Scotland's Tartan Army to invade Boston and Providence for World Cup: "You'll see us and hear us"
The first 2026 World Cup game will be played in Massachusetts next week and fans from around the world are expected to attend the matches at Boston Stadium in Foxboro.
The British have come and gone. It's now Scotland invading New England. Their soccer fans will soon swarm Boston and Providence ahead of the World Cup and those cities are getting ready for chanting, drinking, and marching.
"We will be turning some heads I think when we go, definitely," said Mike Teevan, a fan coming to Massachusetts to see Scotland play.
Scotland fans call themselves the Tartan Army. They once coordinated getting 200,000 people to Germany for a match, and now they will pack 250 fans into Hennessy's bar near Faneuil Hall before Scotland faces Haiti at 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 13.
"They have already sent some promotional stuff and T-shirts for us to wear," said Noelle Somers, COO of Hennessy's Bar. "Their energy is going to bring up the vibe of the whole city. We are glad to have the World Cup here."
"4,500 cans of lager"
Hennessy's even brought in some Scottish beers for their guests.
The Scotland fans plan to celebrate for three hours and then head to the stadium in Foxboro in 12 school buses that have been chartered by the Tartan Army. They will be making a pitstop on the ride, but not for gas.
"We're heading on down to the stadium with a stop at an off-license to pick up about 4,500 cans of lager to get us through," said Teevan. "I don't know how much will be back there on the way back. Probably not too much."
Teevan said the explosion in bus interest has actually made travel costs cheaper than using Uber or public transit.
"A fleet of yellow school buses with some pretty boisterous and probably drunk by that point as well, Scotland fans heading down. You'll see us and hear us," he told WBZ-TV.
Marches in Boston, Providence
They'll do something similar the next day, Sunday June 14, when thousands of fans will march from the Back Bay to Fenway Park for a Red Sox game. Don't expect to hear "Sweet Caroline" on the march to the ballpark. It's a British anthem that caused a stir at a Scotland game in Germany.
"I don't think the DJ got the memo. He was rightly booed when he played that one," said Teevan who was at the match that day.
There will also be a mile-and-a-half march in Providence, as fans turn to Rhode Island as a place to stay.
"People were seeing it was closer to the stadium, and cheaper for rooms. Good old Scotsman being frugal with their money," said Mike MacGregor, a Tartan Army fan helping with Providence coordinating.
They have 41 school buses scheduled to bring fans to both of Scotland's matches in Foxboro on June 13 and June 19.
"We managed to fill 21 buses for the Haiti game, and we stopped taking [requests] then, so that's over 1,000 people," said MacGregor.
Providence tourism officials said hotel bookings are lower than expected, but that it could change quickly.
"I think we are going to have a lot of last-minute people because we don't know who those last two teams are going to be," said Kristen Adamo, President & CEO of Go Providence. "We are using the Rhode Island Convention Center as a parking and transportation hub."
In Providence, the Tartan Army is using the G Pub as their headquarters. The bar is expected to be packed.
"They are activating G Pub and another called Moonshine Alley, and then they are doing a parade through the streets of downtown Providence," said Adamo.
The Providence area Tartan Army will also hold their own fan event in a city park, while the city itself hosts a zone for all fans. MacGregor said they wanted to host their own party, so they didn't interrupt fans from other countries who are trying to watch their teams play at the fan zone. The Tartan Army will also be presenting a $10,000 check to the Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence.
