AMNH Launches World Cup, World Cultures to Celebrate FIFA World Cup 2026 and the Global Community of Sports

Image © AMNH

As the New York/New Jersey region prepares to host FIFA World Cup 2026™, the American Museum of Natural History this month will launch World Cup, World Cultures: Celebrating the Community and Science of Sport, a series of programs and experiences that includes FIFA World Cup 2026™ watch parties. Rooted in the universal appeal of sports, World Cup, World Cultures will engage New Yorkers and visiting fans from around the world in the science, culture, and shared experience of athletic competition.

Beginning Thursday, June 11, the Museum will screen select FIFA World Cup 2026™ matches in iconic galleries and theaters, offering spaces where fans can gather to experience the excitement of the global tournament together. The watch parties will include a special opening weekend celebration on Saturday, June 13, featuring Qatar vs. Switzerland as well as Brazil vs. Morocco—the first FIFA World Cup 2026™ match played in the New York/New Jersey region.

The World Cup, World Cultures series launched with the opening of For the Win: Objects of Sports Excellence, an exhibition of championship rings, trophies, medals, and jewelry from legendary athletes and teams. The Museum debuted Goal Zone, an all-ages interactive soccer play space, and offer hands-on educational activites exploring the science of sports in the Museum’s learning labs and Global Sports Pavilion in the Ellen V. Futter Gallery on the first floor (May 28). The programming series will continue with a block party inspired by neighborhood sports on July 11.

“Sports have always been an important cultural expression, throughout history, across cultures, and in our present day, when global events like the World Cup engage and unite communities around the world,” said Museum President Sean M. Decatur.  “As a place of gathering, learning, and connection in one of the world’s most international cities, the Museum is delighted to celebrate the science and expression of sports, as our region and the larger world embrace the pride, enthusiasm, and international connection that the World Cup inspires.” 

World Cup, World Cultures will include: 

• FIFA World Cup 2026™ watch parties: Starting June 11, the Museum will screen matches in iconic Museum Halls, creating opportunities for New York’s communities and visiting fans to gather in a welcoming, family-friendly setting to experience the excitement of the tournament. Matches will be screened in the Cullman Hall of the Universe, on the LeFrak Theater’s giant 60-by-40-foot screen, as well as in the Global Sports Pavillion. Please visit the Museum’s website for the full schedule of FIFA World Cup 2026™ match screenings.
• Goal Zone, Now – September 13: This all-ages interactive play space will invite visitors to test their soccer skills through a series of challenges and digital simulators, virtual competitions that allow guests to alternate between shooting and goalkeeping, and a projection-mapped play area designed for younger visitors to encourage free movement and play. A mix of tabletop and other soccer-themed games will also be featured throughout, in addition to a range of playful photo opportunities for guests, including with dynamic wax figures of soccer super stars courtesy of Madame Tussauds New York. Goal Zone will open to the public on Monday, May 18. Museum Members will be able to preview the experience starting on Saturday, May 16.
• Global Sports Pavilion, Now – January 3: Located in the Museum’s Futter Gallery, the Global Sports Pavilion will feature large-scale photography and video celebrating iconic moments in sports from around the world, alongside trivia. Starting May 28, the space will also host facilitated activities where visitors can test how different materials affect a ball’s motion, explore the geometric design of soccer balls, and map their own connections to the global game and communities that shape it. The Global Sports Pavilion will open to the public on Friday, May 15 with hands-on activities available on select days beginning May 28.
• Learning Labs Sports Activations, May 28 – January 3: Visitors can explore the science and culture of sports through hands-on activities in the Museum’s Human Origins Learning Lab and Discovery Room. Interactive activities in the Human Origins Lab will explore how the human body moves and adapts—from muscles and bones to brain response—revealing the biomechanics that make athletic performance possible. Visitors to the Discovery Room are invited to celebrate the art, joy, and personal expression experienced through sports. Educational activations in the Human Origins Lab and Discovery Room will take place on select days beginning May 28.
• Stoops to Stadiums: A Manhattanhenge Block Party, July 11: The Museum will mark Manhattanhenge—the semiannual celestial event when the setting Sun aligns with the grid of Manhattan—with a special block party inspired by neighborhood sports and games played across the five boroughs, from pickup soccer and double dutch to dominoes in the park. The event will spotlight the local traditions and communities of play throughout New York City. Festivities will continue into the evening as people gather to experience Manhattanhenge at sunset.

For additional details and the schedule for World Cup, World Cultures, please visit the Museum’s website.