How Boston won the 2026 World Cup

· Yahoo Sports

BOSTON — Years from now when we talk about the 2026 men's World Cup, most people will probably say something like 'hey, do you remember how awesome it was in Boston!?'

That is why Boston has already won the 2026 World Cup.

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No city in North America has embraced and welcomed World Cup fans quite like Boston. And fans have embraced Boston like their second home. It is so easy to get around, fans are at the center of everything, there is so much history to see and beautiful places to congregate to soak it all in. It's perfect and the vibes are immaculate everywhere you go.

Casey Cotter is from the Boston area and works at a hotel near the stadium in Foxborough. He is living the World Cup dream. He and his friend Mike Alibrandi have been to watch games at the Fan Zone and they're making new friends as fans of so many nations come to Boston and have the time of their life. Casey and Mike joked that they want the World Cup to come to Boston every four years.

"It's been amazing. It has been absolutely incredible," Cotter said. "I just love the vibe, everyone coming in with their own experience with the sport. I love that we're getting to grow our respect for the game because of everyone around us. People that don't care about the game are loving it because of the people that they are meeting from all over the world. I just love sharing the sport that these guys are so passionate about with people that don't know anything about it, and they are becoming fans. That is the best thing I can see with all of this coming here."

Will hosting World Cup games in Boston have a huge impact for many years to come?

"100%. Man, with the Scottish, we're already putting petitions together to put a statue of the Tartan Army up here. I'm just loving everyone that's here because of the vibes here, the positivity. People say it and I agree, we needed the World Cup here just as much as the World Cup needed us," Cotter smiled.

Scottish fans react as they gather on the eve of the 2026 World Cup Group C football match between Morocco and Scotland in Boston on June 18, 2026. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP via Getty Images)

AFP via Getty Images

Scottish musicians Sean Cousins and Calum MacPhail were sat at home in Inverness, Scotland and decided the scenes were just too good in Boston to not experience it themselves. They jumped on a flight and got there just in time for the Morocco game last week and partied away with the Tartan Army.

"We saw it and we watched the first game against Haiti from home and thought 'we have to go!' So last minute plans. We came over for the game on Friday against Morocco, flew in on the day. It was a bit crazy getting from the airport for the game but it was amazing. The energy was unbelievable," Cousins explained.

Did seeing Scotland in Boston exceed their expectations?

"100%. Exceeded it. Saturday was unreal. Most of the Tartan Army left on Sunday, so it wasn't as good, but it was so worth coming," MacPhail said.

Boston, MA - June 11: Scottish soccer supporters gather outside Hennessy’s Bar ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 11, 2026. (Photo by Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Boston Globe via Getty Images

They both added that Boston as a city couldn’t have done more to welcome them.

"It has been great, even with like the police jumping on board with all the Scottish antics and the cones," MacPhail smiled.

Days after the Tartan Army departed the cones are still on the heads of statues across Boston. Out of respect. Locals are still chuckling away when they walk past and see them, remembering those chaotic, beautiful days when Scotland's fans opened up a whole new world to them.

Boston has seen a lot of the world in the first two weeks of the World Cup as they've hosted four games and the games just keep on coming with three more to come. The chants have captured their imagination and Boston has truly felt at the very heart of this tournament.

It has been a whirlwind. First came the Scottish fans who almost drank the city dry and took over Fenway Park, as the Tartan Army became the story of the World Cup. Haiti's incredible support, dancing and noise from horns were a riot. Then the Norwegians, Iraqi's and Moroccans added their wonderful flavor too. Extra reinforcements from Scotland then arrived for a second game.

"It was no joke, they literally drank some of the bars in Boston dry," one Boston bartender, who works at several venues in downtown, told me. "I have never seen anything quite like it. Everyone in Boston is so happy to welcome these fans here. Boston is such a sports obsessed city, it is perfect to host World Cup games."

Scottish and Norwegian fans react as they gather on the eve of the 2026 World Cup Group C football match between Morocco and Scotland in Boston on June 18, 2026. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP via Getty Images)

AFP via Getty Images

Then the English fans turned up to add extra intensity and chaos. And the French will show up in a big way too. The Norwegians are sticking around, probably rowing themselves up escalators in Viking hats as we speak. Argentina fans were out also out across the city, waving flags on unicycles and stopping traffic. Cape Verde supporters were going wild in the streets too as they celebrated another historic draw.

Fans from England and Scotland mingled and discussed tactics as banter flew around pubs. People in French jerseys worked behind bars, as the cheers and groans from huge crowds watching games in the Fan Zone reverberated around the heart of downtown. Fans of multiple nations huddled around a small TV screen of a Japanese street food stall in Quincy Market, watching the World Cup together.

And there were still plenty of Scots who decided to remain in Boston despite their team playing in Miami. Because, well, this is their home now.

"Boston has been incredible. Everyone has been so friendly," England fan Anoushka Probyn said. "It feels like everyone is super excited to have us here. It has been a really great atmosphere."

Everybody you speak to says the same.

Look, you’re going to have a good time in any city hosting World Cup games across North America this summer. But those in Boston had, and are having, the best time.

The welcoming tone and mood was set from the start. Local officials in Boston didn’t take themselves too seriously. Police officers wore Scotland jerseys and juggled soccer balls in the streets. The Mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, danced with Haitian supporters while wearing their kit. The governor of Massachusetts signed a declaration says that haggis is now legal. Boston and Glasgow are now officially sister cities.

They had fun with it, and therefore everyone else did.

"I don’t know how they’re going to beat it," Cousins said of the atmosphere in Boston compared to other World Cup host cities.

The Tartan Army made such an impression on New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft that he is reportedly asking the NFL to look into the possibility of the Patriots playing a game in Scotland in the coming years.

Everyone is hoping the special connection between Scotland and Boston will live on for many years to come.

"It would be great to something like a yearly thing because I think all the Scottish fans had such a good time and it looks like everyone in Boston did too," Cousins added. "Boston and Glasgow are now twin cities, which is incredible, and they legalized Haggis here. Hopefully they can mark it with a day to celebrate like this every year."

As for Boston itself, locals are pushing for another Olympic bid for the future as they've loved welcoming people from around the world to their city.

"I’ve loved everyone I met. The Scots, Iraqis, the Norwegians, the Haitians, the English, everyone has been such a great vibe and great energy that they brought to us. Anything that we can do that can bring them back here, maybe for a year after that or whatever, I'd love to have them. Everyone's been fantastic and I can't wait to meet more people," Cotter said, with a beaming smile.

And that attitude right there from Bostonians is why Boston has won the 2026 World Cup.

FOXBOROUGH, UNITED STATES - JUNE 13: A Scotland fan during a 2026 FIFA World Cup Group C match between Haiti and Scotland at the Boston Stadium, on June 13, 2026, in Foxborough, United States. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)

SNS Group via Getty Images

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