14-year-old boy injured during fight at watch party, sent to World Cup by Algerian embassy

BOSTON — A fight at a popular East Boston venue on Monday knocked a 14-year-old boy unconscious, according to his family.

Video circulating online shows the fight break out at The Tall Ship during a watch party for the World Cup match between the Netherlands and Morocco.

At the center is Wassim Karcouche, a 14-year-old Algerian from Winthrop, who says he went to watch the game and cheer on Morocco with his friends.

Sporting an Algeria jersey, he says he didn’t think it would cause any commotion, and says it didn’t until a fight broke out, and he got caught in the middle.

“There was a fight that started, and then everyone turned on me because I was wearing an Algeria jersey,” Karcouche said.

The video shows Karcouche in the middle of a crowd of people getting scratched and pulled at before falling to the ground where he was kicked.

“I don’t remember much because I did go unconscious,” Karcouche said.

The Winthrop High freshman said he’s received a lot of support online, but didn’t expect a representative from the Algerian embassy to show up on his doorstep with tickets to Thursday’s Algeria game in Vancouver.

“It was pretty shocking and it felt good to know I had people behind me,” Karcouche told Boston25 at Boston Logan Airport before his flight.

With his little brother and parents in tow, the family is off for a once in a lifetime experience, saddened by what brought them to this point, but grateful for the community that rallied around them.

“They did not have to do this. I’m really happy and grateful that they did this for me and my family,” Karcouche said.

Massachusetts State Police have confirmed they responded to reports of an altercation that night, but said due to the nature of the incident, and the ages of those involved, further information won’t be provided.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2026 Cox Media Group