By Michael Tanenbaum

Copyright phillyvoice

With about eight months before Philadelphia hosts its first World Cup 2026 match, work is underway to get Lemon Hill Park ready for thousands of soccer fans expected to attend watch parties at the FIFA Fan Festival next summer.

The historic section of Fairmount Park, formerly a 19th century estate on the east side of the Schuylkill River, was chosen last year as the designated space for a free-to-attend, five-week festival that will run the course of the World Cup from June 11 to July 19. The site will have big screen monitors to watch matches, activity stations and vendors selling food and merchandise.

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Although the city’s five World Cup matches will be played at Lincoln Financial Field, in South Philly, Lemon Hill Park was picked as the festival grounds because of its sweeping views of Center City, city officials said. Planners hope the atmosphere will resemble Brazil’s beaches and Germany’s town squares during past World Cups.

The roughly 46-acre area is getting a series of upgrades to make the space more inviting and accessible. People who visit the park in the coming months can expect to see a range of construction activity, road closures and detours.

The existing pathway up the hill at the park will be replaced, allowing it to be reseeded as a green space. The Streets Department also will make improvements to about 1,700 feet of sidewalks along Sedgley Drive, Poplar Drive and Girard Avenue. Twelve new ADA-compliant ramps will be constructed at the park, including two at the mid-block crossing on Sedgley Avenue near the basketball court.

Resurfacing work will take place at the Lemon Hill Mansion parking lot and along Sedgley Drive, Poplar Drive and Lemon Hill Drive. Temporary parking restrictions will be in place during milling, paving and line striping activity. Several corners also will get curb realignments and bump-outs to calm traffic, reduce crossing distances and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

The Philadelphia Water Department also plans to install drinking water stations in multiple areas of Lemon Hill Park. Other park upgrades include improved electrical service and the installation of security cameras.

Philadelphia is one of 16 World Cup host cities in the the United States, Canada and Mexico. FIFA’s expanded format in 2026 will feature 104 matches over 39 days, headlined by a new knockout round of 32 national teams that will be drawn from the best of 12 groups of four teams.

Lincoln Financial Field will have group-stage matches on June 14, 19, 22, 25 and 27. One Round of 16 match will be played there on July 4, coinciding with the city’s celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday. Specific matches in the group stage will not be known until after FIFA’s World Cup draw in December.

The festival at Lemon Hill Park is part of a busy summer schedule in Philadelphia, where Citizens Bank Park is slated to host the 2026 MLB All-Star Game on July 14.

FIFA opened up its first ticket presale for World Cup matches last week, inviting Visa cardholders to enter a lottery-style drawing to gain early access to tickets. Two more lotteries will open to the general public before the end of the year, and the general ticket sale will start in the spring.

The Lemon Hill estate was purchased by the city in 1844 and became the first piece of land used to create Fairmount Park when it was formally dedicated to the public in 1855. The improvements taking place ahead of the FIFA Fan Fest are part of a long-term plan to revitalize Lemon Hill Park, including the development of a new playground after the World Cup.