Scottish soccer fans have settled into their new home for the first two games of their first World Cup appearance since 1998 — Boston, Massachusetts — and they are making quite an impression.
Boston, thus far, has welcomed the Scots with open arms and even passed laws to keep their party rolling.
Members of the Tartan Army — diehard Scotland national team fans — have made themselves at home in Boston over the last week following their opening game win over Haiti, 1-0. The victory didn’t stop on the field, and businesses around the city benefited from the influx of Scots — and a well-timed change in state and local laws made just for this summer.
Sam Adams Boston Taproom, one of the more well-known bars in the New England area, was shocked by the ability of the Tartan Army to drink the entire pub dry over the weekend. Sam Adams told local news that they drank four times as much as what is normally consumed over a four-day holiday weekend.
“We’ve never seen anything like it,” Billy DeCain of the Sam Adams Boston Taproom told local NBC News.
Hennessy’s Bar, another famous spot in Boston, was also left in disbelief after reviewing its numbers from the opening weekend of the tournament.
“We’ve been here for over 30 years, and we’ve never seen anything like it,” Noelle Somers, chief operating officer of the bar, told the Boston Globe. “We tripled St. Patrick’s Day.”
The record-breaking sales across the city derive from what Scots are dubbing the “Tartan Army Bill.”
Last week, the Boston Licensing Board passed a measure allowing 144 establishments to stay open an hour past the usual closing time through July 31 under a state law signed by Governor Maura Healey.
“This bill will provide more opportunities for people to celebrate with their community for the World Cup and the other exciting events we have happening this summer for MA250,” Governor Maura Healey said in a statement after she signed the bill.
Scottish fans caught wind of the measure over the weekend — dubbing it the “Tartan Army Bill” — and repaid the hospitality with a full rendition of the U.S. national anthem in a Boston bar.
The Scots took over Boston and they belt out OUR anthem, word for word, in a pub!
The Europeans and Japanese at the World Cup have made the world appreciate America.
(Maybe they can teach the Democrats). pic.twitter.com/zA7rhdL1cs
— Buzz Patterson (@BuzzPatterson) June 16, 2026
It is even being reported that a city worker said Scotland fans were leaving the areas where they were celebrating so clean that he barely had to even do his own job.
A city worker cleaning up after a Tartan Army party said around 2,000 fans had been drinking and having fun… but left the area so clean he didn’t even need help tidying up.
Party hard. Bring the atmosphere. Make pals with the locals. Leave no mess behind 🏴 pic.twitter.com/4Ci4KLqkJP
— Scottish Banter (@1scottishbanter) June 17, 2026
European World Cup tourists across the country are falling in love with the United States, and the Tartan Army is clearly no exception.
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