California venues cancel World Cup watch parties before Mexico-England match

California officials are clamping down on World Cup watch parties in response to violent celebrations following Mexico’s victories in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. These incidents have required police intervention for shootings, stabbings, street takeovers, and assaults on law enforcement.

Universal Studios Hollywood has already decided to cancel its public viewing events. According to Inside Universal’s Facebook post, “Universal Studios Hollywood has ended World Cup watch parties at CityWalk for the remainder of the tournament.”

In San Francisco, SPARK Social SF has canceled all remaining World Cup watch parties after a shooting incident on Tuesday night near its Mission Bay location. The shooting occurred around 9 p.m. near Mission Bay Boulevard and Fourth Street, leaving two individuals with gunshot wounds. Both victims are expected to survive, but the suspect escaped the scene, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.

San Jose has also decided to discontinue its downtown watch party setup following disturbances after Mexico’s 2-0 victory over Ecuador.

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Officials have announced a change in venue for Sunday’s official watch parties for the Brazil-Norway and Mexico-England matches. They will now take place at Discovery Meadow and SAP Center, larger and ticketed venues, due to violence near downtown celebrations resulting in two stabbings and one death.

Following Mexico’s win, Tuesday night saw chaos as two people were stabbed in separate altercations. Police declared an unlawful assembly near Santa Clara Street and Almaden Avenue before midnight, ordering the crowds to disperse.

Authorities reported that the stabbing victims sustained injuries that were not life-threatening, and several individuals were arrested.

The San Jose Police Department noted that while most fans celebrated responsibly, a rowdy group disrupted the festivities by fighting, setting off illegal fireworks, climbing onto an ambulance, and hurling bottles at officers.

This crackdown is part of a pattern of unruly celebrations by Mexico fans throughout California during the tournament.

In Los Angeles, post-victory celebrations spiraled into street takeovers, illegal fireworks, and violent confrontations with police, resulting in injuries to several deputies.

In response to shootings in San Francisco, stabbings and deadly violence in San Jose, and attacks on deputies in Los Angeles, cities across California are opting for cancellations or tightly controlled, ticketed events instead of open public watch parties to prevent further chaos during tournament celebrations.