Ranch, bagpipes and Viking rows: World Cup fans had a U.S. summer
NBC News and local affiliates chronicled the fan culture that spilled across U.S. cities during the 2026 World Cup.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
3 min read
Ranch dressing, bagpipes, $2 lemonade and a Norwegian rowing chant all found their way into America’s World Cup summer.
As the 2026 tournament reached its Sunday final, NBC News reported that the event had delivered record television ratings in the United States and brought millions of fans into stadiums. Away from the matches, visiting supporters turned host cities into rolling street parties, food tours and cultural swaps.
Scotland drank in Boston and marched through Miami
Scotland’s traveling support, the Tartan Army, stood out in Boston and Miami, according to NBC News.
In Miami, thousands of Scottish fans walked from a local bar to a Miami Marlins game, arriving with kilts and bagpipes in tow. In Boston, their appetite for beer became a story of its own.
The parent company of Sam Adams told NBC Boston that the Sam Adams Boston Taproom ran out of Samuel Adams Boston Lager one weekend after the Tartan Army came through. The company said the Scottish fans drank four times the beer of a normal four-day weekend.
“We’ve never seen anything like it,” Billy DeCain of the Sam Adams Boston Taproom told NBC Boston.
Algeria found a Midwest welcome
Kansas City, the smallest U.S. host city, became a meeting point for Algerian and Argentine fans when it staged a group match between the two teams, NBC News reported. The city has a population a little above 500,000.
Algerian fans also spent time in nearby Lawrence, Kansas, where local residents and businesses felt the rush.
“A lot of people don’t even know Algeria exists. And it’s the same for us. We had never heard of Lawrence until the Algerian team came here. The people were very, very welcoming, and they adopted the Algerian team,” Hanafi Habbas told KSHB in Kansas City.
David Sauter, who runs a T-shirt printing shop in Lawrence, told the station that his sales beat his usual Christmas numbers.
“It has been so wonderful how everyone here has just been open with open arms, welcoming people. The Algerians have been amazing,” Sauter said.
Norway rowed across America
Norway returned to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years and brought a fan ritual with it: the “Viking Row.”
According to NBC News, supporters perform it seated, pretending to pull oars in a longboat while chanting “Row!” to a drumbeat. During the tournament, Norwegian fans did the celebration at a New York Mets game at Citi Field, in Times Square and on an escalator in Boston.
Norway’s players joined in after a 3-2 group-stage win over Senegal.
Ole Frøystad, the fan credited by NBC News with popularizing the celebration, said the point was support. “It’s about rowing for the team,” he told NBC News.
Ranch dressing got its own fan club
American food also had a moment. NBC News reported that visiting soccer fans latched onto U.S. staples including Buc-ee’s gas stations and Waffle House diners, with ranch dressing becoming a particular favorite.
The condiment drew a playful response from the Transportation Security Administration, which warned fans on Instagram about taking bottles out of the country, according to NBC News.
A Texas lemonade stand went global
In Arlington, Texas, Heather Hannish and her husband Ernesto Gloria sold $2 lemonades and other cold drinks from a backyard stand on the walk to a stadium hosting World Cup matches, KXAS-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth reported.
The family met fans from as far away as Japan and India and kept a notebook where visitors could leave messages.
“Being able to share this is something that I can’t even begin to articulate or even really fully comprehend,” Hannish told KXAS-TV. “I think really most people are very good at heart and just want the best for everyone else.”
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.