How Local Businesses United to Host World Cup

If you were anywhere near The Garden, Kailua during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, you know it wasn't just a

place to catch a game — it was the place. Over the course

of the tournament, a little corner of Kailua turned into a full-blown soccer clubhouse, packed wall to wall with green-and-white jerseys, red-white-and-blue face paint, and neighbors who came in as strangers and left as friends.

Now that the dust has settled and Spain has been crowned world champions, Treehouse Coworking wanted to take a moment to recap what made these watch parties so special — and let you know this is only the beginning.

A Community Sport, Watched as a Community

Soccer has always been a sport that brings people together, and nothing proved that more than watching the crowd at The Garden grow with every match. Families arrived early to grab a good spot, longtime regulars struck up friendships with first-time visitors, and by the time the knockout rounds hit, it felt less like a bar crowd and more like an family reunion.

By the Round of 16, we were regularly hitting over 200 guests per match.

That's the thing about a great watch party — it's not really about the TVs (though we'll get to those). It's about high-fiving a stranger after a last-minute goal, and realizing halfway through the tournament, the stranger is now a friend.

USA's Historic Run Had The Garden Roaring

Team USA gave Kailua plenty to cheer about this summer. The Americans opened group play with a statement 4-1 win over Paraguay, followed it up with a 2-0 win over Australia to clinch Group D, and even after a late loss to Turkey, the U.S. still finished on top of their group for the first time since 2010.

The energy inside The Garden for the Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina was electric — a 2-0 win sent the Americans through to the Round of 16 for the first time in years, and the room erupted like we'd won the whole thing. The run eventually ended against Belgium in the Round of 16, but it was the USMNT's best World Cup showing in over two decades, and watching it unfold with a packed house made every match feel bigger than the score alone.

Small Businesses, Big Heart

None of this would have been possible without the local businesses that jumped in to make these watch parties a true Kailua community event. A huge mahalo to our sponsors and partners: Johnson Brothers, Advantage Sports Academy, FC Hawaii, MISO, Lanikai Tuesday, Ola Loa Swim Academy, Peroni, High Noon, Pilina Vet, and Heleloa Magazine. Each of them brought their own flair to the tournament — from sports programs that got kids excited about the game, to local media coverage that helped spread the word, to the drinks in your hand while you watched. Their support turned match days into something bigger than soccer.

This is exactly the kind of collaboration Treehouse loves getting behind. We believe community events work best when they bring together people of all backgrounds alongside the local businesses that make this town what it is. Watching that mix of people and partners fill the space every match day was a reminder of why we do this in the first place.

We made a point of keeping things family-friendly throughout the tournament too. Flash-tattoos, indoor ohana area for young and older family members to stay cool, and family-sized pizzas to keep fans fueled the whole match.

A Full Transformation: TVs, Menus, and More

Turning The Garden into a proper World Cup headquarters took some real effort behind the scenes. We brought in 8 massive screens so there wasn't a bad seat in the house, rearranged the space to create a stadium-like atmosphere, and rolled out a specialized World Cup menu built around the tournament — think grab and go breakfast options for the early morning matches. Flags for every country playing and Team USA gear livened the game-day spirit.

The goal was simple: make The Garden feel like the best seat in the house, whether you were there for the USA's run or just soaking in the World Cup atmosphere with your neighbors.

Spain Lifts the Trophy — And What a Final It Was

The tournament capped off with one of the tensest finals in recent memory. Spain and Argentina battled through a scoreless 90 minutes at MetLife Stadium before Argentina's Enzo Fernández picked up a second yellow card in stoppage time, leaving his team a man down heading into extra time. Substitute Ferran Torres made Argentina pay, burying the winning goal in the 106th minute to give Spain a 1-0 victory and their second World Cup title, joining their 2010 championship.

Watching that finish together at The Garden — the tension of extra time, the roar when Torres scored was the perfect closing chapter to a summer of watch parties.

Stay in the Loop for What's Next

The World Cup may be over, but this is just the start for watch parties at The Garden Kailua. We loved what this tournament brought out in our community, and we're already looking at what's next — from future soccer matches to other big sporting events worth gathering around a TV for.

Follow treehousecoworking.hawaii and thegardenkailua on Instagram for future collaborations and watch parties.

Mahalo to everyone who came through, cheered loud, and made The Garden Kailua feel like home base for the world's biggest sporting event. See you at the next one.

Written and Published by: Samantha Ferraro