Boston pub rents extra fridges to cope with demand as England fans arrive in city for World Cup 2026
England fans are beginning to arrive in Boston ahead of the Three Lions’ fixture against Ghana on Tuesday
A pub at the heart of Scotland’s World Cup campaign in Boston has rented extra fridges and drafted in staff from across the city as it prepares for an influx of England fans.
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The Dubliner became a hub for the Tartan Army during Scotland’s opening two matches in Massachusetts, with supporters packing the venue throughout their stay in the city.
With England fans beginning to arrive in Boston ahead of the Three Lions’ fixture against Ghana on Tuesday, bar manager Brian McDonnell said preparations were already underway for another surge in customers.
He said: “Obviously, stock – we have to stay way up on stock.
“We have deliveries coming in nearly every day – just always rotating around.
“We’re going through so much beer, and we have only a decent-sized keg room.
“We’re still going through so much that we had to rent a couple of mobile fridge units that we have out in the back alley so we always have beer rotating through – it’s always cold, it’s always flowing.”
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The venue has also brought in extra staff from sister bars elsewhere in Boston to help cope with demand.
“And obviously we had to call in a few extra staff, and we’re in a lucky enough position that we have a couple of different bars around the city, so we’re bringing staff from there to give us an extra hand,” Mr McDonnell said.
“So we just stock up on everything and hope for the best.”
He said the World Cup had transformed business at the pub, even on days that would normally be quiet.
Mr McDonnell added: “In general, we’re one of the busier bars in the city so on Thursday, Friday and Saturday we’d be slammed regardless.
“But on a Monday night, you might only have two bartenders on all night long and it’ll be pretty dead.
“Obviously on a Monday now, we still have a queue down the street, we have full staff, we have record numbers.
“Even now, it’s just Sunday and it’s packed in there and there’s still a queue down the street.
“So in general, it’s just been a massive increase on every single day.”
Mr McDonnell said Scotland supporters had exceeded expectations during their time in Boston.
He said: “It’s been amazing – Scotland’s like the ideal crowd we could have got.
“Obviously (they are) big boozers, big partiers – but while doing all that, they caused zero problems.
“I said over the last two weeks of madness… I don’t think we’ve had to kick out a single person.
“There’s been no scraps, no malice from anyone. Everyone’s here for a good time.”
With England supporters now taking their place in the city, Mr McDonnell said he expected another large turnout.
“We’re definitely expecting a big crowd,” he said.
“If they take over as much as the Scots it’ll be a different story.
“Kind of similar enough drinking habits, so we should be pretty prepared for that.
“The Scots have really set a high standard with regard to the party but also just their behaviour and everything.
“So I hope the English can follow suit.”
The arrival of England supporters has also been welcomed by actor John Ratzenberger, best known for playing postman Cliff Clavin in the sitcom Cheers.
The 79-year-old, who spent a decade living in England, told the Daily Star: “Cheers England! You can go all the way.”
He added: “England has the players, the passion, and an entire nation ready to carry that trophy home.”
Mr McDonnell said the tournament had also provided a boost for Boston’s international profile.
“It’s been unreal,” he said.
“Obviously there’s the business side of it, the financial side – we were slammed every single day.
“On the PR side, or the publicity, it’s like everywhere we looked on the media, our name was being mentioned – we were getting shared all across the world.
“That’s not just for us, that’s for Boston in general – I feel like it’s a lot more on people’s radar now thanks to the World Cup.”
Mr McDonnell added: “A lot of people had been hesitant about visiting America, visiting Boston, but coming here now they tell us it’s one of the best vacations they ever took.”