Nashville SC hosts watch parties, Japanese national team during World Cup

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Nashville SC launched a seven-week Summer Kickoff program Monday with a youth soccer camp at Geodis Park, offering events for fans during a break in Major League Soccer matches.

The camp allowed players ages 5 to 13 to play on the professional pitch. Local coaches led the sessions.

Nashville SC will host no matches over the next seven weeks as the FIFA World Cup takes place across the United States and two other host countries. The tournament begins in just over a week.

The Summer Kickoff program centers on watch parties for World Cup group stage matches, said Lindsey Paola.

“We really wanted to celebrate the World Cup. The biggest moment for soccer in the United States since the World Cup was last here in 1994, and that was really important for us,” Paola said.

During the World Cup, Nashville SC will host the Japanese men’s national team, which will train at the club’s training facility for its group stage matches. The team will hold an open training at Geodis Park on June 8 at 6 p.m.

Japan will play its first match on June 14 against the Netherlands.

“It really spotlights soccer here in Nashville and really makes it known that we are a global destination for soccer,” Paola said. “With the Club World Cup last year we saw that. Now we see it with the Japanese national team and of course in 2028 we have the Olympics. We have nine Olympic matches here so it just continues to show that Nashville is a soccer city, a global soccer city.”

Team USA will play Paraguay on Friday, June 12.