From poutine to barbecue, local cuisines give World Cup fans another reason to cheer

World Cup fans came from overseas for the cheering. But they’re also doing a lot of chewing, delighting their hosts with rave reviews of North American cuisine.

"It’s greasy, it’s disgusting, but it’s absolutely glorious," Jack Goodwin, a soccer enthusiast from London, said about the American food he has tried in Dallas, Boston, New York and Atlanta.

“I don’t want to say this because it’s a little bit harsh, but the portions are a little bit larger — a lot more tastier — so I can understand the, um, obesity here. I don’t want to be harsh, but yes, the food is fantastic here.”

Many fans are making a point to try regional specialties or chains they can’t find where they live, like In-N-Out Burger or Buc-ees convenience stores. Erling Haaland, a striker for Norway's World Cup team, posted a photo on X of himself outside Katz's Delicatessen in New York.

Harrison Murphy, who was traveling from London with his brother for the knockout rounds, had breakfast at a Chick-fil-a in Atlanta this week.

“Have you had Chick-fil-A? It was fantastic and so cheap. The sauces are free! It was remarkable,” Murphy said. "I said, ‘This is my first time, what should I try?’ The woman said, 'You’ve got to try the Chick-fil-A sauce. My God, was it fantastic.”

Gary Bishop had never heard of poutine — often considered Canada's national dish — until he arrived in Toronto for the World Cup. But the Glasgow, Scotland, resident proclaimed it “absolutely delicious.”

“It was like chips with gravy, cheese. But it was a really thick gravy. Different from back home. Vinegar, there was lots of vinegar through it,” said Bishop, who was sporting a Scotland jersey on a recent stroll through Toronto’s FIFA Fan Festival. “Really nice.”

Others are looking for a taste of home. Texas beer distributor Andrews Distributing welcomed a bus full of Dutch fans to its Dallas warehouse for Heinekens and dancing.

It’s a thrill for restaurant owners, from Cuban spots in Miami to barbecue joints in Kansas City and taco trucks in Mexico City.

“I have not seen anything like this ever in my life,” said Paul Barker, the principal and founder of Pauli’s, a Boston restaurant known for generously filled sandwiches and comfort foods. Fans from Scotland, Brazil, England and elsewhere have lined up for his famous lobster rolls and taken photos with staff members, Barker said.

“Food becomes a natural conversation starter,” he said. “It’s just been incredible for us to be part of this.”

Some chains are leaning into the World Cup. Waffle House, the all-day breakfast chain with 2,000 restaurants across the South, opened a pop-up shop in downtown Atlanta to sell branded soccer balls, jerseys and patriotic gear. In a statement, the chain said it was “honored by the enthusiasm and curiosity" shown by visiting fans.

For other restaurants, World Cup fever has been a delightful surprise. Whataburger, a Texas-based chain with 1,100 locations, found itself in the spotlight after fans from Japan and elsewhere posted on social media about their visits.

“The attention has been completely organic and honestly pretty entertaining,” Whataburger President and CEO Debbie Stroud said. “We knew the World Cup would bring the world to Texas and our footprint across 17 states. We just didn’t realize so many visitors would leave talking about a patty melt.”

Terry Black’s Barbecue, a small Texas chain, figured authentic barbecue would be on many fans’ must-try lists. It started sourcing extra meat more than a month ago for its locations in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, which are each about 20 minutes from the stadium where World Cup matches are played.

It takes Terry Black’s four days to season and prepare its beef brisket and 12 hours to barbecue it. The chain also smokes turkey, pork and sausages on its pits, which run 24 hours a day.

The crush of World Cup fans has meant a lot of extra planning, said Darien Kapture, the chain’s senior vice president of food and beverage operations. But it's also meant a lot of excitement, like the night Argentina supporters packed Terry Black's Dallas location to celebrate the team's victory over Austria, Kapture said.

“They were hooting and hollering and praising the brisket,” Kapture said. “It’s great to see that these folks are coming to America and getting to experience what we experience every day.”

Goodwin, the visitor from London who said he “blew his mortgage” on a U.S. World Cup tour with his dad, deemed Terry Black's barbecue “the most gorgeous food ever.”

“The best food we’ve had here is in Dallas," Goodwin said. “Texas barbecue. Unbelievable.”

Not every review has been positive. Some fans have complained about the high price of food in World Cup stadiums, for example. A British fan told the BBC that the breakfast tea he bought from Dunkin' was “not great.”

But for the most part, there have been more thumbs up than thumbs down. So many World Cup visitors expressed love for ranch dressing, for example, that the Transportation Security Administration issued a light-hearted reminder that tourists should pack bottles of dressing in their checked bags.

AP Sports Writer Maura Carey contributed from Atlanta. AP Video Journalist Mike Householder contributed from Toronto.

Gary Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland, center right, watches a screen showing the World Cup Group B soccer match between Switzerland and Canada during the FIFA Fan Festival on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

A man picks up a sandwich delivery at Pauli's sandwich shop in the North End of Boston, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Principal Paul Barker serves lobster rolls to World Cup tourists at Pauli's sandwich shop in the North End of Boston, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

People wearing World Cup shirts taste sandwiches at Pauli's sandwich shop in the North End of Boston, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

In the 109th minute of a wild, pulsating, nerve-shredding World Cup match for the ages, referee Espen Eskås finally called time.

