Boston’s major sports teams captured 10 titles during Olde Magoun Saloon’s first 24 years of business, but none of those championship nights matched a three-hour window last week.
As the U.S. soccer team put away Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 of FIFA World Cup 2026, patrons put away enough food and drink for a collective record-breaking performance of their own. Fans rejoiced as the U.S. closed in on a 2-0 win, and Olde Magoun’s finished off the highest-grossing three-hour period ever.
“This has been just a fantastic run,” said Greg Coughlin, Olde Magoun Saloon’s owner.
Located at 518 Medford Street in Somerville, Olde Magoun’s is one of the countless local businesses benefiting from the World Cup.
At Phoenix Landing, perhaps the pre-eminent soccer bar in Cambridge, owner Kevin Treanor said the watch parties, the wave of soccer madness and the expanded alcohol hours and public consumption zones have been “a real boon for area businesses.” He said the 1 p.m. games during the group stages were “an event every time.” The Landing opened in 1995 at 512 Massachusetts Avenue and Treanor said “this is the best I’ve ever seen Central Square.”
The City of Cambridge has so far hosted six free outdoor watch parties, which both directly and indirectly boosted nearby businesses. Dubbed “Cambridge United,” the city has shuffled locations and ties to the matches held at Boston Stadium in Foxboro, the next of which is Thursday, July 9. Establishments surrounding the watch parties see upticks in business, and some of the events included a Cambridge-Somerville Black Business Network Caribbean Nites Market where vendors set up outside the watch parties akin to a farmer’s market vibe.
Not just good for bars
Nefisa Siraj, a Cambridge resident, owner of Cini Coffee and participant in the Cambridge-Somerville Black Business Network Caribbean Nites Market, said she sold nearly three times as much product during the first outdoor watch party. Chai and hibiscus tea sell well.
“This year, I’ve made more than the last seven years,” Siraj said. “This month, it’s been very high.”
Many imbibers took advantage of the city’s newly approved outdoor drinking zones with drinks purchased during the watch parties across from approved businesses in parts of Massachusetts Avenue, Harvard Square, Central Square, Inman Square and Kendall Square. The zones opened following a bill signed by Gov. Maura Healey, and extending open hours until as late as 3 a.m., through July 31.
The Lilypad, normally a music venue at 1353 Cambridge St. in Inman Square, set up shop June 19 during that square’s Cambridge United day. The $4,000 in alcohol sales in one day matched their usual business in two weeks.
“Glad I witnessed something that may never happen again,” owner Gill Aharon said in an email. “It was such a happy day. People were so nice and well behaved. You could feel joy on a large and collective scale.”
A hunger for gathering
Pardis Saffari, the city’s director of economic development and opportunity, estimated crowds for the city’s watch parties have ranged from 500 to 5,000. “What we’ve seen is definitely a desire for community and connectivity,” Saffari said. “What a lot of people have appreciated is an opportunity to get outside and meet their neighbors.”
The outdoor shows culminate with the World Cup Final July 19 in East Cambridge near the CambridgeSide mall. Hotels and short-term rentals also benefitted, said Saffari, who looks forward to reviewing citywide meal consumption data when it becomes available.
Even decidedly non-sports bars see the World Cup boost, as long as they play along.
Aeronaut Brewing in Somerville shows matches on a large screen inside its tap room during normal operating hours, save for when it overlaps with existing programming. Marketing manager Ashlyn Edwards said fans of all countries descend upon Aeronaut in various arrangements — sometimes a small group of friends supporting a specific country, or larger, multi-group supporters sections.
“There’s such a big overlap between beer drinkers and soccer fans, so we knew it would be a good opportunity,” said Edwards, who declined to share specific numbers on matchday sales. ”Besides that, we’re trying to keep our programming as best as we can. “We’ll probably have a postmortem with the team after, but we’re definitely looking forward to the women’s World Cup next year.”
Olde Magoun’s Coughlin also owns Blackmoor in Boston and LongCross in Medford. He said his portfolio saw a 26 percent increase in business this June from last. Magoun’s, which slows down during the summer, enjoyed an even higher bump. When the Scottish descended upon Boston, many ended up staying in short term rentals nearby.
“Magoun’s was inundated with them,” Coughlin said.
He knew the World Cup would increase business, but the steady bump from even the first day of play caught him by surprise. Boston serving as a host city helps too, Coughlin said.
“We’re hitting record numbers,” Coughlin said. “Great atmosphere, just packed, standing-room only. In 22 years it’s been unbelievably busy, and this is right at the top.”
Tom Meek contributed to this story.
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