{"id":4861,"date":"2026-07-13T11:04:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T11:04:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4861"},"modified":"2026-07-13T11:04:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T11:04:33","slug":"i-feared-the-world-cup-in-boston-would-let-me-down-it-wasnt-at-all-what-i-expected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4861","title":{"rendered":"I feared the World Cup in Boston would let me down. It wasn\u2019t at all what I expected."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Coming into the World Cup games in Foxborough, I didn\u2019t really know what to expect.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Photos: World Cup fever takes over Boston and the region in June and July<\/a><\/p>\n

The weeks leading up to the tournament were strange in Boston. You could be forgiven for forgetting the world\u2019s biggest sporting event was coming. <\/span><\/p>\n

When the games began, I thought we\u2019d see the obvious: A little World Cup fever, some transportation problems, a little scandal. Maybe we\u2019d get a few decent matches and locals would latch onto soccer for a few weeks before leaving it behind for another four years.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There were so many things I didn\u2019t anticipate.<\/span><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t expect the Scots to be the most popular arrivals since the Beatles played here in the 1960s. I certainly didn\u2019t expect to learn every word of the Scottish national anthem by the end of June. (O Flower of Scotland, when will we see your like again …<\/i>)<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

I expected to see a few Scottish fans downtown, but I didn\u2019t think I\u2019d see them everywhere from Medford to Mission Hill.<\/span><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t expect all the stars to deliver, both in Foxborough and elsewhere. In a one-off soccer game, it\u2019s not uncommon for the big names to have a quiet day, but not this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>The World Cup transformed Boston this summer. Here\u2019s what went well and what didn\u2019t.<\/div>\n

French superstar Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 scored a stunner in Thursday\u2019s quarterfinal, Norway\u2019s Erling Haaland scored two in his World Cup debut, and reigning Ballon d\u2019Or winner Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 treated the Foxborough crowd to a hat trick. When the stars stepped on the pitch at Gillette Stadium, they shined.<\/span><\/p>\n

I also didn\u2019t expect Haaland and the rest of the Norwegian starters to sit in the marquee group-stage game against France on June 26, but at least he scored a couple against Iraq first.<\/span><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t expect the games to be quite so well-attended, with every game but the last being announced as a full house.<\/span><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t expect the trains to and from Foxborough to run as smoothly as they did \u2014 after the first game, at least.<\/span><\/p>\n

Above all else, I didn\u2019t expect just how fantastic the fans would be, and how remarkably they would show up for their nations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more July Fourth has passed, but the Trump-centric 250th birthday celebrations aren\u2019t over yet<\/a><\/p>\n

It started with the Scottish takeover, before the Norwegians started rowing their way through Boston on their journey to the quarterfinals.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Haitians, local and otherwise, were swelling with pride in their opener, and I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll ever forget how they managed to match the Scots for noise.<\/span><\/p>\n

The biggest roar of the entire tournament in Foxborough may have come from the Iraqis, who might\u2019ve registered on the Richter scale when Aymen Hussein\u2019s equalizer against Norway hit the back of the net.<\/span><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t expect England and Ghana to produce one of the worst games of the entire tournament, but I had to laugh when the English managed to bring a quintessentially English day of miserable, drizzly weather to five weeks otherwise bathed in sunshine.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Moroccans and French both returned after their group games to stage a quarterfinal, and both fanbases were remarkable in respective waves of red and blue. Even in the late stages of a 2-0 loss, the Moroccan fans were still partying, and even as their expectations remain sky-high, the French fans were having a blast along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then there were the Paraguayans, who pulled off the most unexpected victory of this World Cup. I\u2019ll never forget what it meant to sobbing fans in the crowd, or to star Julio Enciso as he fought back tears. (I\u2019ll also probably never get this one tuneout of my head, which the Paraguayan section sung ceaselessly accompanied by bass drums with cymbals mounted atop.)<\/span><\/p>\n

In truth, I expected this World Cup to let me down a little bit. <\/span><\/p>\n

Between all the pre-tournament political mess, worries about Boston\u2019s transportation infrastructure, and FIFA\u2019s usual corrupt nonsense and greed \u2014 I hated the hydration breaks every bit as much as I thought I would \u2014 I had some degree of apathy coming in.<\/span><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t expect the fans to wipe that away in a hurry.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>Sports Media: Host of ratings and viewership data show this World Cup to be a winner across the United States<\/div>\n

People came from all over the world to remind us what this whole thing is about. Fans from opposing nations partied together in the concourses, swapped shirts and traded headwear, and sang their nation\u2019s anthems in full voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

For 27 days, Boston and Foxborough were joyful places to be. That was thanks to the people, from as nearby as Cambridge or as far away as the Middle East.<\/span><\/p>\n

I expected to be inspired and awed by Mbapp\u00e9 and Haaland. Instead, those stars played second fiddle to those who paid to be there.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Michigan Senator Gary Peters backs Democratic Representative Haley Stevens in contentious race to succeed him<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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