When you think of the World Cup, you think of the game, the history, the moments, the venues and of course, the fans.
The TV coverage of fans rooting for their country in each international tournament is memorable, and a key part of what makes these events so special.
Yet the fanfare emerged beyond the stadiums, as supporters continue to back their sides at full throttle, whether from home or at a local gathering at parties or pubs.
No area in London has gripped the “Three Lions” fever more than BOXPARK Croydon, which has stolen the spotlight for fan celebrations ever since the 2018 World Cup.
Fans were cheering and tossing drinks in the air as England opened their World Cup 2022 campaign with an emphatic 6-2 win over Iran.
While popular at the time, BOXPARK gained huge recognition during the 2018 World Cup, as they began hosting watch parties for England games.
Clips of wild celebrations dominated the social media circle, as Croydon celebrated England’s run to the semi-finals of the tournament.
Such was the craze of the celebrations that BBC played the clips during their live post-match show after England’s quarter-final win over Sweden.
England legends, and pundits, Gary Lineker and Rio Ferdinand marvelled at the sights of Croydon’s joyous eruption after centre-back Harry Maguire’s opening goal.
The thrill continued in 2021, when a run to the final of Euro 2020 brought plenty more wild celebration during the month long tournament.
The passion and excitement matched that of Wembley Stadium, as England took Italy all the way to a penalty shoot-out before hearts were broken.
The parties came back this year, as fans witnessed the Lionesses become Queens of Europe as Chloe Kelly stunned Germany in a dramatic extra-time victory to end the nation’s ever-lasting drought.
Alongside of the England matches, BOXPARK are also doing events for all of the World Cup games, allowing for fans of other nations to experience the party atmosphere in Croydon.
BOXPARK came to life in 2011 at Shoreditch, in an effort to provide top quality experiences for customers, eventually opening in Croydon by 2016 and Wembley in 2018.
It is a social hub for gatherings, with food, drinks and shows among the many things available.
Interestingly enough, the national team’s fortunes in major tournaments has turned around quite a bit since the start of the viewing events in BOXPARK Croydon.
Coincidence? Perhaps, perhaps not.
Featured image credit: Hzh via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0 licence
