The English Premier League, the most popular club soccer league in the world, kicks off this Friday with Liverpool taking on Bournemouth at 3 p.m. ET.
For many in the U.S, it means returning to a regular schedule of waking up early on the weekend and heading to the nearest pub for a socially-acceptable morning Guinness among like-minded soccer fans.
Philly’s has a lot of Premier League followers. So much so that the league and its broadcaster, Comcast-owned NBCUniversal, have brought Fan Fests and exhibition games to the city in recent years.
While you can catch the games on your couch, with the necessary NBC and Peacock subscriptions, many folks have joined together as local supporters groups for their favorite clubs, meeting regularly to cheer on their team at bars around the city.
So, whether you want to find more fans of your favorite team or watch some of the world’s best soccer ahead of next year’s FIFA World Cup games at the Linc, here’s where you can find fans for the 20 Premier League teams gathering for games this season. For the early kickoffs, be sure to double check with the relevant groups or the venues if they’ll be open before making a potentially disappointing trek there and finding closed doors.
Most locations show soccer regularly and you can show up whichever team you support — though antagonizing probably won’t go over too well. We asked groups to recommend a good neutral soccer-watching venue, and many said Fadó Irish Pub in Center City. Lion Sports Bar in Chinatown will also be playing all the games on its many screens, and is going to be a meeting point for Italian league champions Napoli this coming season. Hilltown Tavern in Fairmount is also a good option.
Arsenal
Where in the U.K. are they: North London, in the borough of Islington
Last season’s finish: Second in the 20-team league, 10 points behind Liverpool
Local fan group: Arsenal Philadelphia
Meeting spots: The group’s main meeting spot is Misconduct Tavern in Logan Square. The group’s website says they also host watch groups at the Rittenhouse Misconduct Tavern for select games.
The team also has official supporters group chapters that meet in Delco, West Chester, Reading and Lancaster
Aston Villa
Where in the U.K. are they: In Birmingham, in England’s West Midlands region
Last season’s finish: Sixth in the league
Local fan group: Philadelphia Lions
Meeting spot: The Black Taxi in Fairmount
Bournemouth
Where in the U.K. are they: On the south coast of England, in the ceremonial county of Dorset
Last season’s finish: Ninth in the league
Local fan group: When Billy Penn last made this guide we were referred to Philly Cherries by the club’s national fan group. They said they caught most games on their sofa back then, and haven’t responded to recent attempts to message them.
Brentford
Where in the U.K. are they: West London
Last season’s finish: 10th in the league
Local fan group: An administrator for the Brentford Bees of Philadelphia Facebook group confirmed that the group is not currently active this season
Brighton & Hove Albion
Where in the U.K. are they: On the southeast coast of England, in East Sussex County
Last season’s finish: Eighth in the league
Local fan group: Philly Seagulls
Meeting spots: Urban Saloon in Spring Garden
Burnley
Where in the U.K. are they: Lancashire, in North West England
Last season’s finish: The Clarets are back in the Premier League thanks to a second-place finish in English soccer’s second division, confusingly named the Championship. The bottom three teams in the Premier League — Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton last season — get relegated down to the Championship.
Local Fan group: A Greater Philadelphia Clarets Facebook page does exist, but hasn’t been active since 2023. Attempts to reach any of the admins went unanswered.
Chelsea
Where in the U.K. are they: West London, specifically in Hammersmith and Fulham
Last season’s finish: Fourth in the league. The team did win the continental Europa Conference League, as well as this year’s FIFA Club World Cup, having played three games of that tournament in Philly.
Local Fan group: Philly Blues
Meeting spots: Tír na nÓg in Center City, along with Manchester City’s supporters
Crystal Palace
Where in the U.K. are they: South London, in the borough of Croydon. The team’s kit colors and stadium will look pretty familiar to “Ted Lasso” fans, though the fictional AFC Richmond was based out of West London.
Last season’s finish:12th in the league, but Palace, also nicknamed the Eagles, did win the FA Cup, the premier domestic knockout competition that also runs during the league season.
They more recently beat Liverpool in the FA Community Shield last Sunday, which is English soccer’s curtain-raising game between the previous season’s league champion and FA Cup winner.
