Scottish fans’ friendly USA invasion exemplifies the joy of the World Cup | Philipp Lahm

I could watch videos of the Scots online for hours. Wearing kilts, they marched through Boston playing bagpipes. In the stadium, the Tartan Army roared their team to victory against Haiti , their first World Cup win in 36 years. Afterwards they went to a baseball game and, singing and wearing knee-length red socks, turned a Boston Red Sox home game into part of the World Cup – and one of its highlights, too. In the stadium they had the rules of this sport, which we Europeans find difficult to understand, explained to them. I saw a clip of one local, moved to tears, thanking the Scots “for the best time” of his life. Now Miami can look forward to the Scottish invasion. The Norwegians and Dutch leave similar impressions wherever they go. “United by football” – the fans live it. As the tournament director of Euro 2024 , I’ve had my own experiences with the Scots. They won the hearts of us Germans in no time. Friendships were forged that are cherished on both sides. I know this from my home club, FT Gern. My daughter keeps a pin as a memento, a gift from a Scottish fan. Whenever I’ve been asked about the purpose of major sporting events, I’ve always thought first of the 2006 World Cup. For a long time, my answer was: it was the defining event of my career because I experienced what it means to play for your country and because our country presented itself with a new openness to the world. …