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ALEXANDRIA, Va. - With Croatia's World Cup squad set to arrive in less than a month, Alexandria is rolling out a slate of events tied to the tournament, headlined by a free Croatian cultural festival at Waterfront Park.
"Flavors & Sounds of Croatia – Alexandria" will take over the waterfront on June 6 from 5 to 8 p.m., featuring traditional klapa and tamburica music performances by Muška klapa Podvorje, authentic Croatian food and wine from Old House Cosmopolitan Grill and interactive games from the Museum of Illusions. A rain location is set at the Torpedo Factory Art Center.
The festival is the latest in a series of cultural exchanges between Alexandria and Croatia that began earlier this month, when the Torpedo Factory hosted "Philately in Croatia," a weeklong exhibit of rare Croatian stamps that marked the first time the collection had traveled outside Croatia. Mayor Alyia Gaskins and Croatian Ambassador Pjer Šimunović spoke at the May 4 opening reception, where Gaskins framed the exhibit as the start of something larger. "This is bigger than football," she said. True success, she added, would be measured by whether the Croatian team came to feel "like family" rather than guests in the city.
Ryan Belmore
Croatia, ranked 10th in the world by FIFA, selected Alexandria as its official Team Base Camp in January, with the Vatreni set to train at Episcopal High School and stay at the AKA Hotel in Old Town throughout the tournament. Visit Alexandria has confirmed that training sessions will be closed to the public.
Ryan Belmore
In March, Visit Alexandria CEO Todd O'Leary told City Council the city was planning a "quasi-public" community training session for youth soccer players in June. "A lot of local youth sports, children, school-aged children, especially those that are involved in soccer programs, after-school soccer programs, will be invited to watch the team train here in Alexandria," O'Leary said. Visit Alexandria's World Cup media hub now references youth training camps led by professional Croatian coaches planned throughout the summer, though details on timing, location and registration have not been released.
Watch parties in Del Ray
The Alexandria Soccer Association is hosting two watch parties in Del Ray tied to the U.S. national team's group-stage schedule.
The first, "Pitches & Pints," takes place June 12 at Piece Out on Mount Vernon Avenue beginning at 8:25 p.m. for the U.S. opener against Paraguay, which kicks off at 9 p.m. in Los Angeles. Tickets include one free draft beer and an entry into a raffle featuring a limited-edition World Cup jersey. Proceeds benefit ASA's Access4All Project, which provides financial aid, free afterschool programs and safe places to play.
A family-friendly watch party follows June 19 at Gustave Boulangerie, also on Mount Vernon Avenue, for the U.S. match against Australia at 3 p.m. That event is free, with an optional $5 donation that includes a raffle entry. Proceeds again go to Access4All.
The U.S. closes out group play June 25 against Türkiye in Los Angeles at 10 p.m. No Alexandria watch party has been announced for that match. No public watch parties have been announced for any of Croatia's three group-stage games — a notable gap given that the city is serving as the team's home base.
Croatia's group-stage schedule (Group L):
June 17: vs. England — Dallas Stadium, Arlington, TX — 4 p.m.
June 23: vs. Panama — BMO Field, Toronto — 7 p.m.
June 27: vs. Ghana — Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia — 5 p.m.
U.S. group-stage schedule (Group D):
June 12: vs. Paraguay — SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles — 9 p.m.
June 19: vs. Australia — Seattle Stadium — 3 p.m.
June 25: vs. Türkiye — SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles — 10 p.m.
LaPluma goes all in
LaPluma Coffee & Wine Bar on Cameron Street is running daily World Cup programming from June 11 through July 19 — the full span of the tournament.
The shop is offering 10 percent off for guests wearing team jerseys during matches, opening whistle specials during the first 30 minutes of each game and rotating drinks inspired by the countries playing that day. During select matches, goals will trigger a free pour of drip coffee.
LaPluma is also running a season-long "Pick Your Team" contest, where guests select a team at the start of the tournament and earn prizes as their team advances. Weekly drawings and receipt-based raffles round out the promotions, along with combo specials including an empanada-and-coffee pairing and a "Big Win Combo" of Asado Chapín with a bottle of wine.
Croatian connections already on the ground
Alexandria already has ties to Croatia that predate the base camp selection. Wine Gallery 108 owner Lisa Katic draws on her family's Croatian heritage in curating her Old Town wine shop. A few blocks away, Old House Cosmopolitan Grill — which is providing food for the June 6 waterfront festival — has been run by Ivica "Ivan" Svalina and his wife Amela for nearly 25 years, with Croatian specialties like Zagrebački Odrezak and Ćevapčići on the menu.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 runs from June 11 through July 19, with the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
