They’ve made it: the Lionesses are in the 2023 Women’s World Cup final and while there’s one more game left to play in the tournament, it goes without saying that Manchester is the best place to watch the Lionesses bring it home.
As a city brimming with not only some of the richest sporting heritage in the world but housing many of the brightest and best talents in the women’s game, Manchester is and always will be the UK’s biggest football city in our eyes.
You only had to walk into a pub during the Euros last year to see how much us Mancs showed up, not to mention the fact that we hosted multiple games at Old Trafford, Manchester City Academy Stadium and Leigh Sports Village.
The 2022 Euros was a truly special time for this city, the country and women’s sport on the whole, and with the Lionesses still reigning European champions, we can’t wait to see them do the double and bring home the 2023 World Cup too. So, with that in mind, here are all the best places to watch the Women’s World Cup final.
10 best places to watch the Women’s World Cup final in Manchester
It goes without saying that we have a deep affection for pretty much every pub and bar in our city, but we can’t include everyone on this list, otherwise it could go on forever. So, in no particular order, here are The Manc‘s best picks for where to watch the final game of the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Manchester.
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1. BOX – Deansgate
To kicks things off, where better than BOX on Deansgate? Buzzing every single weekend, this two-storey sports bar complete with live music, shuffleboard tables and giant steins of cocktails is one of the best places to spend a night out full stop, let alone to watch the footy. You can book HERE.
Next up, no list of sports bars would be complete without the one and only Tib St Tavern. A Northern Quarter and matchday favourite, large screens and big booths for you and your mates make this a perfect spot. We’ll warn you, this place fills up quickly, so you best reserve your table now.
Just like the above, there aren’t many sports bars we love more than The Directors Box. It might not be the biggest place on this list either, but with a great beer selection, big sharing platters of solid scran, plenty of screens and a pool table, you can’t go wrong with this city centre location. Book HERE.
Still one of our favourite new additions to the city is Calcio!, the Italia 90s-themed sports and retro gaming bar. How’s that for a sales pitch? With some of the best burgers in town from What’s Your Beef, table football and old-school games console to keep you occupied at half-time, we love this place.
Another place that’s showing the Women’s World Cup final this year is Brickhouse Social, which has really come into its own as a place to watch sport over the past year. With big screens, cocktails, slices of pizza and an upstairs terrace for when the sun comes out, we’re definitely going to be back in here a fair bit even after the games end.
It might be a slightlysurprising addition to the list but the Contact Theatre, situated just off Oxford Road and just behind Manchester Academy and the University of Manchester, it’s proving a decent left-field pick for students and those that want a less pubby vibe to watch the games. Book tickets HERE.
An old favourite we’ll never get tired of is Bierkeller and Shooters Bar in the Printworks, two long-standing Manc institutions that have remained a regular stomping ground for sport fans for decades now. We don’t even have to give you the sales pitch on this one — if you know, you know. Book HERE.
8. Walkabout Printworks
Whilst we’re on the subject of Printworks, another place that’s been there from pretty much day dot and is practically built for watching sport of all kinds is Walkabout. You might not want to be to braggy after that semi-final win against the Aussies, but this place will still be packed out with a great international crowd as it always is. You can sort your booking HERE.
Second to last on our list is a place that people always seem to forget but that we’ve watched multiple international tournaments in now: Gasworks. The First Street brewery has some of the best guest ales you’ll find anywhere in town, a great street-food menu from Thief Street, shuffleboard, as well as a big projector. What’s not to like?
10. The Footage – Oxford Road
Last but not least, we like to roll back the years every now and again and we can’t think of many places more affordable than The Footage. The popular student venue has different deals on food and drink every night, large screens on nearly every wall — including the big projector — and games to keep you busy before, during and after. We’ve spent many a footy match in here at uni and it never disappoints.
We couldn’t give you a list of places where to watch the Women’s World Cup final in Manchester without giving a shout-out to the big screen over on First Street: a totally free viewing space where supporters from all manner of countries have been coming to watch the games together.
With Gasworks just behind you and HOME right next to you, Bunny Jackson’s just a few metres away and the little pop-up van serving pints and coffees right outside, sitting on those deck chairs on a big bit of astroturf is a little slice of heaven.
And finally, one last place we wanted to include was Nell’s at Kampus who, after showing the opening game of the tournament, have been backing the girls ever since.
With the bar open from 10, free slices of breakfast pizza being served and DJs playing throughout, they’ve got it all going on here.
Featured Image — Gasworks/Lionesses (via Instagram)/The Footage (via Facebook)
Sport
Manchester City auctioning off exclusive ‘artefacts’ from Pep Guardiola’s office
Danny Jones
Manchester City are set to auction off a limited number of used and/or signed items previously owned by legendary football manager Pep Guardiola himself.
The iconic Catalan head coach may have now left the club, but it’s fair to say that supporters are still grieving the bittersweet goodbye – and if you’re one of them, then this might be a good way of clinging on to him and the memories.
Teaming up with MatchWornShirt, an authentic collectables company that deals in memorabilia used by the sporting stars themselves, fans will soon be able to own a ‘piece of Pep’ if they so wish as part of this very special merchandise dump.
So, if you’re a collector of signed or match-worn merch, here’s a taster of what’s up for grabs:
Several items from @PepTeam's office are up for auction 🤝
Yes, should they be willing to put in the winning bid, Blues can genuinely own some of Guardiola‘s office knick-nacks, a tactics board and notes scribed on by the man himself, as well as his actual chair and even his whistle.
