These Toronto bars and restaurants are offering specials during the World Cup

For better or worse, FIFA fever is about to sweep the city. With Toronto playing co-host for the first time, we can anticipate the usual thrills of an exciting event paired with (even more) traffic mayhem and hordes of soccer fanatics.

Related: A dozen of the best places to eat and drink near Toronto Stadium

For those who (sensibly) refused to remortgage their homes to buy match tickets, a ton of Toronto bars and restaurants will be screening the games and providing delicious food and drinks—zero sticker shock included.

Whether you’re in it to see the pros deke, dangle and dive their way to the podium; are secretly hoping to witness a headbutt; or just want to experience the camaraderie of five billion people engrossed by the same scuffle to the net, these are the spots where the World Cup whirlwind will actually feel like fun.

Related: World Cup fans will be keeping the party going until 4 a.m.

Belfast Love

Anyone still holding out hope of attending a match will want to try their luck at Belfast Love, where every special World Cup food or drink purchase includes a chance to win tickets to a game. Even if you don’t win big, you can score some free swag or sustenance for stressful situations, like Brazilian coxinha croquettes or the Jameson-spiked Yellow Card cocktail. The limited-time GOAT menu’s street-food-style snacks and drinks were inspired by the most successful nations in World Cup history. 548 King St. W., freehouse.co/locations/belfast-love

Café Diplomatico

Diehards know that few spots play as many matches—be they Premier League, Series A, La Liga or World Cup—as this Little Italy soccer HQ. If you crave peaceful viewing, look for a screen elsewhere. If, however, you live for the singular energy produced by psyched fans riveted by every second of the game (and that’s even with Italy out of the running), then the Dip is the place to be. Those lucky enough to score a table can enjoy drink specials—like buckets of beer—and giveaways. 594 College St., cafediplomatico.ca

Curryish Tavern

Chef Miheer Shete doesn’t typically play sports at his Queen West restaurant, but he’s bringing in some screens for the occasion and throwing in extended happy hours to boot. The peppy spread—including masala cheese fries, chicken tikka burgers and spicy ginger mules—promises to buoy spirits or mollify rage. Available daily from 2 to 6 p.m. 783 Queen St. W., curryishtavern.ca

Dbar

If your level of World Cup commitment starts at ducking out of work early but ends shy of communing with hooligans at the pub, Dbar’s immersive programming invites you to view games in utmost comfort and relative quiet. Catch every play on three screens while staying energized with duck croquettes, fresh oysters and other decidedly civilized delicacies. To quell frayed nerves while staying on theme, the tournament’s official tequila, Don Julio 1942, is found in the refreshing La Verde and the fruit-spiked 42 Passion cocktails. 60 Yorkville Ave., fourseasons.com/toronto/dining/lounges/dbar/

Everyside

If ever there was a team to trust with your World Cup thirst, it’s one that takes beer as seriously as FIFA takes grass. Pouring house-brewed beer as well as other local sours, stouts, IPAs and pilsners, Everyside’s dozens of taps offer enough variety to sustain fans from the coin toss to the final whistle. For the World Cup, they’re offering three limited-time specials including crisp Canadian lager paired with spicy Canadian pizza and refreshing Mexican-style cerveza with chilaquiles rojos. 120 Adelaide St. W., drinkeveryside.com

Harriet’s Rooftop

Though peak athletic performance is fuelled by a diet of lean proteins and complex carbs, the summit of spectatorship is best reached over torrents of chilled drinks and an abundance of salty snacks. At Harriet’s Summer House, a laidback Hamptons-inspired space, guests can catch FIFA action on flat-screen TVs as they tuck into suitably summery bites, including duck spring rolls and barbecue back ribs. Too wound up to consume solids? A tropical Casamigos-spiked cocktail will help take the edge off. 550 Wellington St. W., @harrietstoronto

Ink Entertainment

As evidenced by later last calls and extended LCBO opening hours, the powers that be agree that binge-watching soccer can make you thirsty. At Ink properties—including Amal, Daphne and Beso—a new Flavours of the World cocktail menu offers plenty of ways to slake that thirst. The limited-edition drinks range from the effervescent and fruity Off the Pitch to the peaty and punchy Golden Ball, a cocktail that honours the best in the biz—no bicycle kicks required. Various locations, inkentertainment.com

Isaan Der

When mere snack plates won’t cut it, feed your FIFA-sized hunger with Isaan Der’s World Cup Grill Platter and Beer Tower combo. A feast of northeastern Thai bites available at the Dundas and the Spadina locations, it’s enthusiastically funky, spicy, crunchy and fresh, with enough lacquered short ribs, smoky moo ping, sticky rice and Singha to satisfy groups of six. Paired with live game coverage and the option to add a second beer tower to your order for just $29, it’s the next best thing to being at Toronto Stadium (and way more affordable). 2961 Dundas St. W. and 327 Spadina Ave., isaander.com

Kōst

Like Luis Suárez going in for an unsanctioned game-time chomp, you’ll want to ferociously attack Kōst’s World Cup burgers. Topped with a flurry of garnishes themed to a number of participating nations, they’re for those who eschew “girl dinner” and “boy kibble” in favour of proper meals. There’s the Korean burger, enhanced with bulgogi sauce, gochujang mayo and kimchi, as well as a Gallic interpretation blanketed with triple-cream brie and wine-sloshed caramelized onions. Between drippy bites, divide your gaze between the 44th-floor views and the drama of footballers vying for glory. 80 Blue Jays Way, 44th floor, kosttoronto.com

Pure Spirits

With enough space to comfortably welcome throngs of soccer supporters, the Distillery District will feel like a mini FIFA fan zone come mid-June. At Pure Spirits, premium packages include prime seats to view the expansive patio screen plus oodles of oysters, sliders, lobster mac and cheese cups, and other game-day munchies. 17 Tank House Ln., purespirits.ca

Stages Restaurant and Lounge

Though birthright is likely to dictate your team allegiance, feast your eyes on Stages’ Hot Dogs of the World menu and witness borders disappear. A celebration of global unity delivered one all-beef wiener at a time, it features a dozen $16 dogs dressed in toppings that honour the co-host countries and several of the qualified teams. Though three specialty hot dogs—Canadian, Mexican and American—will be available throughout the World Cup, others will correspond with FIFA match schedules. So, if you’re hankering for an ajvar-slicked Bosnian dog or a Ghanaian take flecked with pepper powder and crowned with a fried egg, you’ll want to plan accordingly. 200 Victoria St., pantageshotel.com/dine-drink

Writers Room

When FIFA comes to town, even the wordsmiths pause their scribbling to watch the beautiful game. Temporarily rebranded as Match Bar, Park Hyatt Toronto’s Writers Room is trading bons mots for ball mastery during the competition. Kitted out with an 80-inch screen, it’s the place to sip Aperol-laced Sunset Margaritas and tuck in to elevated takes on pub classics, like lobster-stuffed chicken wings and confit duck poutine. Then again, for a cool $6,000 per night (a steal given ticket prices), you and nine pals can enjoy the Presidential Suite Game Day Viewing Experience and spend every dramatic second nestled in luxury’s lap. 4 Avenue Rd., 17th floor, @writersroombar