20,000 Tartan Army fans drink Boston bars dry at World Cup 2026

Scotland’s travelling support has overwhelmed Boston’s hospitality industry during the World Cup, with bars across the Massachusetts city running out of beer as more than 20,000 Tartan Army fans flooded in for the team’s opening group-stage fixtures.

Local venues doubled and tripled their orders in anticipation of the influx, but it still wasn’t enough. Eric Lemoult, manager of Dillon’s bar, said the Scotland fans had drunk the establishment out of both draught beer and a significant portion of its bottled stock.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Lemoult said. “You guys come, you party, you drink — it’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen.”

Boston is no stranger to large football crowds, but Lemoult noted that the Tartan Army operates on a different level entirely, saying Scotland fans “party them under the table” compared to other visiting supporters.

The sheer scale of the Scottish contingent — 20,000 strong in a single American city — underlines the extraordinary logistical commitment the Tartan Army makes for major tournaments, particularly given this is Scotland’s first World Cup appearance in decades.