Planning a World Cup House Party? Follow These 10 Fool Proof Steps to Make It A Success

The first step in hosting any World Cup house party is choosing which lucky game gets to be the focus point. Thankfully the “luck of the draw” from an England perspective delivered, with the second game of Group B scheduled for a Friday night! England Vs USA, kicks off this Friday 25th November at 7pm.

Thankfully you don’t have to worry about the party being a flop or any awkward silences, if you follow this handy 10-step guide from The Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food Association who are the creators of National Pizza Week, an event sponsored by Stateside Foods, who are one of the UK’s largest chilled pizza manufacturers.

And, with pizza coming out in a recent survey as the top choice among Instagram users with 43% of the vote, according to a survey by White Rabbit, and the number one choice amongst football fans – it really is kick off time for a great party.

1. Don’t over complicate the party with lavish food ideas, fancy invites or trying to have it going hours ahead of the kick-off time. Simple is better, so grab your phone, setup the WhatsApp group and have guests arriving an hour before kickoff so that they can meet, grab a slice and a cool lager before the coverage starts on the big screen at 6pm!

2. When it comes to food for a house party then there really is only one option, EVERYONE loves pizza! To cover all tastes, we suggest you stick to the nation’s favourite toppings, Pepperoni, a chicken-based pizza, a classic margherita and vegan option – it’s that simple to ensure there is something for everyone. – plus, perhaps, throw in something more exotic such as a Hawaiian for the more adventurous. Pizzas are super easy to cook and there’s little clearing up to do afterwards. If people ask to bring something, then a few cans of cold beer make an ideal accompaniment to a great pizza.

3. Keep any decorations simple, a few small details make a big difference and keeping it to a theme is even better. A couple of England flags or bunting is all you need to make guests see that you’ve gone that extra mile.

4. When it comes to party games, then the classics are the simplest and easiest to setup and keep the party spirit going. Grab a few plastic cups and a couple of ping-pong balls, download Head’s Up from the app store or make sure you finish your favourite cereal for breakfast, ready for the cereal box game.

5. With football and beer involved it is likely that there will be a couple of renditions of “It’s Coming Home” during the football and, as host, you don’t want to be the one mumbling the words or just joining in for the chorus. Thankfully our friends over at Football..London have this handy breakdown of the lyrics.

6. Beer + Football + Music = Noise! A polite note through the neighbour’s door or nipping round with a bottle of wine to forewarn them is always a good idea. If you feel neighbourly, you might even invite them to join the party!

7. The success of a party will often hinge on the food and beer, with pizza you have the food covered and when it comes to beers then a selection of pale ales, lagers and one bottle of spirit, for the beer pong, should cover everything to keep everyone on the dancefloor long into the night or morning.

8. Whilst the football is the main event and will keep everyone occupied until at least 10pm, the “after-party” will only get started when the music starts. To save any last minute searching or some embarrassing tracks sneaking in, get your playlists sorted before the party or you can cheat a little by playing a setlist someone has already created, like this one with 70 songs and over 4 hours of music.

9. If you fancy really impressing your friends then a quick refresh on your football knowledge, especially of England’s opponents the USA, can really make you stand out as host.

10. Probably the most important point to follow, once your guests have arrived – enjoy the party! The guests are coming to see you and to watch the football.  You can’t control the football result, but you can control yourself. Don’t worry about being the perfect host, just relax, enjoy the game, and have a few drinks.  The World Cup only comes around every four years – enjoy it!