The World Cup is underway, and Scotland set to face off in Group C against Haiti tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern Time.
The Scotland men's national team is set to play at least two matches at Gillette Stadium (which will be referred to as “Boston Stadium” for the duration of the World Cup), including the first match in Foxboro this summer.
With the Scottish team in New England for their Saturday night match, their fans have come in droves for the international soccer tournament, with many in Rhode Island making their presence known. They're known as the Tartan Army.
According to a spokesperson for the Providence Tartan Army Instagram page, somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000 Scots were expected to be in Providence.
Here's what you need to know about these hardcore fans.
The Tartan Army: Who are they?
The Tartan Army is the name given to Scotland's famed supporters group, known for donning kilts while being loud, passionate and charitable, often getting involved with local charitable causes in the areas they visit.
The Tartan Army has planned to base themselves out of Providence for the first two World Cup matches, and have chartered a fleet of yellow school buses to travel to and from Boston Stadium.
Why are the Tartan Army called that?
They are called the Tartan Army because tartan is the overlapping pattern of horizontal and vertical lines that is shown in many kilts, and fans will wear kilts to games. Both tartan and the kilts are cultural signifiers in Scotland.
What songs do Scottish football fans sing
The Tartan Army faithful often sing popular songs by Scottish artists "Yes Sir I Can Boogie at Hampden Park" and "No Scotland No Party" at football matches before.
Nolan Rogalski contributed to the reporting of this story.
Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@usatodayco.com.
Source: The Providence Journal
