Tens of thousands of Scotland supporters descended on Boston for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and left the city scrambling for beer, triggering what local bar owners jokingly called a “beer crisis”.
The Tartan Army arrived for Scotland’s first World Cup appearance since 1998 and their opening 1-0 victory over Haiti at Boston Stadium in Foxborough on Saturday, June 13, 2026. Celebrations spilled into downtown Boston, where pubs overflowed with kilt-clad fans singing and marching with bagpipes.
The surge in demand was so intense that multiple bars ran dry. Samuel Adams Downtown Boston Taproom reported selling more than 3,000 pints of Boston Lager over a four-day stretch from Thursday, June 11, through Sunday, June 14, four times the amount sold during a typical holiday weekend. Staff collected 70 empty kegs on Monday morning.
“We’ve never seen anything like it,” said Billy DeCain, general manager of the Sam Adams Tap Room. “I’ve been in this business for over 30 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this.”
At one point the taproom had to call in an emergency truck delivery from a Sam Adams brewery to cope with demand. DeCain said without those deliveries they might have had to resort to selling only cans. The venue, which offers 20 beers on tap, completely ran out of its flagship Boston Lager over the weekend.
Other venues faced similar shortages. The White Bull Tavern ran out of everything except Bud Light. “The Scottish fans just drank the place dry and all they had was Bud Light,” one fan told NBC Boston. White Bull Tavern employee Paul Morris said, “Pretty much everything. We ran out of everything.”
Hennessy’s Bar in downtown Boston tripled sales compared to St Patrick’s Day. Chief operating officer Noelle Somers said, “We’ve been here for over 30 years, and we’ve never seen anything like it. We tripled St Patrick’s Day.”
The impact went beyond Boston proper. Liquor stores near the stadium in Foxborough also sold out of lager as fans stocked up before the match. With Scotland set to face Morocco in Boston on Friday, bars are preparing for a second wave of drinking from the Tartan Army.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu praised the supporters for their contribution to local businesses.
“The Scottish fans are the absolute best. They have been incredibly warm, they’ve been supporting our businesses, they have been getting to know our community and treating Boston as if it were another home away from home for them,” she said.
