LEXINGTON, Ky. — The city of Lexington is hosting a free watch party as Team USA takes on Belgium in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 knockout match Monday evening at Seattle Stadium. The free community event will be held at 8 p.m. Monday, July 8, at the historic Kentucky Theatre, 214 E. Main St., w ith doors opening at 7 p.m. More than 800 seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. The city is partnering with FOX 56, the Kentucky Theatre and the Lexington Sporting Club for the event. The expanded watch party comes after a full-capacity crowd gathered at the same venue Wednesday night to cheer Team USA’s 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32. “What a win, and what a night,” Mayor Linda Gorton said following the earlier match. “Lexington showed up to cheer on the red, white, and blue, and we’re excited to do it all again.” The USA and Belgium have faced each other twice in recent World Cup tournaments. Belgium defeated the United States 2-1 in the 2014 Round of 16, while Belgium won 5-2 in a March friendly earlier this year. The Lexington Sporting Club will again sell USA-themed merchandise and offer fans a free photo opportunity with the women’s recent championship trophy. David Simms, Director of Marketing for the Lexington Sporting Club, praised the community turnout. “It was special to see so many people show up and support not only the US National Team last Wednesday, but also the city of Lexington and local businesses,” Simms said. “Soccer fever is in full swing, and we’re excited to run it back with an expanded capacity when we take on Belgium.” This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from LFUCG General News, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://www.lexingtonky.gov/news/usa-usa-usa-city-plans-world-cup-watch-party-america-advances-round-16. View in feeds The post Lexington hosts expanded watch party for Team USA vs Belgium Round of 16 appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less