England fans in Boston arrived after a stretch in which Scotland supporters turned the city into a loud, crowded stop on the World Cup trail. Boston hosted both of Scotland’s first two World Cup matches since 1998, and the reaction from local venues and officials was immediate.
Brandon Finnan, who runs the Cask 'n Flagon, said the pub was stretched by the volume of visitors. "We probably ran out of almost every beer at some point, but it was a lot of fun," he said, adding that the Scottish fans treated staff with respect and learned how tipping works in Boston.
Brandon Finnan at Cask 'n Flagon
Finnan said his staff were not prepared for the scale of it. "We didn't know what to expect really. We heard the Scottish were coming. And when they showed up, they showed up very deep!" he said. He also said, "I think a lot of us took it for granted in a way," after seeing how many fans came through.
The busiest stretch came over the past fortnight, when Boston businesses felt the pull of tens of thousands of fans. That crowd did more than fill seats and bars. It pushed civic attention toward the city’s connection with Glasgow, and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu signed a letter of intent to establish Boston and Glasgow as sister cities.
Boston Globe and Fenway Park
The city’s response reached beyond the pub trade. The Boston Globe ran a full-page advert in honour of the Tartan Army, saying, "You came for the World Cup, but gave us something more," and, "For a week, you turned train stations into singalongs, Fenway into a football ground, and an ordinary June into something we'll be talking about for years."
At Fenway Park, hundreds of fans attended a regular-season baseball match on 14 June, and Boston Red Sox President Sam Kennedy wrote to the Scottish FA thanking it for "something none of us will forget." He also said, "Kilts and Scottish flags filled our ballpark with a spirit that has no equivalent in American sport," and, "The Tartan Army treated our home like their own, and we are better for it."
That leaves Boston with a simple question after the noise and the beer taps ran low: how many Scotland fans will come back when the city stages major events again, and whether the Boston and Glasgow link turns this burst of support into something lasting.
