Hungry World Cup Tourists Are Heading Straight To This Gas Station Chain

The World Cup has arrived in North America, with the tournament of the world’s most popular sport taking place in 16 cities across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19. In addition to serving as a tournament for the greatest trophy in the sport, with athletes from 48 countries arriving to compete on behalf of their home nations, there is another major goal of the World Cup. By bringing not just players, but fans, from all over the world, this tournament is a grand cultural exchange. It is a chance for people of all different backgrounds and nationalities to come together and bond over a shared love of soccer — sorry, footballers, we’re an American publication. The cultural exchange of the 2026 World Cup has been playing out all over social media, and one surprising highlight for many visitors to the U.S. has been a trip to the gargantuan gas station chain Buc-ee’s.

The acclaim for Buc-ee’s may have started with a single X user whose posts gained widespread attention, drawing interest both to his own journey and to the U.S. businesses and tourist destinations he and his friends visited along their cross-country road trip. Freddy, a German soccer fan (@FreddyLA7), posted a photo of the exterior of a Buc-ee’s, with its awe-inspiring line of gas pumps, under the caption “DUDE LMAO THIS IS A GAS STATION” followed by three crying emojis. Another tourist took to Instagram saying: “I wanted to hate it, be the superior Frenchman, a snob, but then I ate the beaver nuggets … I ate one, then I had the whole bag in the parking lot like a wild animal.”

Regardless of how the chain first came to be a key stop for World Cup tourists, there is no doubt it has now cemented its place as one. In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, one of the host cities for the tournament, the public transit system has added the beaver-themed gas station to its shuttle stops. While the same service gets fans to the stadium in the sprawling metro area, it is also set up to transport tourists to popular destinations like the Fort Worth Zoo and Botanic Gardens, Six Flags amusement park, and now Buc-ee’s.

For native Texans, Buc-ee’s might not seem like a sight worthy of hopping on a bus to visit, but for visitors from around the world, it can be seen as a microcosm — or perhaps a parody — of the U.S. itself. The largest of the chain — which also happens to be the largest gas station in the world — has 120 gas pumps. To borrow a common social media phrase, the European mind cannot comprehend a gas station of such scale. Beyond just the size, however, visitors are also offered a chance to sample Buc-ee’s many snacks and shop in its 75,000 square foot convenience store, which, to many, better resembles a supermarket. Whether it’s a brisket sandwich, a bag of Beaver Nuggets, one of the wide varieties of jerky, or a Buc-ee’s hidden gem like its fried apple pie, there’s no shortage of American favorites on offer.

We might not have chosen it as a symbol of our nation, but the excess on display at Buc-ee’s is undoubtedly American. And while we may still be mocked for our use of the word “soccer,” at least the gas station food seems to be going over well.