WORLD CUP

Phoenix pub up for Best Soccer Bar in America about to get crazy

With the World Cup kicking off Thursday, George & Dragon — Arizona’s premier authentic English pub — will be as close to the action as most fans can get

George & Dragon shared this photo from the pub’s main room during the May 30 UEFA Champions League finale that saw Paris Saint-Germain F.C. beat Arsenal to clinch their second straight championship. The World Cup, which opens Thursday, will bring similar crowds of soccer rowdies during its run through July 19.

(Photo courtesy George & Dragon)

English expat David Wimberley opened George & Dragon in Phoenix in February 1995. He’s pictured enjoying the scene inside the night of Friday, June 5, 2026.

(Independent Newsmedia/Steve Stockmar)

David Wimberley knew where to find the name of his new pub when he opened it in Phoenix in 1995. He named it after the first pub in England that served him when he was still underage. “I took my jacket and school tie off, put it under the bush, walked in, the bartender, said, ‘what can I get you?’ So I ordered a beer and I knew my friends are gonna like this place so I went back to high school, told them what happened, the next day six of us — ties off — walked in, and they all got served for like six months.”

(Independent Newsmedia/Steve Stockmar)

Already in the running for Best Soccer Bar in America, George & Dragon is about to get crazy.

The authentic English pub in midtown Phoenix, on Central Avenue just north of Indian School, will take center stage with the FIFA World Cup, which kicks off Thursday in Mexico City. The Cup will unfold over 39 days with 48 teams and 104 matches, making it the longest and largest World Cup ever staged.

George & Dragon is one of 20 finalists vying for the USA Today sports readers’ choice awards as Best Soccer Bar in America for 2026. It emerged as the only Arizona nominee among selections from an expert panel seeking soccer bars that “rise above the competition and set the stage for the best moments and the biggest matches, both in the U.S. and internationally.”

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