The perfect eats for every World Cup match

Whatever team you're watching, at any time of day, these eats will make a match.

Source: Andrew Dorn

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All the action of the FIFA World Cup™ is here, and no matter what team you are cheering for in each match, we've got eats to keep you fuelled for all the football action. Let's kick things off in alphabetical order:

Argentina

Argentina's first match, against Saudi Arabia, kicks off Tuesday night for Australian viewers, so there are plenty of options for a footy dinner from beef empanadas (you can make the pastry and filling in advance) to quick (but full of flavour, thanks to the addition of a dash of garlic, wine and vinegar during cooking) pan-fried steaks. If you're catching their next match, against Mexico, in the early hours of Sunday morning, the lomito completo makes a hearty breakfast: a bread roll with teak, lettuce, tomato and ham, finished off with a fried egg. And for those with a sweet tooth, check the full collection of Argentinian recipes for multiple variations on that rich, delicious South American caramel, dulce de leche.

Pan-fried steaks Source: Rachel Tolosa Paz

Australia

Cheering on the Socceroos? Your options are endless, from some patriotic green and gold popcorn to an Aussie burger (complete with controversial pineapple!) or some ultimate nostalgia with homemade musk sticks.  If you're getting up for an early viewing session, put some spiced chai overnight oats in the fridge the night before so it's all ready to add some just toppings and eat when you get up, or Aussie-up your breakfast with watella (a wattleseed variation on Nutella), johnny cakes with native ingredient dukkah or cheesy Vegemite scrolls (as well as the yeast-risen version shown below, there's also this one, made with a quick scone dough, too). Explore the full multicultural marvellousness of what we eat today in the Australian recipe collection for more ideas.

Vegemite cheesy scrolls Source: Bonnie Savage

Belgium

No matter what team you are cheering for, a bowl of golden, crunchy frites Belges (Belgian potato fries) served up with mayo makes for great game snacking. And if you'd like to get ahead, Belgian beef and beer stew can keep in the fridge for several days, ready to heat and eat. With beef, bacon, onion and chunky veg, plus deep flavour from herbs, spices, mustard and the long slow cooking, this will fuel plenty of cheering.

Beef and beer stew Source: The Washington Post

Brazil

Thinking of firing up the barbecue ahead of an evening game? Brazil has plenty of ideas to keep you going: how about cachaça chicken skewers, served up with gaúcho potato salad and queijo coalho (fried cheese sticks)? Satisfy a sweet tooth with brigadeiros (Brazilian chocolate caramels) or grilled pineapple with cinnamon sugar.

Cachaca chicken skewers Source: Smith Street Books

Cameroon

For a true taste of Cameroon, embrace the deliciousness of fried puff puff. Other favourite dishes include fufu. And Cameroon is one of several West African countries where peanut stew is popular.

Source: China Squirrel

Canada

Poutine - fries with cheese curds and gravy - is a Canadian classic. You could also play with the idea in a roast chicken poutine sandwich. Lean into Canadian game day fare with corndog mac and cheese with spicy ketchup or pretzel dogs. If you plan ahead, you can slow-cook beef brisket for a smoked Montreal meat sandwich. And on the sweet side, Canada has given us maple syrup, which sweetens up everything from maple and cinnamon beavertails (part bread, part doughnut, 100% sugar-sprinkled indulgence) to butter tarts or perky Canadian cook Mary Berg's even easier take on that rich, gooey classic with her recipe for butter tart squares.

Pretzel dogs Source: Mary's Kitchen Crush

Costa Rica

As a coastal country, it's no surprise that Costa Rica does great seafood (dive into our seafood collection here for plenty of ideas). If you've got some time to prep, make tamales with slow-cooked pork. Rich pastel de tres leches (three milks cake) is an indulgent dessert, with a sponge cake dressed with a mixture of milk (or cream), condensed milk and evaporated milk (you can also try a chocolate version - not traditional, but adding an extra depth of flavour).

Costa Rican pork tamales Source: Feast / Chris Chen

Croatia

From the Mediterranean food of the coast to the rich continental cuisine of the interior, Croatia offers a wide array of options. Fire up the 'cue pre-match for a barbecued rack of lamb with grilled eggplant with marinated feta on the side, or stuffed barbecued squid. This could also be the perfect time to try making fritule - Croatian potato doughnuts, delicious balls rolled in icing sugar to deliver a delicious combination of warm doughnut and crunchy sweetness.

