The Calgary Stampede isn’t the only thing boosting business at city pubs right now, with major international soccer tournaments pitching in.

Calgary soccer fans have flooded local pubs to watch Canada compete for the first time in the Copa América tournament. Additionally, the UEFA European Championship (Euros) is bringing in a striking number of soccer fans.  

First-time participants of Copa América have only made it to the semi-finals three other times in its 108-year history.  Canada, however, dropped its semi-final match with Argentina 2-0 on Tuesday night.

With both tournaments going on, pub owners said they are seeing a significant increase in business since both tournaments started in mid-June.  

Stampede can be a slower time for pubs and bars that aren’t centrally located, but this year for Steve McDowell, manager of Tavern 52 in Forest Lawn, business has been booming due to the soccer matches. 

Consistently playing games and marketing the establishment as a soccer pub has helped McDowell bring in the fans seeking a regular place to watch the game. McDowell was fully booked for Canada’s semi-final on Tuesday and the England semi-final on Wednesday.  

“There is a lot of people coming (Wednesday) night that don’t even watch soccer, but they come and watch and they want to cheer for Canada,” said McDowell 

Regular customer Bas Samuels at Tavern 52 and said he’s noticed the increase in customers as the tournaments have been ongoing.  

“There is a huge turnout for both the Canada games and the Euros, especially the England games. I’ve been to most of the games, and it gets pretty rowdy in here,” said Samuels.  

Soccer is one of the world’s biggest sports, so while there has always been an interest, McDowell believes since Canada’s participation in the 2022 World Cup qualifier in Edmonton the interest in soccer has soared.  

McDowell claims to have even trained some of the regulars who took no interest in soccer before becoming frequent visitors of Tavern 52 and believes soccer is all about building a community that looks out for one another.  

Another popular sports bar in the northeast called The Dogwood Bar has seen an increase in customers during the games.  

“I’ve seen an increase in customers over the past few weeks of the tournaments and while I know nothing about soccer, it’s nice to see more customers in here,” said Preston MacQuarrie, a long-time regular of The Dogwood Bar.  

Dogwood Bar server Madysun Thompson said she has seen huge excitement for both major soccer tournaments and agrees there is a massive sense of community for the games. 

“I have also seen an increase in the money I make, so that’s nice,” she said.