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As the 2026 FIFA World Cup moves across the United States, traveling fans have been filling their off days with a very American tourist activity: going to an MLB game.
From Fenway Park to Yankee Stadium, MLB stadiums are suddenly filling with bagpipes, kilts, Viking hats, flags, singing, and a new crop of baseball fans learning the game in real-time.
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It all started on June 14, the day after Scotland beat Haiti 1-0 in Foxborough for its first World Cup win since 1990, when a pack of Scottish fans marched through Boston and into Fenway Park for a Red Sox-Rangers game that had already been planned as Scottish Heritage Night. Kismet!
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Flocks of fans in kilts and Scotland jerseys packed sections of the ballpark, sang through the game, and brought such electric energy that Red Sox president Sam Kennedy later wrote to the Scottish Football Association, thanking the Tartan Army for turning Fenway into “a meeting point between two sporting cultures.”
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From there, the ballpark tour continued. With several days between Scotland’s World Cup matches, fans also made their way to Yankee Stadium on June 16, taking over part of the upper deck as the Yankees played the White Sox.
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But, no, they didn’t stop there.
June 22, ahead of Scotland’s World Cup match against Brazil, thousands of Scotland fans marched from Ball & Chain in Little Havana to loanDepot park for the Marlins’ game against the Texas Rangers.
Inside the ballpark, roughly 8,000 members of the Tartan Army were part of an announced crowd of 20,008. Starter Tyler Phillips called the atmosphere “unbelievable” in a post-game press conference and said, “I would have us paying those people to show up to the games.” (He may have been joking, but the Marlins ticket office should at least hear him out.) Cody Freeman was also awestruck.
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Scotland is not the only fanbase bringing World Cup energy to MLB. On June 24, a group of Norway fans showed up at Citi Field for the Mets’ doubleheader against the Cubs, shortly after Norway’s 3-2 win over Senegal at MetLife Stadium helped send the team to the knockout stage for the first time since 1998.
The Norwegian fans turned part of the outfield seats red, wore Viking hats, waved flags, danced in the stands, and performed the now-viral “Viking Row” celebration in the bleachers. Mr. and Mrs. Met even joined in. We love the commitment.
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Some World Cup teams are even leaning in. On June 18, England’s national team visited Kauffman Stadium during its World Cup stay in Kansas City, where manager Thomas Tuchel threw out the ceremonial first pitch before a Royals game. According to social media, it was a strike, for sure.
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The Rangers, meanwhile, have capitalized on this new fanbase, building World Cup-themed promotions around the tournament, including fútbol-style jerseys, a global scarf giveaway, country flag patches, and a “Guide to Texas Baseball” for international visitors heading to Globe Life Field.
Baseball may not have been on every World Cup fan’s itinerary, but it has become one of the tournament’s best off-day surprises. It’s awesome to see everyone having a good time at regular-season baseball games again, even if half the crowd is still figuring out what counts as a strike.
Click here to read more >> https://mashable.com/life/world-cup-fans-mlb-stadium-takeovers