Scotland-TA Won the Hearts of Boston on Day 1

[Boston Football Gal]

Kilts. Rainbows of soccer jerseys. Roaring chants. In a day, World Cup magic hits Boston.

By Chris Serres, Omar Mohammed and Thai Theodoro Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent,Updated June 11, 2026, 8:45 p.m.

Full Boston Globe article at https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/11/metro/boston-world-cup-fever/

“World Cup fever finally arrived in Boston on Thursday in an early-morning burst of bagpipe music, colorful soccer jerseys, and kilts. Lots and lots of kilts.

By midmorning, the area around Faneuil Hall Marketplace was packed with Scottish soccer fans wearing the blue tartan of their cultural garb, many already 16 ounces deep into their celebrations.

Across City Hall Plaza, a massive crowd spilled out of the open doors of the Dubliner. Their chants of “No Scotland, No Party!” echoed a full block away, where public officials were holding a walk-through of the city’s World Cup fan festival ahead of the first match at Gillette Stadium, Scotland vs. Haiti, on Saturday night. 

And one Boston resident took to social media to complain of being woken at the crack of dawn by a kilt-clad bagpipe player.

Meanwhile, at a park in East Boston, workers inflated a 2,200-pound soccer ball at the site of another fanfest watch party. The giant sphere weighs as much as 20 kegs of Sam Adams beer and is expected to set a new world record. Later in the afternoon, fans of the Mexico national team gathered in the park to cheer on their team in a 2-0 win over South Africa in the first game of the tournament. 

All across Greater Boston, boisterous tourists from Scotland, Haiti, France, and Morocco packed into nearly every open bar and restaurant. Despite the sweltering heat, many wore soccer scarves and capes bearing their national colors.

And with that, in just one day’s time, a city that seemed to shrug at hosting the world’s biggest sport event saw firsthand the joyous intensity the Beautiful Game brings out in its fans.

And by all accounts, Bostonians, while known for their gruffness and stoicism, have welcomed the massive crowd of visitors with warmth.

One group of Scottish tourists shared how, when they got lost on the subway, strangers stopped to help them navigate the Red, Blue, and Orange lines. Other visitors noted that locals, spotting their colorful jerseys, would cheer them on from sidewalks and passing cars, or stop to recommend the best local pubs to watch the matches. One group of visiting Scots said a bartender in Somerville spotted them a pitcher of beer.

Bostonians have been fantastic, absolutely fantastic,” said Stevie Parker, 57, of Edinburgh, who arrived in Boston this week to attend his nation’s first game in Foxborough with his two sons, who wore colorful tartan kilts as they strode through the city. “We like the fact that this is a clean, walkable city, and everyone has been so welcoming.”

[Boston Football Gal]

NBC news coverage

Edited June 12 by Boston Football Gal