Epcot to open Wonders of Life this week for World Cup viewing

Jul 08, 2014 in "EPCOT"

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Posted: Tuesday July 8, 2014 1:43pm EDT by WDWMAGIC Staff

The former Wonders of Life Pavilion, now called 'Festival Center' will be opening this week to show the final four games of the 2014 World Cup.

The Festival Center and Restaurantosaurus locations opening today are in addition to the existing viewing areas in the Odyssey Restaurant and Walt Disney World Resort hotels and Downtown Disney. You can see all the locations here.

Tuesday July 8 – Brazil vs. Germany at 4pm.

Wednesday July 9 – Netherlands vs. Argentina at 4pm.

Saturday July 12 – Third place game at 4pm.

Sunday July 13 – World Cup Final at 3pm.

Discuss on the Forums

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doctornickJul 10, 2014

But if there were an in park option to watch part of the Super Bowl, would you go there and watch it? I think the point of this setup is to make it convenient for people, such that it enhances their vacation.

MrDeeJul 10, 2014

I love US football a ton, but even when I have been at WDW during the Super Bowl (which has happened twice), I ain't leavin' the parks for nothin'.....plus, the wife and kids would kill me....so, there's that.

Spike-in-BerlinJul 10, 2014

Erm let me guess, you turned the TV off before the match was over because you couldn't stand it, right? The final result was not 5:0, it was worse, at least from the Brazilian point of view. But I am quite sure, that for one time finally Brazilian tour groups stay quiet during their stay at WDW parks.

Spike-in-BerlinJul 10, 2014

You should have told them, then you could have celebrated together.

Spike-in-BerlinJul 10, 2014

Funny, the first time ever I would have a reason to watch SOCCER in WDW respectively USA. Normally I am so totally uninterested in soccer, I only watch NFL football if I am in the US but with Germany in the final, this would be a reason to go there if I where in WDW at the moment. Times definitely change, in 1982 as a kid I had to watch the news on TV to find out who won the final between (West) Germany and italy in the Spain worldcup, so uninterested was the general public in the US in Soccer back in the early 80ies.

doctornickJul 09, 2014

The games will be mostly in the morning/early afternoon in Florida. Not as drastically different from Brazil as you might think -- the games will be mostly in the evening in Russia as opposed to many being mid-day in Brazil. FIFA typically wants the kickoff times to coincide with prime time in Western Europe. Regardless, the games will be on when the parks are open. They aren't going to be at 4am or anything.

rt06Jul 09, 2014

I think it was less ABC/ESPN and more the favorable time zone that had Disney accommodating World Cup viewers this year. There was also the undeniable increased interest with the casual American fan. Two matches a day, mid afternoon, is pretty hard to ignore the potential in that.

ABQJul 09, 2014

Isn't the 2018 World Cup going to be in Russia anyway, I assume time zone issues will make it a non starter to run the games live in any venue at WDW.

doctornickJul 09, 2014

What is the coverage like of the Olympics at WDW? That would give a reasonable comparison, including it being on a competing network. I'm sure that you will be able to catch the next WC at ESPN Club (or any bar with TVs) without a problem, but I'm a bit skeptical they will open up Odyssey again with the coverage being on Fox.

seascapeJul 09, 2014

I think they will show it even though it will be on FOX. They want to please their guests. I would also expect that Universal will show it in City Walk since they will be an even bigger park and attract more internations guests. Remeber these companies are businesses and want to maximize profits. This is just like Disney showing other companies movies on their networks. If it can make money they will do it.

TP2000Jul 09, 2014

They won't. If it's not on a Disney owned network, it won't exist. This was an odd stretch at corporate synergy anyway. Americans won't pay attention to soccer for the next four years, and if the soccer league does this World Cup thing again in 2018 and the TV feed is not available on a Disney owned network the parks won't acknowledge it. You may get a TV tuned in at a Deluxe Resort bar or two, however, so big soccer fans at WDW in 2018 could go there.

worldfanaticJul 09, 2014

Whether in New York, Hawaii, or Disney World, I love watching sports while on vacation. I'd kill to be at Disney World during the World Cup. You can do what you want while in the parks. (I'm guessing it's knitting while waiting in line for Dumbo.) Us real men (and women) will grab a beverage and watch the games.

SabrielJul 09, 2014

The World Cup is once every four years and is a huge deal to some of my family, myself included. It also happens that we also have school-age kids in the mix and so we're left with limited times between work and school when we can all visit the World. Ideally, we wouldn't have gone in the middle of June because of the World Cup, but there was no other good time for us to take an extended vacation. We're also passholders, so it doesn't seem as much of a waste if we spend a couple of hours of park time watching these games (those of us interested, anyway) instead of queuing for rides.

stuartJul 08, 2014

I remember years ago they used to have a black board in the British pub behind the bar they wrote scores up on. This was like late 90s early 2000s. I was disappointed that despite winning the Scottish Cup, there was no St Johnstone merchandise in the shop in the UK. Saints and Disney have clearly missed out there.