Does that count as kissing him? That’s not for us to say…
There is more standard fare, of course, such as worn training kits, photo frames, programmes and other printed media – almost all of which are signed by the 55-year-old.
On the other hand, if you’re so inclined to go for the super rare stuff, you can even buy his desk lamp and go-to coffee cups; whatever floats your boat.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss left Etihad Stadium this summer after 10 years as a Cityzen – with the club even releasing a dedicated ‘Decade Collection’ in his honour – and it now looks as though he could be set for his next job.
His former assistant turned replacement and ex-U23s/Elite Development Squad (EDS), Enzo Maresca, is now in place and making his first impressions on the City squad; safe to say it’ll take some work to leave the same lasting legacy as his mentor.
As for the auction, the club have labelled these exclusive trinkets as “artefacts”, promising that you won’t get many other opportunities, if any, to claim this kind of ‘KeePepsake’.
Meanwhile, in other MCFC news, the City Football Group (CFG) are taking steps to ensure local fans have easier access to matchday tickets with a new postcode lottery, of sorts.
Featured Images — Manchester City Football Club (supplied)
Sport
Manchester United fan groups issue urgent joint letter as thousands could lose season tickets
Danny Jones
Man United fan groups have banded together to issue a joint statement as they look to urgently rectify thousands of loyal supporters having their season tickets taken away by the club.
The backlash to the confusing cancellations has been huge, and Man United themselves are yet to issue an official response or carry out the mass revocation.
More than 5,000 matchgoers are said to have received emails from MUFC informing them that their season tickets are set to be cancelled due to alleged ‘breaches of their ticket-sharing policies’. This comes as part of a wider attempt at cracking down on touts.
Manchester United’s official Supporters Trust (MUST) has joined forces with the other major fan groups to sign an urgent letter demanding not only answers but a halting of the current process and correction of what looks to be countless mistakes when it comes to ticketing decisions.
2/ The recent actions of Manchester United have finally achieved what those efforts could not: a unanimous, historic and unprecedented unification of
— MUST | Manchester United Supporters Trust (@MU_ST) July 21, 2026
The joint plea comes not only from MUST but also from fellow vocal organisations such as The Red Army (TRA), The 1958, and the Manchester United Youth Supporters Club, all of whom represent some of the most passionate and die-hard fans who travel far and wide to see their team week in and week out.
It goes on to detail that all relevant Fans’ Forum representatives, more than 100 different and crucially official supporters clubs, as well as the notable fanzine, United We Stand, have all signed the document.
The full statement goes on to read: “Earlier today, a message was sent to Manchester United emphasising full support for the Fans’ Forum’s recent letter relating to the premature suspension of Season Ticket Holders without required evidence.
“In summary, we have reiterated the demands made by the FF: immediately halt the ongoing suspension process, immediately retract all unproven suspensions, confirm the current number of season tickets; explain its apparent policy of reducing the number of STs, and confirm that all reclaimed STs are reissued to supporters on the waiting list.”
Here’s just a small taste of what fans are reporting online – including claims of local rivals Manchester City carrying out similarly brutal broad-strokes culling of the core match-going base…
Disgraceful how United are treating their most loyal supporters. The club is completely out of touch with the supporters who have been the lifeblood of the club for years. https://t.co/snM7tgVYmy
Can't even take the piss because this is coming to all Premier League clubs at some stage, including us. They don't want the legacy fans, they want the tourists https://t.co/fkg911xr3y
Many are already turning wherever they can for advice and help over the deeply troubling matter, with the consensus seeming to be that the parameters for these new measures have failed to target the right kind of touting, which does remain a problem throughout football at large.
One person claimed that “the club is targeting ‘super-users’ who log into multiple accounts from the same network or device to submit away applications, handle renewals, check ballot results, etc.”
Passing on tickets when you can’t make matches isn’t just inevitable: it’s been part and parcel of the game since forever and is also an effort to ensure that the person taking your place isn’t just any old fan but an active supporter; i.e. there’s meaning behind that word – it’s not just a noun but a verb.
That being said, it isn’t these people who should be punished but those genuinely trying to scam the system and take already expensive tickets out of real fans’ hands.
In perhaps one of the most heartbreaking posts shared on social media, another X user wrote: “Just back from holiday to discover family and friends have had their season tickets suspended.
“I’ve been offline for the past week and had no idea how widely the club had cast its net – or how many innocent Reds have been caught up in this. My uncle is 82 years old. A lifelong Red. Potentially banned because his son (also facing ban) helps him manage an app he struggles to use.” Simply gutting.
While they are still waiting for direct communication from the club on the matter, MUST have promised to share the reaction publicly “in the interests of transparency and fairness”, along with any and all “potential consequences” as a consequence of what they ultimately decide.
For anyone deliberating over just how important these tickets are not only to people who spend their hard-earned money and downtime following their club, just think of howmany rely on going to the game as a crucial social outlet.
It’s more than just watching a bunch of blokes kicking a ball around.
My heart goes out to everyone battling against the club right now. Whatever has gone on, losing your season ticket, or even the threat of it, is the worst. Seen people who have been all around watching this team for decades who are now being told they can’t go anymore. Horrible.
Danny Jones -
19th July 2023 
