Thousands of Scotland supporters converged on Boston, snaking from Evans Way Park to Fenway Park and led by a cohort of bagpipers, turning a warm Sunday into what locals called “Scotland Day.” The Red Sox joined the mood — mascot Wally wore a kilt and the team’s organist played Scottish tunes after studying sheet music — as Scotland fans gathered above the bullpen and throughout the ballpark and answered the American national anthem with “Flower of Scotland.”
The visit marks the country’s first World Cup appearance in 28 years. Scotland have never reached the tournament’s knockout stages, and their victory over Haiti was the side’s fifth World Cup win and its first since 1990.
Fans described long-planned trips and crowded flights. By the time Scotland supporters reached Boston, several outlets had reported that planes bound for matches had run out of beer. “It was water or wine,” one fan, James, said at breakfast after flying via Schiphol with his father, Richard. The flight was delayed after a puff of smoke from an engine in Amsterdam, but the travelers eventually departed and beer supplies had already been exhausted.
The front page of the Boston Globe focused on Scotland’s supporters, noting bars packed to capacity and familiar anthems that have followed the team through Euro 2024 and World Cup qualifying. Wherever fans gathered, songs celebrated figures such as John McGinn and refrains like “No Scotland, No Party.” Boston resident Mike Morrison said he woke to bagpipes after Scotland fans rented the house opposite his and draped flags from the windows; he hosted a barbecue, and a local fan later found him a ticket to the Scotland match.
A charity event in Boston to benefit Street Soccer Scotland was also held, an effort whose origins date to the 1998 World Cup. That earlier gathering included memorable moments — Sir Alex Ferguson in a Viking helmet and Sir Sean Connery singing in Paris, according to recollections — and the fundraiser was rekindled for Euro 2024 and staged again in the U.S. last week. Attendees included actors Gerard Butler, Martin Compston and Tony Curran and broadcaster Gordon Smart, who was later filmed singing partway up a lamppost.