Stuffed barbecued squid Source: Armelle Habib

Denmark

While those of us fond of baked sweets might immediately think of Danish pastries, there's a lot more to the food of Denmark (though if you want to try your hand at making Danish, there are so many delicious options: try spandauer - a raspberry and marzipan pastry - or a rhubarb and custard Danish pastry. For game eats, you can line up anything from Danish prawn sandwiches to meatballs or chicken salad.

Danish prawn sandwich Source: Danielle Abou Karam

Ecuador

If you're planning a big gathering (or want leftovers!) plan ahead and make Ecuadorian slow-roasted pork. Enjoy the falling-apart slow-cooked pork and crackling with salad and agrio sauce for a big meal with mates, and then turn the leftovers into mini meat pies, banh mi or pork rolls with apple.

Ecuadorian slow-roasted pork with agrio sauce and salad Source: Chris Middleton

England

England is great at baking, from scones to traditional puddings, but for couch-side eats, how about roast-root dip, an ale pulled pork sandwich, corned beef hash, potato hand pies, salt and pepper scampi (calamari) with garlic mayo, chicken tikka masala, or British fish cakes. Or set up a ploughman's platter with piccalilli and graze between the cheering bouts.

Ploughman’s platter with piccalilli Source: Feast magazine

France

French food has travelled the world, and while some of it is top-end, award-winning fine dining, for match cheering, there are plenty of easy options too. Perhaps a classic croque monsieur, steak with quick lemon pepper cream sauce, or caramelised onion and pumpkin tart. Or put a spin on a classic snack with Cafe de Paris popcorn, with flavoured butter melted over hot, fresh popcorn. For dessert, chocolate French meringues are great as they are, or crumbled over ice cream.

A chocolate version of French meringue Source: The Chocolate Queen

Germany

If pizza is your match-watch fave food, try an easy version of Germany's flammkuchen aka 'flame cake': top your favourite flatbreads with bacon or speck, pan-fried onion, and a cream cheese-yoghurt-nutmeg mix. For something heartier, buy some good-quality sausages and pickles, make your own flavoured dipping mustard with Adam Liaw's recipe (it uses dark German beer for extra flavour) and serve up his sausage platter with beer mustard. Or perhaps a pork schnitzel with slow-cooked cabbage and onion, and mashed potato. If you need a hearty breakfast to keep you going, a Farmer’s breakfast (bauernfrühstück) is a great one-pan meal from northern Germany with potato, egg and bacon. And if you're after a quick dessert that can also double as a sweet breakfast, kaiserschmarnn - a pan-fried thick pancake that is then shredded into chunky pieces - is very easy to make.

Bauernfrühstück Source: Alan Benson

Ghana

If you're settling in for a meal, jollof rice with fish will do nicely. Jollof rice is a staple in many parts of West Africa. This version is flavoured with garlic, ginger, onion, chilli, various spices and tomato, and served with seasoned grilled fish. Or for a warm, delicious dessert, make a batch of Ghanaian drop doughnuts.

Jollof rice with fish Source: Alan Benson

Iran

Iranian and Persian cuisine offers a wonderful array of dishes. Some reward hours of slow cooking - like slow-roasted lamb with fig and chickpeas - but for faster game fare try marinated chicken with saffron butter and easy pickled red onion, served up in flatbreads, lamb and potato rissoles, or herb and feta oven omelette (kuku). For sweet snacking, make a batch of saffron almond brittle (sohan-e qom) or to cool down on a hot night, have some pistachio ice cream with burnt sugar on hand.

Lamb and potato rissoles (kotlet-e gousht). Source: John Laurie

Japan

Japanese food gives us so many great options for a match-watching fare - many of which free up the other hand for cheering and waving at the on-screen action! Go casual with a katsu sando, make ginger chicken rolls (which pair Japanese-style fried chicken with yuzu mayo, pickled ginger and apple in soft buns), or easy teriyaki salmon skewers, keep it cool on a warm night with California rolls or sashimi salad or snack on chicken, ginger and miso patties with ponzu glaze. If you are a ramen fan, there are endless options, from tonkatsu ramen to chilled ramen and even the garlic-loaded 'vampire slayer' ramen. Find many more ideas, including desserts, in the Japanese recipe collection.

