World Cup mania is fully alive in Massachusetts, even as Scotland’s Tartan Army leaves Boston and heads south to Miami, with a massive economic boom well underway across the region.
From Boston inking a long-term relationship with Glasgow to Foxboro, and cities and towns in between, local business leaders say the global soccer tournament is bringing a direct influx of cash that will last long after the matches are over.
In the town renowned as the “Birthplace of American Liberty,” the World Cup has “transformed” the Lexington Visitors Center Lawn into a “gathering place for soccer fans of all ages,” according to Sandhya Iyer, the town’s economic development and tourism director.
Attendance at watch parties that the visitor’s center is hosting has “exceeded expectations,” Iyer told the Herald on Saturday. Crowds grew from 1,400 attendees on opening day, to 2,000 on day two, to over 6,000 on day three, she said.
As the crowds came, food and beverage vendors started to sell out of inventory, prompting soccer fans to flock to Lexington’s restaurants, cafes and other local businesses, Iyer said.
“When our vendors sold out and people began filling restaurants throughout Lexington Center,” she said, “it became clear that the economic impact extended far beyond the event site itself.”
“This is exactly the kind of community and economic development outcome we hoped to achieve,” she added.
The celebration continues through Friday, with daily match broadcasts, family-friendly programming, community activities and food vendors – as long as their supplies last.
Running out of food and drinks has become a theme of the World Cup’s dominating presence in Boston, just a week into matches at Boston Stadium in Foxboro.
The Tartan Army, consisting of roughly 50,000 energetic Scots, traveled to Greater Boston for their country’s first two matches of the tournament. Their presence became a global sensation, as they drank some Boston bars dry and endeared themselves to locals, with some on social media expecting a Scottish baby boom in the city next year.
Mayor Michelle Wu took notice, signing a declaration of intent to establish a sister-city partnership with Glasgow, Scotland.
Wu said the letter of intent will lead to city officials from Boston and Glasgow working through the “international diplomatic channels to nail down all the details.” It includes a shared commitment from both cities for “inclusive growth and global engagement, laying the foundation for a meaningful and mutually beneficial partnership.”
“I saw on TikTok that, unfortunately, Scotland is demanding the Tartan Army back to take care of more things at home,” Wu said Thursday, as Scottish fans sang loudly, “No Scotland, No Party.” “We wish we could keep you all forever. This kind of agreement will make sure that you always see Boston as a home base.”
Gregory L. Stoller, a master lecturer at BU’s Questrom School of Business, noted that official estimates project roughly $1 billion in economic output, about 7,000 jobs, and more than $70 million in tax revenue from the seven World Cup matches in Foxboro.
There’s hope for an even stronger summer in the region, with Boston hosting America250 celebrations and the Tall Ships, Stoller said. This is presenting itself as a “nice reprieve” from the past few “sobering months” with global wars, high oil costs, and “everything else,” he said.
“This proves that Boston can do it,” Stoller told the Herald on Saturday. “Not that I didn’t think that we couldn’t do it, but it proves that we can do it and do it in triplicate, for the 250th Celebration, for the Tall Ships, for the World Cup.”
In the past, Stoller has connected the growth of the city – MGM Music Hall, a live entertainment space next to Fenway Park; Patriot Place in Foxboro, a hopping, dining, and entertainment destination; and Hub Hall and other development next to TD Garden – to the success of the region’s professional sports teams.
With Boston hosting the World Cup and other marquee summer events, Stoller said he believes this will attract even more real estate developers, entrepreneurs and local businesses.
“It is akin to a convention venue that stretches itself to accommodate a very large event,” he said, “but all of a sudden, they showed they can do it, and that will pave the way for more and more larger conventions to come in.”
Meet Boston, the region’s tourism bureau, says that nearly 70% of World Cup ticket sales have come from outside of New England, with a third from elsewhere in the country, and roughly another third outside the U.S.
The bureau has also seen “excellent year-over-year data on flight and hotel bookings, continuing an ongoing trajectory of growth since 2020.”
“This is exactly what we were hoping for,” President and CEO Martha Sheridan said in a statement, “and the excitement has exceeded our wildest expectations. … And with weeks to go, it will only get better.”
Officials in Revere say they saw city businesses record a 60% increase in productivity during the tournament’s opening weekend last week. Just south of Boston, Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch says his city is “absolutely seeing the impacts, particularly with our hotels being so accessible to the stadium.”
Julie Pagano coordinated a two-day watch party in Quincy’s Kilroy Square between Friday and Saturday, drawing “thousands” of visitors to downtown, increasing foot traffic for businesses.
“Beyond the immediate economic benefits,” Pagano said in a statement, “the weekend showcased Quincy as a welcoming destination capable of hosting diverse, family-friendly events that strengthen community pride and support local businesses.”
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