Scots joke – After Scotland’s World Cup win over Haiti, Tartan Army fans in New York shared playful impressions—prompting one joke that the city isn’t “as good as Boston”—as they headed back toward Friday’s match in Foxborough.
For a few Scottish fans wandering New York City ahead of Scotland’s next World Cup game, the eternal local rivalry between the Big Apple and Boston didn’t take long to show up.
Asked by ESPN’s Katie Feeney what they’d noticed after arriving, one fan offered a quick, unmistakable punchline: “I’ve noticed it’s not as good as Boston.”
The jest landed in a wider arc of goodwill. Feeney pointed out that the Tartan Army had already grown into a familiar presence in Boston since arriving last week, and another Scottish fan put it simply: “They don’t want us to leave.”
But the humor wasn’t a dismissal of New York. When Feeney asked what they thought of the people there, a younger fan said New Yorkers had been warm from the start: “The people are good,” adding, “Very friendly, very welcoming.”
That friendly mood only made the next stop feel more urgent. With Scotland set to play Friday against Morocco in Foxborough. the fans had one destination in mind as the trip stretched on: getting back to Boston—the place they’ve started treating like home territory. “We’ve got to get back to the good American side.”.
The timing matters. Scotland will play a second World Cup group stage game at “Boston Stadium” on Friday, following their 1-0 opening win over Haiti on Saturday.
Even beyond soccer, the itinerary has been part of the experience. Between matches, many fans have used the days in between to explore other parts of the host nations—just not, it seems, long enough to forget where they’d rather be.
Separately in the same sports roundup, the Red Sox lost to the Blue Jays 3-0 on Wednesday, with the two teams scheduled to play again at Fenway Park this afternoon at 1:35 p.m.
World Cup schedule for today lists:
Czechia vs. South Africa at 12 p.m.
Switzerland vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina at 3 p.m.
Canada vs. Qatar at 6 p.m.
Mexico vs. South Korea at 9 p.m.
And in local Boston sports notes, Zdeno Chara helped with the announcement from the Bruins that Patrice Bergeron’s No. 37 jersey will be retired. The Scottish national team also returned to Boston from their North Carolina base camp in advance of Friday’s World Cup game.
On this day in 1975, Fred Lynn produced one of the greatest Red Sox days ever for a hitter—going 5-for-6 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in a 15-1 Boston win over the Tigers.
Daily highlight: Colombian right back Daniel Muñoz made the perfect run and scored one of the more skillful goals of the World Cup so far in South America’s 3-1 win over Uzbekistan, fed by a perfect Luis Diaz pass.
Trivia note from the roundup: the longtime NFL kicker born in Arbroath, Scotland is Graham Gano.
Scotland Tartan Army New York City Boston World Cup 2026 Morocco Foxborough Fenway Park Red Sox Katie Feeney