Boston’s next World Cup game kicks off Tuesday night. Follow live updates ahead of your afternoon commute.

After Saturday’s curtain-raiser on Boston’s World Cup adventure, the festivities continue Tuesday with Norway facing Iraq in Foxborough.

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Tuesday’s game is the first in the Boston area on a weekday, meaning the traffic for commuters will be snarled throughout the afternoon.

The Globe is on the ground throughout the region in the lead-up to the 6 p.m. kickoff. Follow live updates from our journalists.

• Norway and Iraq will face off at 6 p.m. in the second game at Gillette Stadium — renamed “Boston Stadium” by FIFA for the duration of the tournament. You can watch the game on Fox.
• There are a number of disruptions for MBTA commuter rail riders on Tuesday. See the details here.
• The FIFA Fan Fest at City Hall Plaza opens at 2 p.m. Fans can catch France-Senegal at 3 p.m., then Iraq-Norway followed by Argentina vs. Algeria at 9 p.m. Looking for other watch parties? Check out our list here.

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By Ariela Lopez, Globe Correspondent

Ahmed Naser traveled to Boston from Ottawa to support Iraq in the Lions of Mesopotamia’s match against Norway in Foxborough on Tuesday.

Naser, who was born in Iraq’s capital of Baghdad, does not have a ticket to the game this evening. Instead, he’s planning to watch the match from the Fan Festival downtown.

Naser said he recognizes that the Iraqi team, which has qualified for the World Cup only once before, faces tough opposition in the tournament.

“Our group is very hard,” he said. “We’re not expecting something crazy.”

Naser said he hopes for a draw as tonight’s result.

By Jaden Perry, Globe Correspondent

As a cool breeze swept through the Fan Festival, fans continued to trickle in as concession stands and gift shops opened their registers. Award-winning singer and Boston native Lisa Bello took to the stage, helping fans settle in.

Nearly 20 kids, teens, and adults juggled a soccer ball, with each successful bounce invoking celebratory shouting.

As the game started, fans zoned in on the jumbo screen.

“A lot of people have been hating on him,” said Matthew Fleury, 19, about his favorite player from France, Kylian Mbappé. “I want to see him win another World Cup and prove people wrong.”

By Ariela Lopez, Globe Correspondent

The match between France and Senegal is set to begin at 3 p.m., and some fans plan to watch from the Fan Festival.

Mamadou Gaye, 47, lives in Lawrence, Mass. and was born in Senegal. He came to the Fan Festival with some friends and has met even more Senegalese fans in the crowd.

“If they keep making it fun, maybe I’ll go to more,” Gaye said about the Fan Festival.

The Fan Festivals will continue through June 27.

By Ariela Lopez, Globe Correspondent

The FIFA Fan Festival at City Hall Plaza has just begun, and hundreds of jersey-clad fans are already enjoying food and music — and trying to get some shade — at the party.

Martín Morales and his family, who are visiting the United States from Quito, Ecuador, for the World Cup, came to Boston for the day.

“We were wondering what to do in the area, and most of us didn’t know Boston,” Morales said.

Wearing Messi jerseys to support Argentina in its match against Algeria tonight, his family is waiting in line at the Fan Festival to get a coveted custom collectible bracelet.

Signs at the event estimate the line is more than an hour long.

By Claire Thornton, Globe Staff

Rows of metal barriers meant to contain World Cup fans standing in line went unused for hours on Tuesday. Thousands of fans moved steadily, without any log jams.

Out of four lines set up ahead of the Norway-Iraq game, only one was put to use.

Around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, officials shortened the line further, so that fans walked through fewer rows of metal barriers before entering South Station.

By Omar Mohammed, Globe Staff

Inside South Station, fans patiently waited their turn to be ushered through.

They cheered when the turnstiles were opened and they made their way to the trains.

Conor, 12, and Graham, 11, were with Conor’s parents Amanda and Kevin Robertson. They are from Hingham and were at South Station heading to the game to support Norway.

“There were a lot of people, but it’s been efficient,” Graham said.

“It’s been seamless, well-run, so far no issue,” Amanda said.

Conor who was wearing a Manchester City kit said he was going to the game to watch Erling Haaland of Norway.

“We are both left-footed strikers,” Conor said.

“I think he is going to score,” Graham said.

By Claire Thornton, Globe Staff

Ali Al Sabea wore Iraq’s national flag over his shoulders as he helped his parents navigate World Cup crowds outside South Station.

The 19-year-old studies engineering at Iowa State University, and said his parents live in Illinois. They emigrated to the US from Iraq three years ago.