Tonkotsu ramen Source: Feast magazine

Korea Republic

For a Korean twist on classic TV viewing food, try hotteok popcorn, which embraces the flavours of one of Korea's favourite street snacks, tossing caramel popcorn with nuts and seeds to create crunchy, sweet-salty clusters. Or make your own hotteok (a stuffed pancake that's delicious as a snack or served with ice cream as a dessert). On the savoury side of things, try Korean braised pork ribs, garlic chive and spring onion chijimi (savoury pancakes), served with soy dipping sauce, shredded soy-braised beef (jang jorim), which is sweet, salty and garlicky and gets even better after a day sitting in the fridge. This is one of the SBS Food team's favourite make-again-and-again recipes.

Shredded soy-braised beef (jang jorim) Source: Billy Law

Mexico

While there's a lot more to Mexican food than tacos, they do make outstandingly good eat-between-cheers (or screams!) food. Find many variations - including a heap from Mexico - in our taco recipe collection. Go hearty with Pati Jinich's Campechano tacos with street-style salsa, find a tasty vegan option with beer-braised tofu tacos or go modern Mexican with beer-battered fish tacos in soft flour tortillas. If you've got mates over for a match, Aztec pie is a great option: a layered pie of corn tortillas, chillies, corn, salsa, sour cream and melty white cheese. For a meal for two, try an easy chilli fish stew. For a Mexican breakfast (that also works just fine for dinner) try 'divorced eggs' - two eggs, separated by beans and topped with two salsas. To finish the feast, try paletas de agua, a popular summer street treats in Mexico: these 'water popsicles' make the most of seasonal fruit, such as watermelon and strawberries.

Aztec pie (pastel Azteca) Source: Alan Benson

Morocco

The rich cuisine of Morocco offers everything from snacky eats to hearty meals for a crowd. Lamb tagine with stewed apricots and prunes (mrouzia) delivers great slow-cooked tender meat. Harissa chicken and apricot pilaf is an easy one-pot meal, perfect for a week-night match meal. For snacking, try Hassan M'Souli's Moroccan green pea dip, served warm with flatbreads, or on the sweet side, pastry cigars with almond and cinnamon filling.

Moroccan green pea dip Source: Alan Benson

Poland

Whether you want comfort food in the form of Mazurian potato marjoram pie, a refreshing bowl of cold beetroot soup or one of the many varieties of pierogi popular in Poland (such as these potato and cheese dumplings - ruski pierogi), the food of Poland will never leave you hungry. If you are looking for dessert ideas, try a Krakow-style cheesecake, with a sweet cheese and sultana filling and lattice top, or sugar, cinnamon, jam and walnut-filled rugelach, delicious rolled pastry biscuits.

Potato and cheese dumplings (ruskie pierogi) Source: Feast / John Laurie

Portugal

From barbecued peri peri chicken to the much-loved custard tarts (pasteis de nata), Portugal has something for watching at any hour of the day. You can greet the morning with fried bread with cinnamon sugar, and relax at lunch and dinner with migas (a salad stew of green leaves, crunchy breadcrumbs, pine nuts and beans), salt cod, chickpea and egg salad or tender, slow-cooked chanfana (lamb). Or embrace the flavours of piri piri chicken in firebird popcorn.

Migas Source: Sharyn Cairns

Qatar

Many of the flavours and dishes popular across the Middle East are found in Qatar too, from shawarma to golden, syrup-soaked sweet pastries. Kunafa is especially popular: a soft cheese and pastry dessert topped with pistachios, which appears in several guises.

Chicken shawarma with puffed pita and pickled onion salad Source: Andrew Dorn

Saudi Arabia

Falafel (tamiya) are a Saudi favourite. Serve your homemade falafel with tarator, and a garlic-tahini sauce. For a dish to feed a crowd, cook up kabsah, a fragrant rice and meat dish popular in many places in the Persian Gulf. Sweet pastries are also a favourite here. Try Huda AlSultan's recipe for baklawa with dates and nuts, inspired by the sweets she ate growing up in Saudi Arabia. Her date ma'amoul pie is another great dessert idea.

