In the lead-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted primarily in the United States along with Mexico and Canada, there was widespread criticism from many European fans.
Concern that the Trump administration’s immigration policies would somehow impact fans’ ability to enter the country. Complaints that the host stadiums, places like Los Angeles Stadium, Boston Stadium or Seattle Stadium would somehow prove unworthy of hosting World Cup matches.
Those concerns and complaints have proven to be wildly unfounded.
The atmosphere in Los Angeles for the U.S. Men’s National Team opening match win over Paraguay was widely praised. To the point where even non-American commentators Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimović were emotionally moved by the performances and crowd. Other stadiums have created equally impressive scenes, with Brazil-Morocco at New York-New Jersey Stadium one of the prime examples.
U.S. FANS WERE OUT IN FULL FORCE AHEAD OF THE USMNT FIRST MATCH OF THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP
Then there’s Boston.
The entire New England region has been taken over by fans of the Scotland national football team, more commonly known as the Tartan Army. The Scottish national anthem echoed around Boston Stadium ahead of their opening match against Haiti. Then they won 1-0, putting fans in an even better mood.
But the Scots visiting the Boston area aren’t just bringing their passion and energy to soccer. On Sunday night, the Red Sox hosted Scottish Heritage Night at Fenway Park, giving away specially themed Tartan jerseys for the occasion. And boy oh boy, did the Tartan Army show up.
SCOTTISH FAN HAS PRICELESS REACTION AFTER SEEING NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS CHEERLEADERS AT WORLD CUP GAME
Before the game, fans were performing traditional Scottish music, marching down to the stadium en masse.
MLB.com spoke to several fans there for the occasion, who spoke about the welcome they received from Boston fans.
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“Oh, it’s been fantastic, actually,” Susan Swindells told the outlet. “I think Boston’s really taking us [into] their hearts. We’ve got a really friendly welcome here, which is fantastic. It’s my second time in Boston. I actually came to my first baseball game at Fenway Park and saw the Red Sox beat the Twins a number of years ago. So it’s nice to be back again, and hopefully after we saw Scotland win last night, we’ll get to see another victory today.”
But the best part? How the Scottish fans brought European soccer singing culture to Major League Baseball. And boy did they bring it.
Does it get any better than that? That’s the best of sports, right there. Fans from across the globe, having a blast at a random mid-June baseball game they likely don’t even fully understand.
The Red Sox lost 6-4 to the Texas Rangers to fall to 29-40, but it’s a pretty fair bet that this will wind up being the most fun home game of the year at Fenway Park. And yet another sign that the 2026 World Cup has been an enormous success.