Portugal advanced to the round of 16 after a 2-1 win against Croatia at Toronto Stadium on Thursday.

That doesn't even begin to tell the story of the most dramatic of clashes that relentlessly swung back and forth and ended in the cruelest way for Croatia when Josko Gvardiol's would-be game-saving equalizer 13 minutes into added time was ruled out for offside after video review.

Croatia legend Luka Modrić, age 40 and likely playing for the last time at a World Cup, looked crestfallen at the final whistle.

The 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo lives to fight another day and couldn't hide his relief when just moments earlier he stood helplessly on the sidelines in anguish, believing Portugal had blown it.

Here's how it all happened:

After 90 minutes of play, the electronic board signaled 10 minutes of added time, and it was difficult to imagine at that point just how much drama would be packed into the coming minutes.

At the 94-minute mark, Rafael Leao sends a curling cross, and substitute Gonçalo Ramos rises highest to meet it, powering a header beyond the dive of the Croatian goalkeeper.

Cue wild celebrations from Portugal’s players. They now had to just ride out the final minutes and advance to the next round.

As the clock ticks into the 103rd minute, Croatia knows it is nearly out of time.

From the left wing, Ivan Perisic hits a right-footed, in-swinging cross into the box.

Igor Mantanovic makes the slightest of glances with his head — and this is crucial — to flick the ball on. It bounces off the thigh of Mario Palasic and rolls across the face of goal.

Gvardiol lunges and sends the ball crashing into the back of the net.

Now it’s time for Croatia’s players and fans to go crazy. Ronaldo, meanwhile, shakes his head in disbelief.

But wait ...

While celebrations are ongoing, replays show Palasic was in an offside position when the ball came to him. However, it hit Portugal defender Renato Veiga on the way, which raises the possibility of him being onside because a Portugal player made the last touch.

VAR quickly starts to review the footage. Croatia’s hopes lie in the hands of the video assistants.

Portugal’s staff, meanwhile, have seen replays on the sideline and are convinced it's offside.

The crucial question is whether Mantanovic actually made contact with the ball before it hit Veiga.

This is because Palasic was standing in an offside position when a Croatia player last played the ball forward.

Sensors inside the World Cup ball can detect the slightest of touches and Eskås was instructed to go to the sideline monitor where he confirmed contact by Mantanovic.

“Croatia player number 20 touched the ball ... final decision: offside,” he announced over the stadium speaker system.

Portugal’s players cheered as if they’d scored a goal. There were tears in the eyes of Croatia players. Perisic dropped to his knees. Modrić threw his hands in the air.

In fury, Croatia fans threw bottles onto the field, delaying the restart by a couple of minutes.

There was nothing to separate the teams after a first half that failed to catch fire, but that all changed after halftime with Perisic firing Croatia in front in the 53rd minute.

Leao almost leveled for Portugal with a long-range curling shot that came back off the bar. Ronaldo then thinks he has scored for the first time in a World Cup knockout game, but his is ruled out for marginal offside, something that would become a theme of the match.

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez makes four substitutions at once in an attempt to turn the game. Crucially, he keeps Ronaldo on despite the veteran forward's struggles to make an impact.

From a Portugal corner, giant defender Veiga tumbles to the ground under the challenge of Nikola Vlasic for a penalty. Ronaldo steps up to fire down the middle of the goal, level the game and finally score in the knockout round of the World Cup.

Croatia, which reached the final and the semifinals of the last two World Cups, has a slew of chances. Portugal keeper Diogo Costa blocks Matteo Kovacic's long-range shot and then stops another effort from the same player. He then makes a sprawling save to block Igor Matanovic from close range.

Petar Sucic does beat Costa, but his celebrations are cut short by the offside flag.

In the 81st, Portugal made another change, taking off Ronaldo for what could have been the last appearance at the World Cup.

At some point after leaving the contest, Ronaldo donned a jersey of Diogo Jota, the former teammate who died in a car crash exactly one year ago. He and his teammates basked in the emotion of the win and thought of their dear friend.

Meanwhile, Croatian coach Zlatko Dalić was left wondering what could have been, and he had some harsh words for the video replay rules and decisions.

“All these decisions take the joy out of football. I’m not saying VAR can’t sometimes be of help, but it kills the emotion of the game. It kills everything within you. It kills what you are experiencing in the moment. Football should be fair. We’ve gone too far about VAR.”

James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Croatia's Luka Modric (10) consoles Croatia's Mateo Kovacic (8) after a loss during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Portugal and Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Croatia's Luka Modric (10) and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (7) greet each other after the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Portugal and Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Croatia's Luka Modric (10) reacts after losing to Portugal in the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Portugal and Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)

Croatia fans toss bottles and cans on the field after a Croatia goal was disallowed goal during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Portugal and Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Croatia's Josko Gvardiol (4) scores a goal against Portugal goalkeeper Diego Costa (1) that was later taken back due to an offside call, during the second half of a World Cup round of 32 soccer match, in Toronto on Thursday, July 2, 2026. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)