Local Fan group: Philly Palace
Meeting spots: The Black Taxi in Fairmount
Everton
Where in the U.K. are they? In Liverpool, in the northwest English county of Merseyside
Last season’s finish: 13th in the League
Local fan group: Philadelphia Evertonians
Meeting spot: O’Neal’s Irish Pub in Queen Village
Fulham
Where in the U.K. are they? West London, in the same borough as Chelsea
Last season’s finish: 11th in the league
Local fan group: Fulham in Philadelphia (Phulham). They post on X (formerly Twitter) and Blue Sky.
Meeting spot: Jose Pistola’s in Center City
Leeds United
Where in the U.K. are they? In northern England’s West Yorkshire County
Last season’s finish: The Whites, or Peacocks, were a division below last season in the Championship and finished on top of that, ensuring the team’s promotion to the Premier League this season.
Local fan group: Leeds United Philadelphia
Meeting spot: The Black Taxi in Fairmount
Liverpool
Where in the U.K. are they? In Liverpool, in the northwest England county of Merseyside. The team’s home stadium is just under three miles away from Everton’s new ground.
Last season’s finish: The Reds are the defending champions, having finished first at the end of last season.
Local fan group: OLSC Philadelphia
Meeting spots: The group meets at Cavanaugh’s Headhouse in Society Hill and Kildare’s Pub in West Chester for all matches. International Bar in Kensington, as well as Union Jack’s pubs in Glenside and Manatawny, Iron Abbey in Horsham are also open and playing most games after 9 a.m., though it’s wise to check with the group or the venues first.
Manchester City
Where in the U.K. are they? In the city of Manchester, in Northwest England
Last season’s finish: Third in the league
Local fan group: Manchester City Official Supporters Club Philadelphia
Meeting spot: The group meets at Tír na nÓg, along with Manchester City’s supporters. The group also lists Stateside Vodka as a meeting spot on its website.
Manchester United
Where in the U.K. are they? In the city of Manchester in Northwest England, about 4½ miles west of Manchester City’s stadium
Last season’s finish: 15th in the league
Local fan group: MUFC Philly
Meeting spot: The Black Sheep Pub in Rittenhouse Square
Newcastle United
Where in the U.K. are they? In Newcastle upon Tyne, England’s northernmost city
Last season’s finish: Fifth in the league. The team did win last season’s English Football League Cup, another domestic knockout competition.
Local fan group: Toon Army Philadelphia
Meeting spot: The Kite & Key in Franklintown, just north of Logan Square
Nottingham Forest
Where in the U.K. are they? In the county of Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands region
Last season’s finish: Seventh in the league
Local fan group: We found two groups for this, and only heard back from the nffcphiladelphia Facebook group. That admittedly small group of Forest fans meet at Kildare’s Pub in West Chester.
Another group with an Instagram account met at The Fairmount Tavern in Spring Garden last season, and the venue confirmed that is the case this season
Sunderland
Where in the U.K. are they? In northeast England, in the same county as Newcastle
Last season’s finish: Sunderland were also in the Championship last season and finished fourth. The Black Cats clinched the third promotion spot in the playoffs, held between the clubs that finished third through sixth.
Local fan group: We reached out to the team’s North American supporters association and they said they’ve never seen a large number of fans in the Philly area (they’ve had better luck in Horsham and Reading, strangely). So choose from where the other teams frequent, or airstream the games on Peacock from your couch.
Tottenham Hotspur
Where in the U.K. are they? Another North London club, in the borough of Haringey
Last season’s finish: Fourteenth in the league, though Spurs did manage to win continental silverware with the UEFA Europa League trophy, defeating Manchester United in the final.
Local fan group: Philadelphia Spurs
Meeting spot: Founding Fathers Bar and Grill on South Street in Southwest Center City.
West Ham United
Where in the U.K. are they? East London, in the borough of Newham
Last season’s finish: 14th in the league
Local fan group: West Ham United Supporters of Philadelphia
Meeting spot: Good Good Things in Center City.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Where in the U.K. are they? In the West Midlands, about 12 miles north of Birmingham
Last season’s finish: 16th in the league
Local fan group: Wolves do have an official supporters club listed with the team, but attempts to reach Philadelphia Wolves Facebook account and its chairman went unanswered.
