So consider, then, the effort that’ll be made to all cheer for the same Scottish soccer team during the FIFA World Cup this summer—the first such opportunity in 28 years, starting June 13 in a Group C faceoff against Haiti. This is a big deal for the “Tartan Army,” Scotland’s fanbase, who arrive at matches in kilts and sporrans (the traditional equivalent of a fanny pack, likely with a cheeky wee flask of whisky inside). Despite the ferocious domestic rivalries, the Tartan Army is considered among the world’s friendliest football fans, known for singing and mingling instead of brawling (even if only while their national team is playing). They’ve even been credited with a spike in German tourism to Scotland after 200,000 Scots spent two weeks partying from Munich to Stuttgart during UEFA Euro 2024.
“What’s fascinating is that the Scottish fans brought warmth, kindness, and humour to Germany—qualities that the locals truly admired,” Mohit Joshi of travel company Skyscanner told the BBC while tracking the trend. They can also carry a tune: Just follow the chants of “We’ve got McGinn, Super John McGinn, I just don’t think you understand…” in celebration of beloved midfielder McGinn, captain of Aston Villa FC and a national team star who’s back after knee surgery this winter.
Scotland will play its opening Group C matches against Haiti and Morocco (June 19) in Foxborough, Mass., with some 10,000 Scotland supporters who—priced out of host city Boston—are expected to bunk up in neighboring Providence, Rhode Island, according to tourism director Joe Wilson. They’re even renting school buses to get to Gillette Stadium. Next up is Scotland versus Brazil in Miami (June 24), which will test the Tartan Army’s endurance for hot weather. (Have you ever worn a kilt in a Florida summer?) Be it the humidity, a steady diet of lager, or a punishing late-night broadcast schedule for Scots who will be watching from home, expect productivity to drop on match days worldwide.
“In 1998 for the World Cup opener, Scotland vs. Brazil, I was taken out of school for the day by my parents,” says Michael McCuish, an Oban native and vice president of Scotland-based tour operator Away from the Ordinary. “Now my dad is talking about adult sleepovers [in Scotland]. Because the game is on in the middle of the night, he and his friends will stay over at someone’s house to watch it together.”