When the World Cup kicks off this summer, two brothers will walk onto the pitch wearing different flags. John Souttar will pull on Scotland’s navy blue. Harry Souttar will wear Australia’s gold. Same family, same sport, different national anthems, and a shared grief that makes the whole thing hit different.
The Souttar brothers, both professional footballers in England’s top divisions, qualified for different national teams thanks to their mother’s Australian nationality.
A family split across two squads
John, 29, plays his club football at Rangers and has been a fixture in Scotland’s defensive setup for years. Harry, 27, is a Leicester City player currently on loan at Sheffield United and represents Australia after switching allegiance from Scotland’s youth teams in 2019.
Scotland open their World Cup campaign against Haiti. Australia face Turkey. The brothers narrowly missed being drawn into the same group, and the Souttar family will split time between venues in the US and Canada to watch both sons play.
