BOZEMAN — As the World Cup continues, soccer fans across the globe are tuning in to watch teams compete for the championship. With the United States set to play on Wednesday and the Fourth of July holiday approaching, downtown Bozeman bars are preparing for packed crowds and energetic watch parties.
Walking through downtown Wednesday afternoon, nearly every bar had soccer matches playing on its televisions.
WATCH: World Cup Fever Hits Downtown Bozeman as Bars Brace for Fourth of July Weekend Soccer Frenzy
“It’s been crazy here. Everyone that has come in has been such a fun atmosphere,” said Kate, a bartender at Cousins.
Cousins, a downtown bar with more than 15 TVs upstairs, was quieter during the England-DR Congo match, which England won. Still, Kate said she expects a much larger turnout for the USA game.
“Yes, oh for sure. There’s been a lot of people. The USA games are crazy right now. They’re a lot of fun,” Kate said.
Other bars across downtown are also seeing growing excitement around the tournament.
“We knew we were going to be busy, but that took everybody a little bit by surprise,” said Jack, a bartender at Bacchus Pub, one of the few Irish pubs in Bozeman.
Jack compared the turnout for the first USA match to the crowds Bacchus typically sees on St. Patrick’s Day.
“The first US game, it was as busy in here as it gets for St. Patrick’s Day, which is like wall-to-wall people, standing room, nowhere to sit,” Jack said.
In that first match, the United States defeated Paraguay 4-1. Now, Bacchus is preparing for Wednesday’s single-elimination matchup against Bosnia at 6 p.m. by bringing in extra staff.
“This game, I think we’re expecting, as this isn’t group stage anymore, it’s a single-elimination game. I think it means more. I think we are gonna be packed,” Jack said.
Bacchus has also embraced the World Cup atmosphere with themed merchandise, including World Cup-branded Buchanan’s and Don Julio bottles, coasters and jerseys.
Jack said one of his favorite parts of the tournament has been watching fans from different countries gather together.
“The US games are obviously massive, but England games — last night the Mexico game, we had a good crowd in here. We had a Netherlands table set up the other day,” Jack said.
With the Fourth of July weekend approaching, Jack believes patriotic excitement could bring even more people out to watch the USA team play.
“The fact that it’s happening on this week and weekend is very fitting,” Jack said. “So I think people that otherwise wouldn’t be rooting for soccer games might be because of, ‘Oh, it’s US during Fourth of July.’”