Al Sabea said he saw videos of Iraqi fans gathering on Monday night to celebrate their country’s historic World Cup appearance ahead of Tuesday’s game. He would have been among them if he and his parents arrived in Boston earlier, he said.

Al Sabea, who got to town on Monday night, said Iraqi fans are looking forward to having fun during the match.

“We’re friendly, we like to get to know people from other countries,” Al Sabea said.

Other young men smiled and cheered outside South Station, greeting each other as “habibi,” a term of endearment. They were excited to support the Iraqi national team, but in their own way.

Ari Balata wore the Kurdish flag around his shoulders and a Kurdish emblem on his chest, showing support for the autonomous region within Iraq.

Several players on the Iraqi team are Kurdish, said his brother, 27-year-old Warheal Balata.

“You’ve got to show up your people,” said Warheal, who said his parents are from Kurdistan.

As of 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, you can land a ticket for Tuesday’s Iraq-Norway game for $420 on StubHub.

Saturday’s game in Foxborough was at capacity with 64,146 listed as the official attendance.

By Omar Mohammed, Globe Staff

The MBTA sold out of commuter rail tickets for Saturday’s Haiti-Scotland game. The demand for Norway-Iraq on Tuesday was much lower, with about 11,000 sold according to Joe Pesaturo, an MBTA spokesperson, who was standing outside South Station as fans queued.

As of 1 p.m., more than half the ticket-holders had already boarded trains. The first trains left around noon.

“People started arriving early, and it’s been a steady but not crowded group of people,” Pesaturo said.

By Milton Valencia, Globe Staff

This non-ticket holding commuter rail passenger (me) was able to board the regularly scheduled 1:12 p.m. Providence train pretty smoothly.

There is a special section cordoned off for the stadium trains, and queues were set up directing people there. And with a prolonged schedule, there did not seem to be much of a wait. Volunteers called out: “Are you going to the game? You can board any time you want.”

None of the delays seen on Saturday seemed to be in place as of now. It was business as usual at South Station.

And even if you’re not on the way to the game, you can still catch the vibe. Food trucks are set up, and volunteers are passing out free water and sun screen, as well as hand sanitizer. A rainbow of soccer jerseys, mostly supporting Iraq and Norway, dot the crowd as police officers in yellow gear direct people away from Summer Street, where the queues are set up.

And as I write this, the train starts moving. On time.

Here’s a look at our live traffic tracker for Foxborough. Backups are beginning to form on both sides of Route 1 entering Gillette Stadium.

By Omar Mohammed, Globe Staff

Mouin Al-Masoodi, 38, wore his Iraqi national team jersey while walking along Purchase Street with his daughter Dana, 11, on Tuesday.

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They arrived in Boston from Oklahoma Monday night and are staying downtown. They plan to head to the game later Tuesday. For both tickets they paid $780.

“This for me is pure resilience and unity, because the Iraqi people unite around the football team,” Mouin said.

This is the first time that Iraq is back at the World Cup after 40 years.

“These are the top football teams in the world, it’s a bit unlucky to be in this group, but I hope we put in a good game,” he said.

Dana is looking forward to seeing the atmosphere at the World Cup.

“I love soccer and I play it, and I wanted to see a game and see how professionals do it, Dana said. “I am very thankful that I came with my dad.”

This is their first live football game together.

“This is an amazing opportunity to see the national team in the US,” he said. “This is an amazing opportunity for Dana to connect with her heritage. She is a proud American but also proud of her Iraqi roots.”

By Chris Serres, Globe Staff

Following crowded conditions and long lines for Saturday’s World Cup game, officials with Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration and the MBTA have held multiple meetings and will continue to evaluate South Station street closures for the rest of the World Cup, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office said.

For Tuesday’s game, the second of seven World Cup matches in Boston, the MBTA will closed Summer Street from Purchase Street at Dewey Square to Dorchester Avenue, on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Additional Summer Street closures will be done on outbound travel lanes from Surface Road to Atlantic Avenue.

They have agreed to close the same streets for this Friday’s 6 p.m. game between Scotland and Morocco, because officials are expecting much larger crowds.

As for the remaining five games, the city and the MBTA have not settled on a specific plan, but have agreed to base any decisions on what streets to close around South Station based on crowd size.

“[Tuesday] is big, because it’s the first [match] during the weekday with commuters,” the mayor’s spokesperson said. “We’ll evaluate how today goes, and see what the crowd looks like for an early game, and make adjustments.”

By Claire Thornton, Globe Staff

Three Norwegian visitors boarding a Red Line train car at Downtown Crossing on Tuesday said the T is a good public transit system, but perhaps not the best they’ve experienced.

