First US all-women's-sports bar embraces the Women's World Cup - ESPN

PORTLAND, Ore. — An hour-and-a-half before the USA opens its 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup campaign against Vietnam, a staff member at a sports bar in Portland places an «at capacity» sign in front of the door. Dozens of people continue to peek into the bar anyway, hoping beyond reason that a spot will open up.

Inside, it feels in many ways like a typical sports bar. Throughout the night, fans who arrived early enough to snag coveted seats chow down on burgers and fries and drink pints of beer as they cheer and yell at the bar's five TVs. Many wear scarves or jerseys with the names of their favorite athletes plastered on the back. Some are regulars who have come from down the street to be in a place they now consider a second home. Others, however, have traveled from far-flung places across the United States to be at this bar, on this day.

They're here because of one key difference: At the Sports Bra, the only thing playing is women's sports.

«The idea that there's a sports bar out here dedicated to supporting women, you just don't see that in other places,» said Paule Voevodsky, 29, who traveled from Chicago specifically to watch the USA's 3-0 win over Vietnam at the Sports Bra with another friend who traveled from Houston. «And there's clearly a market for it. People got here way early because they want to be in a space like this. There should be more spaces like this.»

— Women's World Cup: Landing page | Schedule | Rosters | News

It's a simple, yet seemingly unprecedented idea. Owner Jenny Nguyen believes the bar might have been the first of its kind when it opened in 2022. Now, there are at least two other Pacific Northwest bars dedicated to women's sports — Rough & Tumble in Seattle and Icarus in Salem, Oregon — and