Capital Region soccer fans gear up for 2026 World Cup

Bailey’s in Saratoga Springs opened its doors at 8 a.m., and the place quickly filled up.

It was December 2022, the morning the United States Men’s National Team faced the Netherlands in the first knockout round game of the World Cup in Qatar. While downtown Saratoga was still quiet, Bailey’s was bustling. Tables were gone in no time, the patio was packed and by kickoff, everyone stood shoulder to shoulder, sharing the same nervous excitement.

“I got there about 7 in the morning, and I was tired,” said Chris LaPointe, the president of the Saratoga Springs chapter of the American Outlaws, the USMNT’s most prominent supporters’ group.

“Everybody was tired, but we all knew that this was going to be a special day.”

The USMNT lost that match 3-1. Still, for the local fans at Bailey’s, the morning showed that soccer had truly found a home in the Capital Region.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup opening in North America this week, the American Outlaws chapters in Saratoga Springs and Albany are among the groups preparing for what could be the biggest moment yet for local soccer fans. When the USMNT plays its tournament opener against Paraguay at 9 p.m. on Friday, it will kick off a host of festivities throughout the region, with watch parties at Bailey’s in Saratoga, Wolff’s Biergarten and Jennings Landing in Albany, and other locations across the Capital Region.

For local chapters of the American Outlaws, the World Cup being held in the United States for the first time since 1994 — and with the final set to be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. — makes this tournament feel closer to home than ever before.

“The World Cup is such a big event, and I truly believe it supersedes the Super Bowl tenfold,” LaPointe said. “The fact that it’s coming stateside, I think people are going to realize that soccer is way bigger than they think it is. And the sense of pride, the joy. Sometimes the sadness and anguish that could come from seeing these matches is part of the game. And I believe the communities that are brought to these events can bring a positive light not only to the sport but to the community as well.” 

The sport’s growth extends beyond watch parties. Afrim’s Sports now has six locations across the Capital Region, and local youth and adult leagues keep fields busy late into the night. Amateur clubs have enriched the area’s soccer scene, and a minor league soccer stadium was recently proposed and then scrapped for downtown Albany. With Wappingers Falls’ Tyler Adams anchoring the USMNT midfield for this World Cup and Bethlehem’s Claire Hutton and Sleepy Hollow’s Sam Coffey rising as key players for the U.S. Women’s National Team, the region has direct links to the sport’s top levels. 

“Albany is clearly a soccer town,” said Dylan Williams, president of the Albany chapter of the American Outlaws.

The American Outlaws started in 2007 in Lincoln, Neb., as an unofficial supporters’ group for U.S. Soccer. From one chapter, it has grown into a national network with more than 200 chapters, all united by watch parties, road trips and a shared love for the men’s and women’s national soccer teams.

The Saratoga Springs chapter, known as Chapter 138, has been around for about 12 years. It started informally at Harvey’s on Phila Street, later became official, and eventually moved down the block to Bailey’s Cafe. Now, the chapter has about 52 members, which LaPointe says is a good size for one of the smaller Outlaws groups.

Albany’s chapter is bigger, with just over 100 members, according to Williams. Their home base is Wolff’s Biergarten on Broadway, a well-known spot for soccer fans. This summer, Albany supporters will also meet at Jennings Landing on the Hudson River for outdoor watch parties during the three USMNT group stage games, starting with Friday’s match against Paraguay.

The goal, according to Williams, is to bring back and build on the atmosphere from the 2022 World Cup, when fans gathered at Jennings Landing for the USMNT’s Black Friday game against England.

“It was cold, and it rained for like 15 minutes,” Williams said. “But nobody really cared.”

The match ended in a 0-0 draw, without the kind of goal that brings a crowd together. Still, the setting made a difference. Jennings Landing offered something Wolff’s sometimes can’t — space. The beer garden can get crowded during big games, but outside, families can join, kids can watch and casual fans can wander in and feel included.

That kind of accessibility is a big part of what makes the Outlaws appealing. Both local chapters see soccer less as a product and more as a way to bring people together. LaPointe calls himself a “social butterfly” who enjoys explaining the game to newcomers. Williams believes soccer is best watched with others who are ready to “share or suffer together as a community.”

The word “community” comes up a lot.

In Saratoga, community means Bailey’s opens early when needed, turns on one TV or all of them, and makes room for a group that has grown over four World Cup cycles. In Albany, it means Wolff’s has become a permanent home for soccer and chapter members have their own team, the Albany Outlaws, who play together at Afrim’s Sports every week.

Williams moved to the area from rural Long Island, where he didn’t grow up with much soccer culture. In Albany, he discovered Afrim’s, local adult leagues and a bar where soccer was always on. Over time, he made friends across the country through American Outlaws chapters and has traveled to more than 30 U.S. Soccer matches, both men’s and women’s.

“It’s a very inclusive environment,” Williams said. “That kind of community that it builds was really exciting for me when I joined and now we get to try to perpetuate it.”

Williams plans to attend a USMNT match in Los Angeles, but he criticized the cost and ticketing process, saying many devoted fans have been priced out.

“This is the common person’s sport,” he said. “This is a sport that only requires a ball and some space.”

For many fans, a watch party might be the closest they get to the World Cup. That makes places like Bailey’s, Wolff’s and Jennings Landing even more important.

In Saratoga, plans include giveaways, raffles, chapter scarves and a collaboration with Sloop Brewing Company on a beer label that features several Northeast Outlaws chapters, including Albany and Saratoga Springs.

In Albany, the message is simple: follow the chapter’s social media, head to Wolff’s or Jennings Landing and be with others when the games start.

LaPointe expects the excitement to grow once Mexico and South Africa play the tournament’s opening match on Thursday. He’s seen interest build with each World Cup cycle. At first, he wondered just how big U.S. Soccer fandom could get in Saratoga Springs.

He got his answer that one morning in December 2022, before sunrise, when the doors opened and the room filled quickly.

“I got humbled quick,” he said. “And I am OK with that.”