Soccer may be a far cry from the most popular spectator sport in Alabama, but the World Cup has brought a surge of business to restaurants and sports pubs across the state.

Restaurant and pub managers are ecstatic with the boost in business because of the tournament, which commenced on June 12 and runs through July 13.

Games involving Team USA have been particularly popular. And while the home team was eliminated July 1 in a heartbreaking loss to Belgium, other matches have continued to bring out the fans.

In some of the bigger watering holes around Alabama, hundreds flooded in to cheer on the U.S. team as it fought its way into the elimination rounds. Birmingham, in particular, has been abuzz with World Cup fervor – the city was one of 18 domestic markets that set an overnight television ratings record during the U.S. vs. Portugal match.

Recognizing the demand, some Birmingham venues went to extraordinary lengths to accommodate the large crowds. Iron City, for example, has shown virtually the entire tournament in both its restaurant and bar area, as well as projecting games on a giant screen in its concert space.

At Birmingham’s Rogue Tavern, employees hauled in 100 additional chairs for the match between the U.S. and Germany. Even with the extra chairs, it was “standing-room only by the time it started,” said catering manager Amy Boyd. “We have a good crowd usually, but this was unlike anything we’ve ever seen.”

Even the state’s flagship towns for football – the American college version – have demonstrated a passion for futbol.

In Tuscaloosa, Innisfree Irish Pub, best known as a late night haunt, has been opening early to show the matches. And the crowds for the U.S. contests have been similar to “what you would see on … game day,” said manager Brantley Blow.

In Auburn, Moe’s Original Bar-B-Que has also seen a boost in business, thanks in part to the Brazil Student Association, which has touted Moe’s as its home bar for the World Cup, according to manager Hill Lubin.

Meanwhile, down in Mobile, the World Cup has presented folks not only with a chance to cheer on the home team, but a Mobile native. Aron Johannsson, a forward on Team USA, was born in Mobile before moving to Iceland as a young child. Though it may seem tenuous, Mobile natives have nonetheless embraced the connection by packing into local hotspots, such as O’Daly’s Irish Pub, where soccer has never drawn big crowds before.

The soccer surge has been particularly satisfying for many local businesses, coming during what’s normally the slower summer months. Not only is late June and July off-season for major U.S. sporting events, many regulars are out of town, taking vacations.

“We wouldn’t ever have a lunch like that in June (without the World Cup),” said Boyd of Rogue Tavern.

Blow, at Innisfree, echoed Boyd’s remarks, and her enthusiasm. “It’s slow in the summer, but the World Cup has packed it up.”