Alberta soccer fans flocking to bars, restaurants to watch World Cup matches

When it comes to packing the bars to watch a game in Canada, hockey has typically been the main draw.

But for the past few weeks, the FIFA World Cup has been driving a major boost in business for bars and restaurants.

Canada advanced to the World Cup for the first time in 36 years, which saw an increase of foot traffic in bars and restaurants across the country, leading to more spending.

“Oh yeah, we definitely saw a huge increase,” said Duncan Ross, the general manager at The Pint. “We had about 250 people in for the Canada watch party.”

The early start times due to time change caused some challenges for bars, but the Ross credits Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) for stepping up and providing guidelines in order to open early.

“Of course opening early, we’ve got to staff for that,” said Ross. “Thankfully AGLC put a blanket open, so any bar or restaurant could open and serve alcohol.”

Soccer fans watch a World Cup match at a bar on Dec. 4, 2022. (Credit: CityNews/Adam Ziccarelli)

Alberta, according to statistics provided by Moneris, saw the highest increase of spending in pubs and restaurants across Canada during the World Cup at 20 per cent. British Columbia came in at second, at an increase of 17 per cent.

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CityNews spoke with the VP of products at Moneris about what this could mean for Canada when it hosts the World Cup in 2026.

“I think it’s going to be a little more of what we’re used to,” said Marta Rzeszowska. “Especially when we’re looking at things like Stanley Cup games where we’re used to games being a little later in the afternoon, which tends to be more around general business hours.”

Alberta biggest supporter of Team Canada

It’s possible Edmonton’s hometown hero Alphonso Davies had a part to play in the increased numbers for businesses.

“Alberta was the biggest supporter of Team Canada,” said Rzeszowska. “Obviously heavily impacted by time zones, a lot of western Canadians had to accommodate for the different time zones, especially business owners that had to potentially open even earlier.”

Looking forward to 2026, Rzeszowska says numbers should remain high because for big events like the World Cup, people love the atmosphere opposed to staying at home.

“I think honestly, people just like to celebrate and they like to celebrate with others,” she said. “So even when we take a look at something such as the World Cup, you’re going to be celebrating for your home country.”

Canada is a diverse country with many backgrounds, and there are still those who have a country to support. This means restaurants won’t be slowing down anytime soon.