Friday marks a jam-packed day for the World Cup. Follow live updates as the action hits Boston.

The third World Cup game to be hosted in Massachusetts this year kicks off Friday night with Scotland and Morocco facing off at 6 p.m.

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Ahead of the showdown, the US men’s national team will face Australia in its second game of this tournament.

Both games should light up the city, with watch parties scattered across the region and thousands of fans headed to Foxborough to witness the action (many of them will be in kilts).

We have journalists stationed across the region to capture it all. Follow along with live updates below.

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By Celine Hijazi, Globe Correspondent

While on their Boston pilgrimages, many European visitors are experiencing culinary culture shock: novel condiments, shocking portion sizes, unexpected potato chip flavors, and surprisingly sweet sandwich bread at fast-food joints.

Some leave impressed. Others leave craving something more.

“The portions are so large you can’t even finish your main meal,” said Calum McNab, of Glasgow. He had advice for American fast-food chains: “You would save so much money if you just cut down the prices and portion sizes.”

“I quite like Wendy’s,” said Alex Myles, who was visiting Boston with his father, Graham. “In Scotland, I could eat another one, but here it’s pretty big,” he said, gesturing with his hands to form a circle nearly the size of his head.

(The large lunches didn’t seem to be negatively affecting the locals, however, in McNab’s opinion. “Everyone here looks great, so it’s not like they’re eating a lot and big,” he added.)

Ranch dressing wasn’t the only sauce that impressed World Cup tourists.

“I love Raising Cane’s sauce,” said Ryan McNicol, surrounded by fellow Scots and several bags of takeout from the chicken chain on Wednesday at Boston Common.

“The Texas Toast is so buttery,” McNicol added, contemplating how he could bring the sauce — along with bags of white cheddar popcorn — back to Scotland.

For Daniel Grant, a trip to Carmelina’s in the North End was a revelation. “The chicken parm was the best thing I’ve ever had in my life, man,” he said.

After American friends encouraged him to try the Italian-American staple, Grant said he could not stop talking about it.

“I messaged everyone back home and said, ‘I just want to bring back the chicken parm,’” Grant said.

McNab said he would rather bring home another American favorite: cheddar-flavored chips.

Others gravitated toward America’s more indulgent offerings.

“In Scotland, we deep-fry all the food,” said Hugo McGurk, another visitor from Scotland. “So when I saw a deep-fried pickle, I thought, ‘Did they bring this here just for us?’”

Asked what he would bring back from America, McGurk had an unexpected answer.

“I want to bring Moxie back because it looks like a can of Irn-Bru,” he said. “But it’s not better. Irn-Bru is the best drink created by mankind,” he clarified, holding up two bottles of the popular Scottish soda, both empty.

By Lauren Albano, Globe Correspondent

A line of Scottish fans multiplied outside The Dubliner before its doors open at 11 a.m. But a mile-and-a-half away, some families opted for a relatively quieter start to the morning.

Read more Here’s your World Cup forecast for tonight’s Foxborough match

A few clusters of people waited for tables at Estella and Café 26 at the Temple Place Social District, one of the city’s open drinking areas during the World Cup.

By Camilo Fonseca, Globe Staff

SHARON — Standing on a deserted commuter rail platform, seven miles from Foxborough’s Boston Stadium with less than an hour to kickoff, I found it hard not to wonder: “What am I doing here?”

I was standing there because of a hare-brained scheme, one cooked up in the back of my head while frantically biking to South Station, to get to Tuesday’s World Cup match as quickly, painlessly, and ideally, as cheaply as possible.

In a perfect world, I would have had days of preparation: I would have bought my MBTA tickets to Boston Stadium months ago, arriving with plenty of time to sample the food vendors in Dewey Square. I would have joined thousands of other fans onboard the express train, perhaps uncomfortable, but buoyed by the festive atmosphere, until arriving at Foxboro Station an hour later. And at game’s end, I would have repeated the process in reverse, this time buoyed by the lingering euphoria of having just witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I did not do any of those things.

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By Hannah Goeke, Globe Correspondent

Soccer fans have taken over the North End. From small coffee shops to grocery stores to large restaurants on Wednesday, the World Cup was on every television screen.

Fans of Scotland, Norway, Brazil, and Argentina among other teams cheered and cursed the ebb and flow action, their eyes fixed on every moment.

But for those behind the counter and many residents in the Italian neighborhood, their team was nowhere to be seen.

Italy has won the World Cup four times, trailing only Brazil. But it did not qualify this year, missing the tournament for a third time in a row, much to the chagrin of their supporters.

“It was very disappointing to see them not qualify for a third time,” said Mivan Spencer, president and general manager of Caffè dello Sport. “It sucks because I really enjoy the atmosphere when Italy plays, and it obviously hurts my pockets.”

With Italy on the sidelines, most Italy fans are rooting for the United States, he said.

“I am a US supporter. You know, I live here. I was born here, I was raised here. I’d be silly not to support them,” said Spencer, 37. ”It would also be nice to see because they’ve never won.”

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OK, it’s not that simple. But it is a shift from Boston’s more puritanical history when it comes to drinking.

On Friday, the city will open designated areas for outdoor alcohol and food consumption to accommodate a crush of visitors descending on the region for the World Cup and other summer festivities, officials said.

The zones will run through July 31.

State lawmakers recently cleared the way for communities to allow public drinking and last calls as late as 3 a.m. through the end of July, should they choose. It’s a big shift in a state that famously still doesn’t allow happy hour drink specials.

Last week, Cambridge launched its own open container haven in compliance with the law.

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Here’s a look at the social districts in Boston.