any measure, but she was happy by Cape Verde’s performance. She joined the watch party in between her studies as a behavioral neuroscience major because of the excitement surrounding the tournament.
With Boston serving as one of the host cities, the first match seeing Scotland best Haiti 1-0, it’s been a pretty thrilling experience so far to witness the international fans and get to participate in the city’s fan festivals, she said.
“It was really cool seeing elements of Scottish and Haitian culture, and how two very different cultures can combine, which is what I think is great about the World Cup. It brings people together,” she said. “It’s more than just the games.”
