Twin Cities bars see boost in revenue as fans pour in to watch 2026 World Cup

Bars across the Twin Cities area say FIFA World Cup games have caused revenue to skyrocket.

"People are here to have fun," said Carl Holmquist, who rolled into Brit's Pub when it opened on Sunday. Holmquist said he'd be there until 9:30 p.m.

It's a distinct demand the general manager says they're doing their best to keep up with.

"Obviously ordering a lot more stock than we normally do," said Shane Higgins, the general manager for Brit's Pub. 

Brit's has been working in partnership with local MLS teams to show the games outside their doors in Peavy Plaza, calling it the "Minnesota United Soccer Celebration." They've extended the dates for the fan experience as the USA continues in competition.

"The World Cup has been insane here," said Sergio Manancero, who's the general manager at La Doña Cerveceria.

In June, the folks at La Doña saw their highest number of sales since it opened in 2018. They added that it's during a time when it's hard to run a brewery. They say this is solely because of FIFA.

"For these Tuesday nights, we've got six or seven people here manning the bar, a beer station outside. We also opened the tap lines in our kitchen so our kitchen staff can pour beers too," said Manancero.

It's something this Harrison neighborhood spot says is a little different from the last round in 2020.

"The last World Cup was during 2020 in Dubai. The games were at 4 a.m. We didn't have the same impact at that World Cup, where this one, the host nations are in our time zone," Manancero said. "Every nation's been represented. We had people come in from Saudi Arabia when they played against Uruguay. It's been really fun."

Team USA takes on Belgium Monday night.