{"id":714603,"date":"2026-06-20T01:20:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T01:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/714603\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T01:20:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T01:20:14","slug":"tartan-army-invades-boston-as-scotland-soccer-fans-revel-at-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/714603\/","title":{"rendered":"Tartan Army invades Boston as Scotland soccer fans revel at World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) \u2014 Ever since Scotland fans learned they\u2019d begin the country\u2019s ninth World Cup<\/a> appearance in Boston, plans were being made for a party.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew there was going to be a tsunami of Tartan Army (Scotland fans),\u201d said Jason Waddleton, a Scotland native and owner of The Haven, a Scottish restaurant and bar in Boston\u2019s Jamaica Plain neighborhood since 2010.<\/p>\n

He was right.<\/p>\n

First, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey<\/a> agreed to temporarily extend bar and restaurant hours during the World Cup. Next came thousands of Scots \u2014 one estimate is as high as 50,000 \u2014 descending on the Boston area, including nearby Providence, Rhode Island, which has become a home base for many of them over the past few weeks.<\/p>\n

Then it was the Tartan Army marching through Boston\u2019s streets<\/a> following the country\u2019s opening win over Haiti<\/a> last week \u2014 taking over the city\u2019s famed Fenway Park alongside Red Sox Nation after the team dubbed it \u201cScottish Heritage Celebration Night.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the taps have been running nonstop. <\/p>\n

World Cup fans in Boston, especially the Scots, have put a serious strain on the beer supply in a city that is accustomed to big drinking holidays in St. Patrick\u2019s Day and the Fourth of July. <\/p>\n

The Haven, which has long served Scotland\u2019s top-selling beer, Tennent\u2019s Lager, has gone from four kegs a week to ordering 50 just for this week. Other bars have sold out of Tennent\u2019s and have tripled their orders to make sure it doesn\u2019t happen again. Sam Adams said its Boston taproom ran out of their famed Samuel Adams Boston Lager last weekend after Scottish fans descended on the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve basically blown through our own allocation. We still have it and we\u2019ll get more in on Monday,\u201d Waddleton said.<\/p>\n

The celebratory atmosphere intensified Friday as Scotland prepared to play its second World Cup match of the tournament outside Boston.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey know how to party, how to make friends and influence people,\u201d Waddleton said of the Scots.<\/p>\n

Scots fill pubs in the Boston area, challenging beer reserves<\/p>\n

One of the most sought-after beverages in Boston pubs over the last week is Tennent\u2019s Lager.<\/p>\n

Once only available at The Haven, before the tournament started Tennent\u2019s made deals and distributed kegs of its product to 80 bars in Boston and surrounding areas.<\/p>\n

Samantha Crawford, the international marketing manager for Tennent\u2019s, said they started preparing to distribute their product to the U.S. as soon as Scotland qualified for the the World Cup in November. They\u2019ve also sent supplies to Miami bars ahead of Scotland\u2019s match against Brazil next week.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a long time in the making. The next day we got to work,\u201d she said of the preparations to make sure the beer is stocked in the U.S. She said the beer is ingrained in the sports culture in Scotland.<\/p>\n

Many area bars and restaurants have been caught by surprise<\/p>\n

Mivan Spencer, owner of Caffe Dello Sport in Boston\u2019s North End, said he is used to handling large crowds for major soccer tournaments, but has been surprised by the amount of business he\u2019s seen during the World Cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the first weekend of matches I definitely ran out of almost everything,\u201d Spencer said. \u201cLuckily I have a couple other restaurants I borrowed product from to get me through.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first thing he sold out of was Tennent\u2019s, before quickly selling out of Peroni.<\/p>\n

Spencer said he\u2019s since tripled his usual alcohol order for this week, saying it\u2019s so \u201cI don\u2019t run out of a single thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over at High Street Place, a food hall in downtown Boston, beverage supplies that were expected to last a week were consumed in four days, said Lauren Johnson, a senior marketplace manager at the venue.<\/p>\n

\u201cFortunately, we have great partners, and our distributors were able to pivot quickly and increase subsequent orders to keep pace with demand seamlessly,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Tapping in \u2014 and out \u2014 of iconic Boston beer Sam Adams<\/p>\n

Sam Adams said its Boston taproom ran out of their famed Samuel Adams Boston Lager last weekend. From Thursday to Sunday, the Boston-based brewer said the Tartan Army drank four times as much Boston Lager as the establishment typically sells during a four-day holiday stretch like the Fourth of July.<\/p>\n

To date, Sam Adams has sold more than 4,000 pints of Boston Lager, resulting in about 90 empty kegs, said Devon Sage, a Sam Adams spokesperson.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had to schedule four \u2018emergency deliveries\u2019 to the Taproom,\u201d Sage wrote in an email.<\/p>\n

Soccer diplomacy comes to Massachusetts because of the World Cup <\/p>\n

Politicians in Massachusetts have also joined in on the soccer craze.<\/p>\n

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has been a fixture at Boston\u2019s fan festival and made appearances at several watch parties. Gov. Healey declared June 18 \u201cWorld Cup Fans Appreciation Day\u201d and was spotted at The Haven behind the bar pouring drinks for patrons.<\/p>\n

It brought a smile to Waddleton\u2019s face, though he said the governor may need to work on her bartending skills a little.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaura Healey needs to learn how to pour a pint before getting that Sunday shift she asked for,\u201d Waddleton said. \u201cBut we can work on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Associated Press writer Kimberlee Kruesi, and freelancers Ken Powtak and Caterina McGuigan contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP World Cup: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/fifa-world-cup<\/a><\/p>\n