The East Hampton Village Foundation has canceled a World Cup finals outdoor watch party it was planning to host at Herrick Park on Sunday, July 19. In a reel posted to the foundation's Instagram account on Wednesday evening, the foundation said, "While we were excited to bring the community together for this free event, we did not receive the required FIFA World Cup Public Viewing License in time. As a result, we are unable to move forward with the public viewing."
The Star was the first to report on the watch party after organizers approved it last Thursday. It's unclear when they would have needed to register the permits to get approval in time. According to the FIFA public viewing regulations, any non-commercial public viewing event needs a license if it has a capacity for more than 1,000 spectators. A document distributed in Atlanta regarding public viewing parties encouraged organizers to apply for licensing and approval as early as possible. It appears the East Hampton Village Foundation applied too late.
The final match, between Spain and Argentina, is scheduled for 3 p.m. at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., which is known as New York/New Jersey Stadium for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Spain advanced to the final after beating France on Tuesday, 2-0. Argentina advanced to the final after beating England 2-1 on Wednesday. France and England will compete for the bronze medal in Miami on Saturday at 5 p.m.
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This article has been updated since it was first published.
