GORONTALO – The time difference for the 2026 World Cup matches doesn’t seem to dampen the enthusiasm of football fans in Gorontalo.

Even though many matches will be played in the morning and midday according to Indonesian time, several local coffee shops are still preparing to hold free public screenings throughout the tournament.

Business owners believe that the community’s passion for football remains very strong.

Therefore, they have decided to adjust their operating hours and service concepts to accommodate fans who want to watch the matches together.

One of the venues preparing a special agenda is Nice Coffee, located in the Central Market area of Gorontalo City.

Thomas Tammu, the owner of Nice Coffee, confirmed that public viewing events would continue, even though the match schedule will no longer be dominated by midnight games as in previous editions.

“We’ll still have public screenings. There will be morning sessions and evening sessions,” Thomas said on Thursday (4 June 2026).

For the morning matches, the public screening will run from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. local time, while the evening sessions will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.

Interestingly, Nice Coffee will provide two viewing points within the Central Market area.

The first location is in the market courtyard accessible from Jalan Sam Ratulangi, while the second is inside the market near the north entrance.

Visitors can enjoy the matches on large screens and projectors prepared by the management.

Thomas also emphasized that there will be no additional fees for joining the public viewing. Guests only need to buy food or drinks available at the venue.

“It’s free to watch. You only pay if you order coffee,” he explained.

Besides Nice Coffee, a similar atmosphere is also being prepared by Ideal Coffee, located in the former Andalas area of Gorontalo City.

Syamsir, the owner of Ideal Coffee, said they will still provide facilities for customers who wish to watch the matches together, although without using a projector.

“We might not use a projector, but we’ll still have the screenings using televisions,” he said.

According to Syamsir, this simple setup is sufficient because what matters most is creating a sense of togetherness among football fans.

The presence of several public viewing points is a sign that the excitement for the 2026 World Cup is starting to build in Gorontalo.

Although not many houses have displayed flags of participating countries yet, several vendors have begun selling World Cup flags in various parts of Gorontalo City.

For information, the 2026 World Cup will be hosted by three countries — the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The tournament will kick off on 11 June 2026 at Estadio Azteca and conclude with the final match on 19 July 2026 in the New York/New Jersey area.

This edition will also make history as the first to feature 48 participating nations with a total of 104 matches — a significant increase from the 2022 World Cup, which included only 32 national teams.