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One of the early captivating images of the World Cup has been foreign fans taking over North American cities, particularly the South Koreans in Guadalajara and the Scottish in Boston.
The Scottish fans, otherwise known as the “Tartan Army,” have quickly turned Beantown into a home-away-from-home, as they’ve been playing bagpipes on suburban streets, drinking local bars dry, and took over the Red Sox game against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park on Sunday night.
The Tartan Army March to Fenway Stadium begins 🏴🏴 pic.twitter.com/Mux1qObtdN
— Helen (@hjmcd20) June 14, 2026
THE TARTAN ARMY LOVES ABBA!!!!!!!!! This is absolutely the most wild @fenwaypark has ever been for a @redsox non-playoff game. What a night!!!! #redsox #dirtywater @TartanArmyGroup @BBisntBoring @JomboyMedia pic.twitter.com/kZctd82GAh
— John Tackeff (@jtackeff) June 15, 2026
The Red Sox game might be over but the party continues at Fenway Park 🥳 🏴 pic.twitter.com/yYR1bmwrxo
— Morgan Spence (@MorganMSpence) June 15, 2026
Scotland fans putting traffic cones atop statues in Boston is actual a part of a Glaswegian tradition that dates back to the 1980s
The Scots have also brought a piece of home with them to the historic American city, as they’ve been placing traffic cones atop the city’s statues. It isn’t just some random juvenile prank, though, but rather a Scottish tradition that dates back to 1980s Glasgow and the Duke of Wellington, which boasts a traffic cone on its head to this day.
“In the late 80s students put a cone on the Duke of Wellington statue in Glasgow as a joke. The council took it down. The students replaced it, and so on until the council gave up. Now the cone is a symbol of the city and its unthinkable for it to be absent,” an Edinburgh native informed a curious Bostonian on social media.
In the late 80s students put a cone on the Duke of Wellington statue in Glasgow as a joke. The council took it down. The students replaced it, and so on until the council gave up. Now the cone is a symbol of the city and it’s unthinkable for it to be absent.
— Paul Robertson (@pauliewoll) June 14, 2026
During their opening group stage match on Saturday night, Scotland earned their first World Cup victory since 1990 with their 1-0 win over Haiti, giving them a roughly 75% chance to advance out of the group stage. A single point across their next two games will take them to four points and will likely be enough to earn a berth in the next round.
With the win, Scotland now top Group C with three points. Their next match will be on Friday, June 19 against Morocco followed by their third and final group stage game against Brazil on Wednesday, June 24.