The Tartan Army's joyous U.S. invasion puts the lie to America's cartoon masculinity
Published
June 24, 2026 1:27PM (EDT)
Scotland fans celebrate the FIFA World Cup match against Brazil (Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Whether or not Scotland prevails in the World Cup’s official capacity as a football tournament, the country began winning almost as soon as an estimated 50,000 fans from abroad, known as the Tartan Army, arrived in Boston for the country’s first two matches. Wearing kilts and bearing bagpipes, the Scots marched, chanted, romanced the lasses, cheerfully drained the city of its beer, and were so conscientious about cleaning up after their revelries that, as one city worker commented, they made his job easier than the locals do.
