Prince George’s County hosts World Cup watch parties, youth soccer tournaments

Prince George’s County is using World Cup buzz to pull families into Riverdale and Hyattsville, with free watch parties, youth tournaments and food trucks aimed at turning two neighborhood parks into lively public gathering spaces.

The Prince George’s County Planning Department and the M-NCPPC Department of Parks and Recreation announced Summer Soccer Kickoff Watch Parties and Youth Soccer Tournaments for Fletcher’s Field in Riverdale on June 11 and Heurich Park in Hyattsville on June 27. County planners are framing the events as more than match-viewing: they are meant to test how public spaces can draw foot traffic, support local businesses and give residents a nearby place to gather around a major sporting event.

At Fletcher’s Field Park, 5200 Kenilworth Avenue in Riverdale, the county has scheduled a June 11 program from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. The day will center on the Mexico vs. South Africa match, slated for 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., followed by a co-ed youth tournament for players ages 6 to 14. The park covers 19.384443 acres, giving organizers room to stage family programming without sending people across the county for a soccer event.

Heurich Park, at 6001 Ager Road in Hyattsville, is set for a larger June 27 gathering. County listings put the event from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m., while the Hyattsville calendar lists it from 1 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. That program will include live matches, food trucks, kids’ soccer programming and another youth tournament for children ages 6 to 14. The park spans 60.777968 acres, making it one of the county’s larger neighborhood green spaces.

James R. Hunt, who became acting planning director on Dec. 19, 2025, and Darius A. Stanton, who took over the parks department on July 21, 2025, are presenting the soccer series as part of a larger placemaking push. The planning department says its team works to reimagine public spaces so they better reflect residents’ needs, while the parks department says it manages more than 28,000 acres of parkland and close to 400 parks countywide.

The county is also tying the watch parties to a broader June slate that includes a World Cup festival at the Prince George’s County Sports and Learning Complex in Landover on June 12 and 13. For Riverdale and West Hyattsville, the summer soccer programming offers a no-cost local draw that could boost nearby activity while giving children a visible path into organized play.