MIAMI — Many of the fans at LoanDepot Park on Monday evening were more accustomed to bagpipes, kilts and Glasgow’s Rangers than the Texas Rangers.
Team Scotland’s biggest soccer fans, known around the world as the Tartan Army, have arrived in South Florida ahead of Wednesday’s highly anticipated World Cup match between Brazil and Scotland. On Monday, they flooded Little Havana and the Rangers-Marlins baseball game. By the end, chants rattled the LoanDepot Park concourses like it was an Old Firm match between Scottish soccer rivals Celtic and Rangers.
“I just think America has been so good,” Dundee, Scotland resident Alan Hinnrichs said outside a bar on Calle Ocho before the Marlins game. “It’s been so welcoming. It’s been completely the opposite of (what) we’re getting told it will be. You won’t be able to do this, and you’ve got to bring ID. And we were just told all these horror stories and everything: You won’t get in because of things that people have said, people have made comments about the president or anything like that. We were told all this complete nonsense. None of it’s true. … There’s been no trouble. I haven’t had one bad (interaction). There’s not anybody who hasn’t been as nice as they can.
“I love Americans. I think Americans are wonderful people. I’ve never met an American I didn’t like. I just think it’s just a wonderful country, and I think we’ve had such a hospitable reception. Even today, people are somewhat bemused. But I’ve loved that. I’ve loved every minute of it.”
The beloved Tartan Army is known as a passionate and gregarious fanbase that has captivated cities around the world. With Scotland qualifying for its first World Cup since 1998, it was no surprise that its fans came to the United States for this year’s tournament in large numbers. The Tartan Army introduced itself to America by taking over bars around Boston, reportedly drinking them dry, and loudly belting out “Flower of Scotland” before Scotland’s first two matches against Haiti and Morocco.
The Scots’ final group-stage game is at Miami Stadium (typically known as Hard Rock Stadium), so fans began filtering into South Florida over the weekend. Some came from Boston, while others came directly from Scotland or different parts of the United States.
On Monday, they made their presence known in Little Havana. Scotland fans enjoyed themselves at local bars and restaurants, with the party centering around the 91-year-old bar Ball & Chain. Fans did their best to beat the heat as the heat index soared above 100 in the afternoon. One person was transported to a local hospital due to heat exhaustion and was stable, a Miami Fire Rescue spokesperson said.
“When I got off the plane, it was like when you open an oven,” Hinnrichs said. “Just poof.”
No Scotland, no party. pic.twitter.com/2NBbyDlu1K
— Adam Lichtenstein (@ABLichtenstein) June 22, 2026
The Scots were not the only ones partying Monday afternoon. Fans wearing multiple nations’ jerseys joined them, and many locals who saw viral videos of the Tartan Army’s prolific partying in Boston wanted to see it for themselves.
“I was watching all the videos of them in Boston, and I saw that they were coming to Miami, coming to the Marlins game,” Miamian Sasha Gonzalez said on Calle Ocho. “I’m like, I have to be part of it. I want to be there in the party atmosphere.”
At 4 p.m., the Tartan Army started making its way to Monday’s main event: the Marlins game. The team offered ticket packages that included a seat and a free beer for the first 250 members of the famed fan club to redeem the offer. The Marlins had been working with Tartan Party organizers to set up the event since last week, a Marlins spokesperson told the Sun Sentinel. About 8,000 Scottish fans were expected to attend. The announced total attendance was 20,008.
The Tartan Army marched the near mile to the stadium, drawing Little Havana residents out of their homes with the sound of bagpipes. At one point, a child in an Argentina jersey stood outside one building, and Scottish fans serenaded him with chants about Diego Maradona, the Argentine great whose famed “Hand of God” goal helped Argentina beat England — Scotland’s rival — in the memorable 1986 World Cup quarterfinals.
There’s a kid outside his house, wearing an Argentina jersey.
The Tartan Army serenaded him with Diego Maradona chants. pic.twitter.com/d9kXaUVrAY
— Adam Lichtenstein (@ABLichtenstein) June 22, 2026
Despite the copious amounts of alcohol being consumed in Little Havana and at the ballpark, it was still a family affair. Many Scottish fans brought their children along to experience the World Cup. It was a once-in-a-generation experience.
“We’ve not been here for 28 years,” said Glasgow resident Ross Watt, who traveled to Florida with his wife and daughter, during the march to the stadium. “So for her to experience this — this is something I wanted to experience when I was her age. So to make it memorable for her and the family is brilliant.”
When the fans arrived at the stadium, the Marlins were ready for them. The team hosted a party on the plaza outside the stadium, blasting music for a dance party. Scottish artist Nick Morgan performed, and Scottish national team player Billy Gilmour — out for the World Cup with a knee injury — threw out the first pitch. The Tartan Army bagpipers led a parade of fans around the warning track before the game.
Once inside the stadium, the Tartan Army let their presence be known. The Scottish fans were most heavily concentrated in the upper deck, but others sat in different sections of the stadium or filled standing-room areas. They cheered on the Marlins and booed a Rangers outfielder catching a routine fly ball.
“Oh, it’s great. Really good,” said Michelle Wright, a Dundee native while attending her first baseball game. “The stadium’s amazing. It’s been really good. And just the way they’ve kind of took to all the Scottish people. They had the music on. The parades were really good fun.”
The boisterous Scottish fans brought energy to the stadium; the Marlins average 12,777 for home games this season, which is second-lowest in the league. Monday’s game was a hot ticket. The cheapest available tickets on resale sites were selling for more than $60 on Monday afternoon. Marlins weeknight tickets can often be purchased for $10 or less.
“That was quite the atmosphere,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said.
The crowd routinely broke into chants like “No Scotland, no party” (to the tune of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army”), “Super John McGinn” (“Achy Breaky Heart” by Billy Ray Cyrus) and “Your defense is terrified; Scotland’s on fire” (“Freed from Desire” by Gala). The celebrations moved into the concourses later in the game, crowding the pathways (leading to at least one fan getting escorted out in handcuffs after a confrontation with police; the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office did not arrest anyone at LoanDepot Park on Monday, a MDSO spokesperson said).
Although the Marlins lost the game 4-3, the party atmosphere made it an unforgettable night in Miami — and Scotland does not play Brazil until Wednesday.
“(It would be) terrific if we could win,” said David Robertson from Montrose, Scotland. “But a low-scoring match will help us because other results so far have kind of gone our way with getting a good third position. But we’ll see how it goes.”
Not every day Little Havana is serenaded by a troupe of bagpipers. pic.twitter.com/LBztEY2QBm
— Adam Lichtenstein (@ABLichtenstein) June 22, 2026
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