Kristoffer Sandstad, of Oslo, said one proud Bostonian hyped up the T while speaking with him over the weekend.

“We met this local guy who was maybe a bit of a show-boast, and he told us that this tram system is the best in the world,” Sandstad said.

“I don’t know if we agree, but it’s pretty good,” he said.

Sandstad, along with friends Lars Manengen and Jonas Alme, came to the World Cup to celebrate that they’re all turning 40 this year.

Even if the T isn’t the world’s best, Sandstad said, their time on public transit has been “perfect” since arriving in Boston on Saturday.

The gang said they’re part of a larger group of eight who bought game tickets together. Some paid $60 and some paid $400 for the tickets they were allotted by a lottery system.

By Omar Mohammed, Globe Staff

On Tuesday morning at South Station there appeared to be a lot more Norwegian fans than Iraqi supporters.

But two siblings showed up dressed to support their country.

Ibrahim Al-Ali, 15, traveled with his sister Sarah, 22, all the way from Dearborn, Mich. The pair had just landed in Boston for the game. They plan tohead straight back to Michigan on a 5 a.m. Wednesday flight.

They only decided to get the tickets two days ago.

Why?

“It’s Iraq, it’s our country,” Sarah said.

They both are excited and didn’t expect to see Iraq play at a World Cup in the US.

They paid about $180 each for their tickets.

Ibrahim said he plans to show his cousins in Iraq all the videos he plans to take at the game when they travel back to the country after they get home from Boston.

“It’s kinda like a duty, what we are doing,” he said. “It took a lot for Iraq to qualify and lots of family wanted to come but had problems with visas. We are here to show up for them.”

Fairmount: Trains depart hourly. No service to Readville. All service will start and end at Fairmount.

Fall River/New Bedford: Connecting trains to and from East Taunton will not operate. Only direct trains between South Station and Fall River or New Bedford will run.

Fitchburg: All trains will make all local stops between South Acton and Porter Square in Cambridge. No express service. All trains beginning or ending service at Littleton/Route 495 will be canceled.

Framingham/Worcester: All trains will make all local stops between Worcester and Boston stops. No express service. No trains beginning or ending service at Framingham.

Franklin/Foxborough: No regular commuter rail service to Foxborough or between Readville and Windsor Garden. Shuttle buses will serve Forge Park/496, Franklin, Norfolk, and Walpole, then run express to Canton Junction to meet Providence Line trains.

The Route 34E bus will supplement Franklin Line service between Walpole and Forest Hills, where riders can connect to the Orange Line.

Boston Stadium Train service will operate between South Station and Foxboro Station before and after the match.

Greenbush: Reduced service.

Haverhill: Most trains beginning or ending service at Reading will be canceled.

Kingston: Slightly reduced service.

Lowell: No changes to service; regular spring and summer 2026 schedules are in effect.

Needham: Trains depart every two hours midday. Peak-hour service is maintained.

Newburyport/Rockport: Trains beginning or ending service at Beverly will be canceled.

Providence: Most trains will make additional stops between Canton Junction and Hyde Park.

Stoughton: Shuttle buses will replace service between Canton Junction and Stoughton. Riders can connect to the Providence Line at Canton Junction.

By Redmond Bernhold, Globe Correspondent

How do you outdrink St. Patrick’s Day in Boston?

Inviting Scots to town is a good start.

This past weekend, Scottish fans stopped downtown before trekking to the World Cup match in Foxborough. On their way, they emptied bars and liquor stores of Corona, Budweiser, Coors, seltzers, ciders, and Tennent’s Lager, Scotland’s most popular beer, according to interviews with business owners.

“We’ve been here for over 30 years, and we’ve never seen anything like it,” said Noelle Somers, chief operating officer at Hennessy’s Bar in downtown. “We tripled St. Patrick’s Day.”

Boston’s energy has been electric, especially after a long winter. Many Scottish patrons learned the names of Hennessy’s bartenders, hugged them, gave generous tips, and drank for hours, Somers said — adding that she rarely sees energy like that in the bar.

“They brought fun back that was lost,” she said.

On Sunday night, Hennessy’s sold out of beer. The bar got a delivery to re-up Monday, and another one is slated for Thursday — in time for the next weekend of soccer matches.

READ MORE

By Milton Valencia, Globe Staff

When you arrive at South Station you see the city popping — even before the first train is scheduled to depart for Foxborough for Tuesday’s Iraq-Norway game.

Iraqi fans are waving flags, while several Norway fans posed for a photos wearing viking hats. Several vendors set up food trucks and informational booths, as non-ticket holders went about their daily commute.

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