World Cup

The din of bagpipes, The Proclaimers, and decibel-defying chants rang across Foxborough on Saturday night.

By Conor Ryan

June 14, 2026 | 7:30 AM

4 minutes to read

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COMMENTARY

FOXBOROUGH — Plenty has changed since the last time Scotland took to the pitch for a men’s World Cup match.

The year? 1998.

Pedro Martinez was in his first year with the Red Sox. Gillette Stadium was still years away from inception.

And Tom Brady — whose visage is now immortalized in bronze in front of said stadium — was just entering his first full season as a starter … at Michigan. 

Fair to say, Saturday’s match in Foxborough had been a long time coming for The Tartan Army.

It’s a sentiment reinforced by a week’s worth of kilt-wearing fans ingratiating themselves with Bostonians over a pint, impromptu backyard cookouts, and tributes to cherished local traditions — be it a large regular at Dunkin or a perilous journey down the “Cop Slide”.

And that enthusiasm rang and revelry true on Saturday night as thousands of Scots belted out anthems like “Flower of Scotland” and “Loch Lomond” as one at “Boston Stadium”.

Even in a stadium that has seen several triumphs across New England’s two-decade dynasty, the sights and sounds of Saturday’s match between Scotland and Haiti felt about as refreshing as a crisp glass of Tennent’s on a warm summer evening.

Because if Saturday’s group stage opener at Boston Stadium was an indication of what’s to come, Boston should be in for a treat when it comes to a tournament rooted in community, bridge building, and a ringing reminder of what makes sports so special.  ​

Home for Scotland manager Steve Clarke stands an ocean away from Foxborough. But the former Chelsea back acknowledged after Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Haiti that Foxborough temporarily became the epicenter of The Tartan Army for a few hours.

“What’s not to enjoy?” Clarke asked. “Walking out onto the pitch before the game and looking across at the far side, almost an hour and a half before the game, and I see my family walking down the steps, and they’re sitting in the stands.

“It’s special.  … You just see the Tartan Army supporting us, all the way around the stadium, just having a great time.”

Be it by a convoy of school buses marching down Route 1 or a parade of trains and trucks spilling out from Boston and Providence, thousands of Scots are descending upon Foxborough to catch a glimpse of their team’s return to the international stage.

Hours ahead of kick-off, a sea of salmon-colored kits filled one side of the lower bowl at Boston Stadium, with the din of several bagpipes standing echoing across the stadium.

A constant chorus of cheers and the piercing cacophony emanating from the reeds of several sneaked-in instruments hovered over the muggy moors of Norfolk County on Saturday.

That is, until a shot from Scottish midfielder John McGinn ricocheted off a Haitian defender and into the net in the 29th minute. ​

The Scots — hungry for their first World Cup victory in 36 years — broke into a rendition of “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by Scottish band, The Proclaimers.

A party first brewed up around Boston Common, Fenway Park, and countless pubs across Boston over the past week reached its zenith as Saturday’s match reached full time just past 11 o’clock.

“They always have a good time. You’ll see a lot of them,” Scotland captain Andrew Robertson said of The Tartan Army ahead of the tournament, adding, “Our away end is always sold out, it’s always packed. Any major tournaments we’ve been to, they’ve always supported us really well and I’ve got no doubts that that will be no different in America.

“They sing loudly, they sing proudly and that’s why, for me, they’re right up there with the best fans in the world when it comes to countries, and like you said, the locals will love them. They seem to always make friends along the way and make people fall in love with them. And yeah, look, the Tartan Army will support us right to the end and hopefully we can give them something to shout about.”

For all of the talk of Scotland’s descent upon Boston and New England, Haiti also had plenty to celebrate on Saturday in what stood as the country’s first World Cup match since 1974.

The Haitian crowd might have been outnumbered on Saturday, but the supporters of “Les Grendiers” made their presence felt in Foxborough.

Boston — home to the US’ third-largest population of Haitians — celebrated on Saturday with a parade of supporters down Boylston Street, while one end of Boston Stadium often moved as one amid a flurry of waving flags painting the section in both blue and red.

“It wasn’t easy because we couldn’t play in front of our fans, which is always a big advantage,” Haiti forward and Massachusetts product Frantzdy Pierrot told Boston.com earlier this week of representing his home country. “But also it kind of pushed us even more because we knew that even with all that’s going on, if we stay together and work together, we can make it happen. We can give them hope.”

Boston is certainly no stranger to sports dominating the social sphere, nor are big-ticketed events the type of thing that leaves locals slack-jawed — beyond taking a glimpse at the worsening traffic patterns. ​

But Boston — much like the Scots and Haitians who packed Foxborough on Saturday — hasn’t seen a spectacle quite like this in some time.

And while it’s customary for Bostonians to size up new things with our trademark blunt apathy, it doesn’t take a diehard footie fan to appreciate the optics of what has transpired over the last week within the city and greater community.

Be it the sights of Scottish and Haitian fans celebrating with one another before kick-off, a Boston cop drawing a crowd of supporters with his juggling skills, or kilt-wearing revelers singing along to “Sweet Caroline” at Fenway, this past week has been a welcome sight for a city already well-aware of the power that sports can bring.

A sight that — for countless fans both in Foxborough and across the globe — has been well worth the wait.