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Soccer has hooligans. Hooligans have a well-known affinity for drinking. Russia apparently didn’t put two and two together on this one because apparently we’re on the brink of an all-out beer crisis at the World Cup. Having a nice lite beer is a must at any spectator sport, especially when it’s sunny out. The Russian delegation hosting the World Cup apparently did not realize this when they were mapping out the 64 matches, taking place across 11 cities, during the heart of summer, and are now paying for it. And we’re still less than a week into the festivities, which go until mid-July now. Not good.
ESPN FC reports that many of the bars and restaurants in Russia’s capital of Moscow are running dangerously low on beer and are having to wait even longer to get more beer in stock due to the influx of demand. A waiter, whose bar had already run dry of beer on Monday (!), even went on to make the astronomical claim that “We just didn’t think they would only want beer.” Yes, really. It’s fair to assume that soccer fans, especially those diehard enough to travel to Russia, are looking to drink, and drink heavily. So, the fact that they didn’t expect hordes and hordes of rabid fans from 31 other countries to feverishly consume every light lager and pilsner within reach is a bit shocking.
According to the article, one bartender notes that the patrons of his establishment drank “800 litres of beer in three days,” which is roughly 211 gallons or 27,000+ fluid ounces. That’s a lot, but that should be expected when you consider the World Cup is basically one big party where you’re watching sports for 6-8 hours per day in high heat. It more just sounds like Moscow bars didn’t expect all of the visiting fans to drink cheap beer, which is silly. If I just shelled out $1,500+ for flight, room, and tickets, I sure as hell am going for the lightest and cheapest beverage available.
But the beer shortage doesn’t end in Moscow, it also extends to neighboring host cities as well. Swedish fans who traveled to Novgorod to watch their team take on South Korea have already drank the entire city dry, according to The Independent. Even worse, it’s reported that several bars in the area had already ran out of beer before the game even happened! Following their hard-fought 1-0 W, the rest of the bars ran dry thanks to the estimated 7,000 Swedish fans in the city. Their next stop? A mere 1,200+ mile trip to Sochi where they’ll face a team that has no history whatsoever in drinking (or making) beer: Germany. I’m just imagining a horror flick intro where the bartenders in Sochi see a rapidly expanding mass of Swedes and Germans descend upon the town, drinking everything in sight. Good luck with that.
So, we’re a week into the World Cup and Russia has already almost run out of beer. What else could go wrong? Well, it’s also reported that there is a huge CO2 shortage in Northern Europe. So, would you rather drink a flat beer or no beer at all? I’d opt for the latter. Cheers!.
Image via evgenii mitroshin / Shutterstock.com
Respond
@TaylorLaabs
@taylor1laabs
I wish I loved anything as much as you love beer
Damn commies probably thought everyone would just be pounding vodka back like the rest of their citizens…
Further proof that beer is the official beverage of freedom.
To be fair I doubt any of us could tolerate living in Russia without the assistance of booze.
Not stryna be a buzzkill but I am literally drunk in Russia at the world cup right now. Reports of beer shortage in Moscow are overrated.
Guarantee we won’t have that problem when it’s here in 2026.
Damn straight
“I didn’t think they’d only want beer.” Yes, because there’s nothing quite like watching sports with a Mai Tai