Garrett Albert is turning his longtime passion for soccer and beer into an ambitious collecting challenge ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Philadelphia resident has set himself a tournament-sized challenge: track down a beer from each of the 48 countries competing in the expanded World Cup field, writes Chilekasi Adele for CBS News Philadelphia.

His plan is to crack open each nation’s brew only after its team is eliminated, turning soccer’s biggest stage into a globe-spanning tasting tour.

The idea has roots in a superstition born during the 2022 tournament in Qatar. A friend left a Samuel Adams in Albert’s fridge. He held onto it as a good-luck charm for the U.S. Men’s National Team and didn’t touch it until the Americans were knocked out.

That small ritual grew into something much bigger.

Months into his search, Albert has already tracked down beers from 22 countries with Belgium, Japan, and Australia among them. He sourced 13 of them from Philadelphia retailer The Foodery. 

But the remaining 26 are proving to be quite trickier.

Nations like Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia, he said, “don’t necessarily export a lot of alcohol,” meaning some slots may require creative substitutions.

After striking out on match tickets, Albert sees the collection as a silver lining.

“Maybe this is my way of connecting with the tournament a little bit better,” Albert said. 

He’s crowdsourcing leads through Instagram and welcoming suggestions from anyone who can help him fill the gaps.

Read the full story to learn more Garrett Albert’s quest and how to potentially point him toward a beer he’s still missing at CBS News Philadelphia.

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