DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - The Devon Lakeshore Amphitheater invited soccer fans to the venue for a free FIFA World Cup watch party Monday night.
The event for the U.S. vs. Belgium match was the first time The Devon hosted a sports viewing event. Providing free admission with concessions open to serve guests, hundreds of residents from around Macon County brought chairs and wore red, white, and blue, to watch the Round of 16 game on the big screen.
Watch parties have been popular across the country during the 2026 World Cup, as the U.S. serves alongside Mexico and Canada as the hosting nations. Guests at The Devon say bringing fans and communities together has sparked new interest in the soccer.
"It's honestly generational," said Nick Brooks, a senior at Maroa-Forsyth High School. "It's changing the culture. More and more people are watching the game and it's just amazing to see."
The amphitheater has a capacity of over 3-thousand spectators and has hosted non-music events like comedians, magic acts, and movie nights. With the turnout attracted on short-notice for the World Cup game, many are supporting the possibility of similar events in the future.
"When they have a venue like this, which this is great, I wish we would have more," said Scott Atkins, a Decatur resident and Millikin grad. "Chicago Bears? Maybe do some U-of-I football, what have you? Hopefully with this kind of a turnout maybe we can turn this into some more events."
In a post to The Devon's Facebook page, users flooded the comments with recommendations for other sporting events to showcase during the warm season.
Despite the 4-1 loss, many guests left the event happy they could enjoy the match in an environment with fellow fans.
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