North Texas businesses pay hefty fees to host FIFA World Cup watch parties
North Texans are FIFA World Cup ready.
"I just came here with my friends to watch the game," said soccer fan Rajiv Benitez.
On Thursday, Soccer fans across the metroplex are eagerly waiting for the opening match.
"Of course I'm going for Mexico, are you kidding?" said Moises De La Torre, who went to watch the first match at the Blackfriar Pub in Dallas. "I wish my kids didn't have to work today, but it's all good, I'm here. It's the hottest bar in Dallas."
Dozens of World Cup watch parties are happening across the city over the next six weeks, but for some of the establishments airing the matches, it comes with hefty licensing fees. The Blackfriar Pub is one of dozens of venues paying big money to legally air FIFA World Cup matches.
"It's a bit strange to me," said Kevin Bartley, the Blackfriar Pub owner. "I can't say too much, I don't want to get in trouble, but the World Cup to me is the world's game, and it should be accessible to everyone."
Some World Cup watch parties require a public viewing license to show matches at their venues. The license allows establishments to broadcast games to large public audiences.
"When you start doing kinds of these things, it kind of give us a bad name as a host country, everyone should be able to see it," Bartley said.
North Texas FIFA officials said the licenses help protect the value of the tournament while ensuring a consistent, high-quality experience for fans.
Over at Stan's Blue Note, owners were putting the final touches on their setup for what they expect to be a six-week soccer marathon.
"I think this is a feeling you can't really put into words," said Mo Sherbi, one of the Stan's Blue Note owners. "It's something that we can't wait for, and we really hope it does well for the city."
Sherbi and co-owner Reid McRae said they were able to avoid some of those licensing requirements and big fees because they're an official partner of a major corporate sponsor of the tournament, but that doesn't mean they got a free ticket.
"So to play music and any bar, you have to pay for every song displayed on the TV, karaoke, jukebox, DJ and or live music cover bands or regular bands," said McRae. "Then for cable, it's per TV, per capacity, per square footage. So, like our cable bill currently during football season is $11,800 a month."
Despite the costs and rules, fans are excited for the World Cup madness that's finally taking off.
"It's anybody's game, it's going to be exciting," De La Torre said.