Where to Drink Before and After a World Cup Match at MetLife Stadium
Eight World Cup matches are coming to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford between June 13 and July 19, including the Final. If you have a ticket, or you're planning your day around someone who does, the question of where to drink before and after the match matters more than it usually would.
MetLife Stadium has no surrounding bar scene. The stadium sits off the highway in East Rutherfordonce you're there, you're there. That makes what you do in Manhattan before you board the train the most important decision of your matchday.
How You Get to MetLife Stadium
Penn Station is the transit hub for every MetLife World Cup fixture. NJ Transit runs dedicated match-day trains from Penn Station to Meadowlands station, with ticketholders required to show their match ticket to board. The outbound restriction kicks in four hours before kickoff, so the window for getting to Penn Station — and stopping for a drink on the way is tighter than most people plan for. For a full breakdown of the Penn Station restrictions and transport options on match days, see the World Cup 2026 NYC guide.
The ticketholder entrances are on 32nd and 33rd Street along Seventh Avenue. Tara Mór is on 30th Street, a two-minute walk from those entrances. You pass us on the way in and on the way back out.
The practical sequence for the day: arrive at Tara Mór, eat, have a pint, walk two minutes to the Penn Station entrance, board the train, get to the stadium. After the final whistle, return trains come back into Penn Station and you're two minutes from a cold Guinness and a kitchen that runs until midnighBefore the Match
Tara Mór has 16 HD screens across two floors, which means earlier games from other stadiums are live while you're eating and drinking before your own match. It's a proper pre-match environment — food available all day, full sound on every major fixture, and enough space that you're not drinking shoulder-to-shoulder before you've even reached the stadium.
The happy hour runs on weeknights if your fixture falls on a Monday through Friday. Three of the five group stage MetLife games fall on weeknights — France vs Senegal on Tuesday June 16, Norway vs Senegal on Monday June 22, and Ecuador vs Germany on Thursday June 25. If you're coming in with a group heading to the stadium together, private and semi-private spaces are available with no room hire fee — useful for holding a table before you move on.
For the Guinness, this is the right stop. The pour at Tara Mór has become a reference point in Midtown — there's a reason people make a point of it. If Penn Station is your arrival point into the city, this is a worthwhile first stop before the train to East Rutherford.
After the Match
The return from MetLife drops you back at Penn Station, typically somewhere between 10pm and midnight depending on the fixture. Tara Mór is open until 2am every night, and the kitchen runs until midnight — which means a full meal is on the table when you get back, not just bar snacks.
Post-match is when a bar earns its keep. The game has happened, there's something to talk about, and the night doesn't have to end at the station. A two-minute walk from the platform, full kitchen open, and 16 screens showing late-night fixtures from other time zones the evening has somewhere to go.
For groups coming back from the stadium, the same private spaces that work before the match work after it. The bar accommodates up to 40 guests in the semi-private mezzanine, and full venue options are available for larger parties.
Watching the World Cup Elsewhere in Manhattan
If Penn Station isn't your base, the group has venues across Manhattan showing every World Cup match with full sound. Tara Rose on 384 Third Avenue in Murray Hill is the east side option, a short walk from Grand Central and served directly by the 6 train at 33rd Street. The Red Lion on 151 Bleecker Street covers Greenwich Village and downtown. All three venues have the full tournament live from the group stage through the Final.
The Full World Cup Schedule at MetLife
For anyone planning around specific fixtures, the full MetLife schedule runs:
- June 13 — Brazil vs Morocco, 6pm ET
- June 16 — France vs Senegal, 3pm ET
- June 22 — Norway vs Senegal, 8pm ET
- June 25 — Ecuador vs Germany, 4pm ET
- June 27 — Panama vs England, 5pm ET
- June 30 — Round of 32, 5pm ET
- July 5 — Round of 16, 4pm ET
- July 19 — World Cup Final, 3pm ET
Tara Mór is showing every match of the tournament on the big screens with full sound. If you can't get a ticket to MetLife, the watch party setup here is the next best thing in Midtown.
Reserve Your World Cup Table
MetLife match days fill the bar fast. If you're planning around a specific fixture, a reservation is the easiest way to guarantee a table. Reserve at taramornyc.com. Group and private event enquiries to info@taramornyc.com.
Tara Mór — 150 West 30th Street, Midtown Manhattan. Two minutes from Penn Station on foot. Open daily until 2am, kitchen until midnight.
Next time you're on the hunt for the best Irish bar in NYC, you know where to find us in Midtown.