Lamb kabsah Source: Chris Phillips / Jimmy Shu’s Taste of the Territory

Senegal

Yassa chicken is originally from Casamance in Senegal. This dish of tender chicken, melt-in-the-mouth onions and lemon is rich in flavour. Serve with rice for a hearty meal to fuel your viewing. Jollof rice, or ceebu jen as it's known in Senegal, is popular across West Africa and no wonder - it's colourful and easy to prepare. Or for a seafood dish from Senegal, try thieboudienne, a rice and fish stew.

Yassa chicken Source: Aline Princet / Murdoch Books

Serbia

From cufte (pork and beef mince patties) to pork skewers with “chaotic” garlic spread (svinjski ražnjići sa urnebes) and stuffed cabbage rolls, Serbia has plenty of options for fuelling your viewing. But leave some room for sweets, too, perhaps kiflice (rolled pastry biscuits filled with jam or hazelnut spread) or pita sa sirica (sweet pumpkin pastry, made with crisp, light dough - you can make your own, or use bought filo).

Pork skewers with “chaotic” garlic spread Source: Marija Petrović

Spain

The food of Spain makes great use of seasonal ingredients, whether it's served as tapas, family meals or celebratory gatherings. You'll find plenty of match-friendly food in our Spanish recipe collection, from island fish croquettes to a 'Farmer's pot' tray bake. If you're looking to serve up several snacky dishes, tapas style, try bacon and chorizo croqueta with jalapeno sauce, slices of sweet potato and rosemary tortilla, garlic prawns, or the ever-lasting favourite, patatas bravas. And wash it down with cherry sangria.

Island fish croquetes (mandonguilles de peix) Source: Rochelle Eagle

Switzerland

If you want some pre-match fun, Switzerland is known for fondue, and you should try this caramelised onion and cheese fondue - it's a rich one! - or this classic Swiss fondue. Also high on the comfort food scale is appenzeller spätzli, a little like Swiss mac and cheese. Switzerland is also home to some lovely desserts and baking, such as nussgipfel, which are like little puff pastry croissants, or basker leckerli, spiced honey-nut biscuits.

Baked caramelised onion and cheese fondue Source: Savannah van der Niet

The Netherlands

Dutch food roams widely, from hearty traditional dishes to easy modern food. Spicy pulled pork rolls with coleslaw and barbecue sauce make winning match fare, while farmer's cheese soup reflects the Netherlands' strong cheese-making traditions. If you're in the mood for a noodle stir-fry, try bami, a Dutch version of mi goreng. For a sweet snack, try a bowl of speculaas popcorn (inspired by Dutch speculaas cookies).

Spicy pulled pork rolls with coleslaw and barbecue sauce Source: Alan Benson

Tunisia

Embrace the flavours of Tunisia with a bowl of harissa prawns with chickpeas and lemon couscous, chicken meatballs with preserved lemon and harissa relish or Tunisian chickpea soup. 

Tunisian baked eggs (shakshuka) have become a cafe favourite in Australia, for good reason, and it's great for breakfast, brunch or dinner. If you've got a little time, yeasted Tunisian doughnuts, soaked in honey and lemon syrup and fragrant with orange blossom water, are worth the effort.

Harissa prawns with chickpeas and lemon couscous Source: Mary Makes It Easy

Uruguay

Embrace the pancho! The toppings of this sausage in a bun change depending on the region or stall you buy it from, though popular additions include cheese, mustard, onion and salsa golf - a mixture of ketchup and mayonnaise. Or make a bowl of cheese and quince popcorn: quince paste – known in Uruguay as dulce de membrillo – and grated cheese bring a glorious balance of sweetness, saltiness and creaminess.

Pancho (Uruguayan hot dog) Source: Feast / Brett Stevens

USA

America has plenty to offer when it comes to game food. Try anything from deep-dish pizza to buttermilk fried chicken sandwiches or potato skins. For early morning sustenance, dig into some slow-cooked baked beans or perhaps a power smoothie. If you're a choc chip cookie fan, try these.

Deep dish vegetable pizza Source: Kitti Gould

Wales

A ham sandwich rarebit is like an extra special cheese toastie, while a goat's cheese, red onion and caraway seed tart makes another rich dish to keep you fuelled and going in for more. Don't forget to pan-fry a few studded Welsh cakes while hovering in the kitchen for a sweet hitter.

Ham sandwich rarebit Source: Adam Liaw