Thousand of Scotland fans have travelled to Germany for Euro 2024 (Picture: Getty)
While many Scotland fans have made their way out to Germany for Euro 2024, plenty more will stay home to cheer on their nation.
Steve Clarke’s side compete in their second successive European Championship, with the Tartan Army hoping to improve on their dismal Euro 2020 performance which saw them exit at the group stage.
Pubs will be rammed to catch the country’s first match against hosts Germany, but a significant portion of Scotland’s older population will be left watching the match alone
In a bid to bring some of Scotland’s older fans together, supermarket giants Asda have set up a ‘nan zone’ in a Glasgow supermarket to create a location for elderly fans to come together and watch the game.
David Hills, Chief Customer Officer at Asda, said: ‘Sport has a way of bringing people together like nothing else.
‘That’s why we want to use the power of football fandom to help strengthen community spirit this summer – and the nan zones sit at the heart of that ambition.
‘Our colleagues and customers really care about supporting the elderly in their communities, and we hope that by encouraging the nation to join our pledge to bring people together, we can help combat loneliness and social isolation.’
Scotland take on Germany in the tournament’s first match (Picture: Getty)
Scotland face a tough task if they are to progress out of Group A and into the knockout stages for the first time in the nation’s history.
As well as the much-fancied hosts Germany, their group also contains Switzerland and Hungary.
Switzerland reached the quarter-finals in 2020 having knocked out France in the round of 16, while Hungary head into the tournament with just one defeat in their last 16 games, a run stretching back to November 2022.
Euro 2024
Scotland have never reached the knockout stages at the Euros (Picture: Getty)
Captain Andy Robertson, meanwhile, admitted the chance to make history for their country has kept his players driven in the build-up to the tournament.
‘We want to make history,’ the Liverpool full-back said. ‘We know what’s at stake. What’s the worst that can happen? We join the list of Scotland teams who haven’t got out of a group?
‘We have so many incentives here, but becoming a legendary squad is the biggest. That’s what has to drive us forward.
‘The thought of being the first Scotland team to make a knockout round is our driving force. If we manage that? You just never know.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.