{"id":317745,"date":"2026-06-24T04:43:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T04:43:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/317745\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T04:43:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T04:43:18","slug":"scotland-fans-fill-ocean-drive-ahead-of-world-cup-match","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/317745\/","title":{"rendered":"Scotland fans fill Ocean Drive ahead of World Cup match"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/p>\n

The Tartan Army parades from Lummus Park to Ocean Drive and 5th, at Miami Beach on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.<\/p>\n

Photography by AL DIAZ<\/p>\n

adiaz@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n

Ocean Drive was a sea of blue, white and orange traffic cone hats as the Tartan Army, the beloved group of rambunctious Scotland soccer fans, brought their legendary partying to Miami Beach.<\/p>\n

Ten-year-old Angus Slessor didn\u2019t let his kilt stop him from climbing up a tree at Lummus Park to get a better look of the crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep your eyes down!\u201d joked his father Gav Slessor as people walked underneath the tree.<\/p>\n

Hundreds \u2014 maybe thousands \u2014 of kilt-wearing, bagpipe-playing, flag-waving, fun-loving Scotland fans descended on South Beach after a day of salsa dancing on Calle Ocho<\/a> and cheering on the Marlins at loanDepot Park.<\/a> Wednesday afternoon, thousands of Scots will be in Broward, partying at pubs and riding on riverboats in Fort Lauderdale. The festivities come to a head Wednesday evening when Scotland takes on Brazil at the FIFA World Cup in Miami.<\/p>\n

Couple Gav Slessor, 49, and Mel Nardi, 44, said the city has \u201cvery welcoming\u201d to their family as they experience the World Cup, Miami and even a baseball game for the first time. Gav said his excitement for the match is so \u201coff the scale,\u201d he\u2019ll be happy if Scotland just ties.<\/p>\n

\u201cTomorrow, it\u2019ll sink in what\u2019s happening,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s like my dream\u2019s coming true tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A A Scottish bagpiper performs during the Tartan Army parade along Ocean Drive on Miami Beach on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Photography by AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

From 14th to Fifth Street, the Tartan Army\u2019s soldiers braved the high humidity. The event flyer asked parade-goers to wear sunscreen and drink water. They hydrated with beer instead.<\/p>\n

The fans lived up to their famous \u201cNo Scotland, No Party\u201d chant. They hollered at a firefighter waving the Scottish flag while standing on a fire truck. They took selfies with Argentina fans. They sang along to \u201cYes Sir, I Can Boogie.\u201d They cheered at fellow Scots waving flags off of hotel roofs and yelled a cheeky chant at a Brazil fan watching the parade from his balcony: \u201cYou can stick your f—— Neymar up your a–!\u201d<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t let the expletives fool you. Scotland fans showed plenty of love to Brazil at the parade. Some carried Scotland and Brazil hybrid flags and paired Brazil jerseys with traditional Scottish kilts. Fans even fist-bumped Brazilian tourist Valeria Lemos as she waved her Brazil flag on the sidewalk.<\/p>\n

Lemos, 42, said she had no idea the Scotland parade was today and just so happened to be hanging out on South Beach with her friend. She felt friendly competition and good vibes \u2014 not animosity \u2014 from the Tartan Army.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone is here to have fun,\u201d Lemos said.<\/p>\n

\"Iain Iain Ness of Scotland displays his Tartan Army pins during the parade along Ocean Drive on Miami Beach on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Photography by AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

But perhaps no one at the parade had more Scottish-Brazilian pride than Faroque Hussain, the Honorary Consul of Brazil in Glasgow. Hussain wore the \u201cSpirit of Brazil\u201d tartan<\/a>, a kilt made up of the colors of the Brazilian flag that honors the connection between the two far-fledged countries. Scotsman Charles Miller, known as \u201cthe founding father of Brazilian football,\u201d<\/a> is credited with bringing the beautiful game to Brazil, he said.<\/p>\n

Hussain also brought the oldest surviving football in the world to Miami<\/a> in honor of the World Cup. The 500-year-old ball is on display at the Coral Gables Museum<\/a> and will be present at the Scotland match, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ball\u2019s going with me to the game. The ball\u2019s being treated as a VVIP, a very, very important person. It\u2019s the first time ever that the ball\u2019s going to a World Cup, so there\u2019s a lot of firsts taking place,\u201d Hussain said. \u201cIt\u2019s a real, real privilege. It\u2019s a real opportunity for us to showcase the connections between Brazil and Scotland. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anyway better to showcase that than what I\u2019m wearing just now with the \u2018Spirit of Brazil\u2019 tartan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scotland fans from around the world connected at the Miami Beach parade. Eileen Ewing, a Scottish woman who lives in Australia, helped carry a giant Scotland-Mexico flag with Graeme Stevens, a Scottish man who lives in Mexico. The two met at the parade, and Ewing didn\u2019t even know Stevens\u2019 name until after she started holding up his flag for photos.<\/p>\n

Traveling the U.S. with her family during the World Cup has been \u201cthe absolute experience of a lifetime,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been really welcoming. We\u2019ve heard lots of negative things about Americans hosting and the culture, but actually everyone\u2019s been really welcoming, really friendly. I\u2019ve not seen any trouble,\u201d Ewing, 51, said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been mixing with fans from all over the world and just celebrating the football community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Cheryl Cheryl Prater of New Orleans joins the The Tartan Army parade along Ocean Drive and 5th, at Miami Beach on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Photography by AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Stevens, 47, shared a similar sentiment. He has also been traveling across the U.S. for the last few weeks and has enjoyed meeting Latin American soccer fans in Miami. \u201cIt feels like half of Scotland is in the United States,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019ve loved most about being in the U.S. is proving everybody on social media wrong. There\u2019s been so many things said negative about coming here that have all been wrong,\u201d Stevens said. “I\u2019ve especially liked the fact it\u2019s been so welcoming and so open. It was worth paying the money and coming to the World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n

Win or lose, Scotland fans said they\u2019re just happy to be here. The Tartan Army has gone viral on social media for their shenanigans and infectious energy. But what makes Scotland so good at partying? Ewing has a theory.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t take life that seriously. We\u2019ve not got huge expectations. We\u2019re just here to have a good time and to celebrate our culture and mix cultures with other countries as well,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd we do like a drink, and we do like to be funny.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story was originally published June 23, 2026 at 5:49 PM.<\/p>\n