Tartan Army wants to keep its World Cup party going with win or tie vs. Brazil
Like everyone else driving around Little Havana Monday afternoon, Marlins starting pitcher Tyler Phillips was taken aback by the joyous energy of Scotland’s Tartan Army as 8,000 of their kilt-wearing, fun-loving fans made their way to loanDepot park for the Marlins game against the Texas Rangers.
The Scots are in town for Wednesday’s World Cup game against Brazil and made it a point to take in a baseball game, as they did in Boston, when they turned a Red Sox game into a giant singalong.
On a scorching hot Monday, they slathered on sunscreen and marched from the Ball & Chain bar in the heart of Calle Ocho to the stadium, led by bagpipers, and then packed the West plaza for a pre-game concert, belting out “I Would Walk 500 Miles!” and “No Scotland, No Party!” as Marlins fans joined in.
Once inside the stadium, they marched a lap around the warning track and then headed to their seats, where they raised the attendance (20,008) and decibel level from a typical Marlins game.
“When I was driving over here and I saw kilts walking around everywhere, I guess I was a little confused,” Phillips said after the game, which the Marlins lost 4-3. “People did tell me this was going on, but I didn’t expect that. It was electric. Like, I’m telling you, if I’m just driving around tonight and I see anyone in trouble and they’re wearing a kilt, I might pull over and go help them. It gave me energy and I’d want to reciprocate what they were bringing.”
How much did Phillips enjoy the Tartan Army?
“If it was up to me, I would have us paying those people to show up to the games,” he said. “It was unbelievable. From the second I walked out from the dugout, I felt it in my chest. It felt great. They were just happy to be here. They’re unbelievable fans. Those people were awesome. The energy was phenomenal.”
For many of the Scottish fans, it was their first time in America and their first time at a baseball game. The ones who traveled to Boston for Scotland’s World Cup games against Haiti and Morocco got their first taste of baseball at Fenway.
“I have no idea how the baseball game works, I just know they hit a ball,” said Chris Argo, who arrived in Miami on Sunday and is staying at an Airbnb in downtown Miami with friends Kieran Noble, Tom Purdie, Murray Owen, and Ryan Davidson.
Charlie Douglas and Alan O’Donnell were also attending their first baseball game. They flew to Miami Sunday from Glasgow, through London and Philadelphia, to meet up with their friends Frazer Young, who flew in from Dubai, and Cammy Murray, who came from Singapore.
“I’m pretty sure if you get a home run you get like six points or something and then you celebrate like you scored a goal,” joked Douglas, who lives in Balfron, Scotland.
Told that baseball is a bit like cricket, Douglas and his friends groaned, and Young said, “Oooh, cricket is an English sport, we don’t like cricket too much.”
Nevertheless, they were excited to be attending a Marlins game and to be in Miami ahead of Wednesday’s final group stage game. They were eight years old when Scotland was last in the World Cup, so they are enjoying every minute of this journey and don’t want it to end.
They are staying at an Airbnb on Collins Ave. in Miami Beach. They checked out downtown, Little Havana and played golf at the Hollywood Beach Golf Club. They spent about an hour on the beach Monday morning, “but it was like 32 degrees [89 degrees Fahrenheit], so we had to go find air conditioning.”
Aidan McKenna, a Tartan Army member from Wishaw, Scotland, also is delighted to be in Miami for the first time.
“It’s fantastic, a bit too hot and humid, I am wearing factor 50 sunscreen, but it’s been great,” he said. “Everyone’s been so hospitable. It’s a beautiful city.”
Brothers Craig Scott, 27, and Fraser Scott, 25, of Aberdeen, were not born when Scotland made its last World Cup appearance in 2006. They went to Boston for the first two games last week and then flew to Miami.
“Boston was brilliant,” Fraser Scott said. “All the locals were so welcoming, and we drunk the town dry. We’re loving Miami, as well. People are so nice.”
“We had Cuban sandwiches in Little Havana, they were great,” added Craig Scott.
The Scots know their team is the heavy underdog against five-time champion Brazil but remain hopeful they can pull off a draw and keep the party going for at least one more round.
“I think a 1-all draw is possible,” Craig Scott said.
“I think we’ve got a chance,” McKenna said. “I think the hardest game was against Morocco, so I’m hoping for a draw against Brazil, or at least keep it to one goal [difference] and we’ll be fine.”
With a win vs. Brazil, Scotland would advance. With a draw, Scotland reaches four points and would most certainly move on. The Scots could even move on with a loss, as the expanded field of 48 allows eight of 12 groups to advance third-place teams.
Asked what South Floridians can expect from the Tartan Army over the next 48 hours, O’Donnell said: “A lot of beer, a lot of singing, a lot of smiling, and a lot of high fives.”
The Tartan Army will parade along Ocean Drive in South Beach Tuesday, starting at 2 p.m. at Lummus Park and ending on 5th St. and then head to the official Miami Fan Festival in Bayfront Park in downtown Miami at 5 p.m.
The Scottish fans consumed so much beer in Boston that some bars ran out and breweries sent emergency shipments. Miller Lite, determined to be prepared, is sending a tartan-covered beer barge into Miami on Tuesday, complete with bagpipes and Scottish flags. The barge will also feature Scottish artist and former professional footballer Craig Black, who will christen it upon arrival.
They are winning over new fans everywhere they go, and though they will be outnumbered on Wednesday by the Brazilians, who also love to party, they will be loud.
“It was fun for us to be a part of that this evening; certainly that was a very raucous environment, especially early on,” said Marlins Manager Clayton McCullough. “I think we’re all proud to have been hosts for an incredible evening, and certainly it’s an exciting time around the sports world with the World Cup. For those fans to get a chance to see some American baseball, and a good game at that, it was a lot of fun.”
Is he a Scotland fan now?
“I’ll be cheering for Scotland against Brazil. I’ll be rooting hard for the Scots.”
This story was originally published June 20, 2026 at 9:40 AM.