World Cup 2026: Medellín Bars and Restaurants Without Colombia

The 2026 World Cup final is on Sunday, July 19, and the numbers hanging over World Cup 2026 Medellín bars and restaurants were set long before anyone knew who would be playing in it. Colombia’s bar and restaurant association projected an extra COP $656,806 million in sales across the country between June 11 and July 19. Then, on July 7, Colombia went out.

The short version, if you are deciding where to eat or drink on Sunday:

• The final is Sunday, July 19 at MetLife Stadium, kicking off at 3 p.m. ET — 2 p.m. in Medellín, per FOX Sports. Some outlets have listed 4 p.m. ET, so confirm with your venue.
• Colombia is not in it. La Tricolor went out on July 7, on penalties against Switzerland.
• The COP $656,806 million industry forecast was made before that happened. No revised number has been published as of July 14.
• The city’s Fan Zone and giant screens were built around Colombia’s matches — nobody has confirmed they will run for the final.
• Expect a calmer, more international crowd than the Colombia matches drew, concentrated in El Poblado’s sports bars. Booking is still worth it: 2 p.m. Sunday lands on top of brunch service.

Below: what the industry forecast, what changed, and what it realistically means if you are going out this weekend.

The COP $656,806 million forecast, explained

The headline figure comes from Asobares, the national bar association. Its projection, as reported by La República, El Colombiano and Valora Analitik:

• COP $656,806 million in additional income for bars and restaurants nationally, June 11 to July 19.
• An average 23.5% lift in sales for the sector during the tournament.
• 63.2% of that impact in June — about COP $415,356 million — with the remaining COP $241,450 million falling in July, on the assumption that the knockout rounds and the final would keep people out of their living rooms and inside bars.
• Up to 30,000 temporary jobs across bars, restaurants and nightlife, per Semana.

For scale, Valora Analitik put the total at roughly 33 days of TransMilenio fare revenue in Bogotá.

That July half rested on one more assumption: that Colombia would still be playing.

Then Colombia went out on July 7

La Tricolor was eliminated in the knockout stage by Switzerland, drawing 0–0 and losing 4–3 on penalties on July 7, as Infobae reported and the Federación Colombiana de Fútbol confirmed. It was a strong run — two group-stage wins over Uzbekistan and DR Congo and a goalless draw with Portugal to top Group K, then a 1–0 win over Ghana — but it ended twelve days before the final.

That matters commercially, and the same industry research explains why. Asobares found that a Colombia win expands food and drink purchases by around 35%, while draws and defeats contract activity almost immediately, per Diario del Sur. The same study estimated more than 250,000 delivery orders per Colombia match, and put beer at the top of purchase intent, at 65%.

Strip Colombia out of the July calendar and the emotional trigger behind most of that demand goes with it. As of July 14, no revised projection has been published — so treat the July portion of the COP $656,806 million as a pre-elimination estimate, not a result. We will update this post if Asobares issues a revision.

What Medellín households were expected to spend

Locally, El Colombiano reported that the average Medellín household would spend more than COP $429,339 on the World Cup — covering food, drinks, televisions, shirts and the Panini album — mobilising roughly COP $567,879 million in the local economy. Food and beverages accounted for the largest share, projected at over COP $391,000 million. The tournament also landed alongside mid-year bonuses and Father’s Day, which historically lift gastronomy and entertainment spending.

Where the city has been watching

Medellín’s Alcaldía built its viewing programme around Colombia’s matches: an official Fan Zone at the Coliseo Iván de Bedout in the Atanasio Girardot sports complex, plus 21 giant screens — 16 in urban comunas and 5 in corregimientos — all free to enter, according to El Tiempo and Telemedellín. The Fan Zone drew crowds in the thousands on match days.

Because that programme was explicitly tied to the Selección, we cannot confirm the screens or Fan Zone will operate for the July 19 final. Check the Alcaldía de Medellín and INDER channels before making plans around them.

What the World Cup 2026 final means for Medellín bars and restaurants

The final is at MetLife Stadium and has been confirmed as an afternoon match — FOX Sports reports a 3 p.m. ET kickoff, which is 2 p.m. in Medellín. Some outlets have listed 4 p.m. ET, so confirm the time with your venue.

Practically: expect a calmer, more international crowd than the Colombia matches produced. The rooms most likely to be full are the ones with a foreign clientele — El Poblado’s sports bars and restaurants with a match-day programme. We covered those in our guide to where to watch the World Cup final in Medellín, and the venues opening around them in our July 2026 Medellín restaurant news roundup.

Booking ahead is still worth it for a 2 p.m. Sunday kickoff — that slot collides directly with Medellín’s busiest brunch and late-lunch service, whether or not Colombia is on the pitch.