They are from Inverness, the cold, rainy and mountainous capital of the Scottish Highlands, but this week they dominate hot and humid Little Havana, the traditional Cuban stronghold in Miami, Florida.
Thousands of Scots like the family of Alison, 58, David, 60, and Michael, 35, have arrived in Miami since the end of last week to watch their team’s game against Brazil this Wednesday (24), in the third and final round of Group C. The Tartan Army, the national organized fan base, estimates there to be 20,000.
Matriarch Alison says that they are an organized people, which was reflected in the mega trip to the United States — previously the family and thousands of other Scots were in Boston, where on Friday (19) the European team lost 1-0 to Morocco.
The fans’ excitement is understandable: Scotland are back in the World Cup after a 28-year absence.
The result was a Scottish tide on streets traditionally dominated by Cubans.
With kilts, Scottish skirts, national team shirts and bagpipes, they gathered this Monday (22) in the middle of the afternoon in Little Havana to go around the local stadium, the Hard Rock.
The region named after the capital of Cuba is home to a population of around 80 thousand people, the overwhelming majority of Latin origin, especially Cuban and Nicaraguan.
The owner of a local liquor store said that since the weekend he had only sold to Scots.
At a convenience store next door, Jose, an 84-year-old Cuban who has lived in Miami for eight years and lives next door, asks the salesperson why there are so many people. “I only came to buy my beer after the doctor, and they finished everything”, he lamented.
“No Scotland, no party” (no Scotland, no party), said the t-shirts of some of those present. In the report, none of them said they were calm for the game, and everyone suggested that the dispute against the Brazilian team will not be easy.
Many Brazilians also live in Miami. The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Itamaraty, estimates that in Florida as a whole there are 400 thousand, according to data from 2024.
In their World Cup debut, against the Moroccans, Brazil had a significant majority in the stands. The same happened in Philadelphia, against Haiti. Watching now against Scotland.
